Every child wants to be a train driver. And for many people the dream never fades. But life gets in the way and, anyway, the job comes with a lot of responsibility when it’s up to you to get everyone to their destination safely and on time. Also, you really meant you wanted to be steam engine driver, didn’t you? Or even be Thomas the Tank Engine himself!

Well, it’s not too late! Experience life on the footplate between the seaside resort of Sheringham and historic Holt, a pretty Georgian town and take over driving and firing a heritage steam train. Don’t worry – you’ll have plenty of help to keep you on track. Complete a round trip between these jolly Norfolk towns while you learn about the engines and feel a nostalgic thrill unique to driving a beautiful old steam engine through some of England’s loveliest landscapes. You’ll swap between driving and firing, spending 5.5 miles doing each. You’ll also be given a travel pass for the rest of the day, so afterwards you can explore the countryside you’ve just steamed through. Three options are available: the Bronze, the Silver or Gold Experiences. All offer the chance to make treasured memories but The Silver and Gold provide more time and extra options. There’s no examination, this is going to be fun, so just get ready to enjoy yourself. Oh, and remember the long ago little dreamer who wanted to be a train driver? That kid’s dreams just came true.

On a sandbank off Sheringham, a mermaid sang to the wandering stars, forlorn and all alone. One winter night it seemed her searching voice heard an answering call. Echoing through the streets came the sweet sound of human voices raised in harmony amid cascading peals of church bells. Enchanted, she hauled herself onto the pebble beach. Her silvery fish’s tail was cumbersome in the cold air, but the singing was so beautiful she dragged her body inch by inch over the rough streets and into the church.

But these were fishing folk and mermaids are unpredictable creatures, agents of both fortune and disaster, changeable as the sea. Besides, they have no immortal soul. So the people were afraid and cast her out.

When they’d gone, she crept back into the church. And she’s there still. At All Saints in Upper Sheringham you’ll find a mermaid carved into the end of a 15th century pew. Perhaps angels took pity on the sea nymph’s lonely heart and, as wooden figureheads guide ships to harbour, they brought her safely home.

If you want to be sure of getting home safely, listen for the Yow Yows. That’s Sheringham’s term for a sudden squall, named after uncanny sounds shifting across the waves before storms strike. Some say it’s the drowned voice of an old sea captain still cursing local fishermen who let him perish. If you hear cries of eternal distress, return immediately to shore, for his warning is an omen of doom

Looking for Norfolk’s best winter walks? Try Sheringham Park. Rolling over nearly 1,000 acres of landscaped parkland and wooded glades it was designed by Humphry Repton to frame some of Britain’s most magnificent sea views.

Repton’s landscape proposals of 1812 are documented in one of his famous red leather books of which only 200 survive. He wrote ‘Sheringham possesses more natural beauty and local advantages than any other place I have ever seen’. Thus enchanted, Sheringham Park stands as one of the finest examples of Humphry Repton’s work and vibrant source of inspiration for landscape designers. Many of his plans were implemented by others, but Sheringham is true to Repton’s original vision; perhaps that’s why it was one of his favourites.

Paths meander through magical woodlands, farmland and down to coastal cliffs, glorious walking all year round. In late spring, shiny evergreen rhododendrons burst into gorgeous bloom, starred with abundant azaleas. Hot pink, bright orange, sassy purple, aflame with showy reckless energy. No wonder the Victorians associated them with danger as well as passion and abundance! See the clouds of vibrant colour from the tree-top tower which gives a 360º view of the park.

Four routes explore different aspects of this idyllic Victorian landscape. Time the Red Route to meet the steam train at Weybourne Station for a heritage ride back to Sheringham. Sheringham Park is brilliantly accessible for disabled visitors, with hearing loops, large print maps, Braille guides, wheelchairs and battery powered vehicles available at the Visitor Centre.

The person in charge of the Signal Box has one of the most important jobs on railways anywhere in the world. Fancy having a go? Control the movement of heritage steam trains and diesel locomotives as the action unfolds by signalling the regular service trains! Under the eagle-eyed supervision of your dedicated box host and signalmen, you’ll have the opportunity to operate the signal levers controlling the mechanical points and signals as trains arrive and depart from North Norfolk Railway’s terminus station in Holt. Your day includes an introduction to signalling principles, instruction of signalling techniques and practical signalling experience. You’ll also visit the Weybourne Box to witness the signalling of passing trains. Before the day, you’ll receive a copy of the railway’s Signalling Principles information guide, so you can swot up and sound like a pro right from the start. This full day experience runs between 9am – 5pm and participants will have a tasty lunch prepared by the North Norfolk Railway plus a certificate of participation, presented at the end of the day.

The ‘SILVER’ Signal Experience is a whole weekend giving you greater insight. On the first day, you’ll receive instruction from a dedicated Signalling Inspector, followed by visits to all three signal boxes along the line. Then it’s over to you! You’ll spend second day in a signal box, signalling trains, putting into practice what you have learned. Of course, at all times, you’ll be with a duty signalman keeping you on the right track!

The Orient Express may have been a grand European hotel on rails. But a North Norfolk gin palace on rails is less snooty and rather easier on the pocket! Plus it comes with ice buckets of quirky charm you won’t find anywhere else in the world. So get your glad rags on and hop aboard the North Norfolk Railway Gin Train! Riding an historic steam train, every mile of railroad track takes you back to a slower age when people made time for glamour. Relax into a First Class seat, reserved specially for you, and savour a collection of premium gins as you rock gently from fashionable old seaside resort of Sheringham to the elegant Georgian town of Holt and back. This luxurious gin experience is a real tonic!

The nostalgic Gin Train features five specially chosen gins, served as your steam train makes its sentimental journey between Sheringham to Holt. Don’t you just love the clink and fizz of the evening’s first drink? Yours is a gin cocktail, served on arrival before taking your seat in a first-class dining carriage ready for departure. A generous mezze board of delicious cold meats and cheeses provides a stylish accompaniment your drinks. While your conversation sparkles, sip three contrasting gins, each served with a mixer to bring out the beautifully balanced botanicals. To keep things sweet, follow that with luscious homemade cheesecake (infused with gin of course!). Round off the evening with a gin liqueur. What a swell party this is!

If you’re a fan of The Railway Children, roll back the years and explore the North Norfolk countryside by steam train. Chug through delightful open countryside and pretty woodland, past glorious coastal vistas and into friendly little towns where stepping onto the historic station platform feels like travelling in time. Pootle round the smart Victorian seaside resort of Sheringham, then go on to elegant Holt, a handsome Georgian market town. Or jump off at Weybourne for a bracing march down to the pebble beach where The Personal History of David Copperfield starring Dev Patel and Hugh Laurie was filmed. The North Norfolk Railway runs through the county’s most stunning scenery so get your camera ready, or settle back and enjoy the rhythm of the railway.

Enjoy an 11-mile round trip on board an historic steam engine or heritage diesel train, or make a beautiful day of it with a great value Rover ticket, valid for unlimited travel allowing you to hop on and off all day. If you feel like a walk over breezy heathland or strolling in the autumn woods, just get off the train and go for a wander. You can just catch another later, when you’re feeling peckish or fancy a pint. The heritage railway is fondly known as the ‘Poppy Line’ because 19th Century poet and theatre critic Clement Scott coined the term ‘Poppyland’ for the unspoilt coastal stretch around Sheringham where masses of scarlet poppies begin to appear from late spring.

Who, or what, is Blind Sam? And why was getting rid of a pineapple part of the war effort? Head to Holt where even the street furnishings have stories to tell!

The picturesque Georgian market town is brimful of independent shops, delis, restaurants and coffee shops, so you’ll need a good stroll to work up an appetite for more cake! Go for a wander round the pretty streets until you come across Obelisk Plain. Can you find Blind Sam and the Pineapple Obelisk?

The Queen Victoria Jubilee Lantern stood in the Market Place from 1887 to 1921, when it was moved to make way for the war memorial. As well as spouting water from two fountains, it was intended to light the market place at night. But, being powered by the town’s sputtering gas supply, the lamp which sporadically petered out, plunging the street back into darkness. So locals called it Blind Sam.

And what about the fruity tale? Look for an obelisk topped with a pineapple. It was originally one of two gateposts from Melton Constable Park, pineapples being a traditional symbol of welcome. The other was given to the town of Dereham in 1751. Each was used as a milestone, with distances carved in the pillar – which could have been very useful info for an invading army! So at the outbreak of WW2, the Dereham obelisk was (somewhat dramatically) thrown down a well. Holt kept calm and carried on, simply whitewashing the mileage to confound the enemy. Bravo!

Pretty little Holt is full of fabulous independent shops, Sunday markets, restaurants and art galleries, magical for Christmas shopping, when the town sparkles with light. But once Holt was lit by a more devastating glow. It was springtime in the reign of Queen Anne. The countryside frothed with white lace flowers named after her and wild garlic scented the woods. The May Day market of 1708 was packed with people from the villages and coast selling fish, meat and eggs. Amid the good humour of a May morning, no-one saw how the fire started.

Flames raced through the market stalls and timber framed houses. Flying sparks caught the church’s thatched roof, setting the building ablaze. In only three terrible hours, the whole medieval town was reduced to smouldering ruins. Yet good can come from the darkest times…

Many homes had been squalid hovels where plague rats bred and poverty festered. Over the next 100 years, thanks to a royal brief, wealthy benefactors and skilled local craftsmen, Holt was rebuilt. Today’s elegant Georgian town rose from ashes, an elegant architectural phoenix. The back lanes and flint stone yards are Victorian, an enchanting labyrinth for imaginative gift hunters. When you stop for lunch, try Byfords on Shirehall Plain, a survivor of the Great Fire. With a 15^th century cellar, this cosy warren of flint walls, flagstone floors and wood panels is now a restaurant, coffee shop, deli and delightfully posh B&B, believed to be the oldest house in Holt.