Grown-ups need play time too

Jealous of his son’s holiday camp activities, Will Gore looks for some carefree fun of his own

What more do you need on holiday than a heritage railway? (Getty)

When I go on vacation in Britain, I look for a number of particular things in the vicinity of my destination: good places to eat; National Trust properties; hills or other interesting natural features; and heritage railways. You’d be hard-pressed to find a place in the UK that doesn’t have at least one of these going for it. And who could want anything else?

On a recent trip away to the Norfolk coast, we were spoilt for choice, torn between shingle spits and stately homes. And the North Norfolk Railway, also known as the Poppy Line, was a must-see, linking Holt – the town in which we were staying – with Sheringham, by the sea.

There were no steam engines in use when we visited, the chance of lineside fires too great a risk thanks to the ongoing drought; but the deployment of some 1950s diesel locos hardly diminished the experience – charming to me, twee and a bit faux to others, but each to their own.