www.norfolksbest.co.uk

Swaffham EcoTech Centre

Tourist Information Centre, The Shambles, Market Place;
tel: +44 (0)1760 722255

Now the turbine is regarded as an intriguing landmark by strangers motoring towards the town, and they decide to stop in Swaffham and investigate. The 315ft turbine, its three 30-metre blades elegantly poised above its slender tower, has been open to the public since August 1999. It supplies half the town's homes – about 3000 people – with electricity.

People with a good head for heights climb the 300 steps inside the tower to the viewing platform. The town and surrounding countryside are spread out before them.

The Ecotricity Turbine, to give it its full name, is hailed as the world's most efficient wind energy converter. It was made in Germany and brought to the UK by Gloucestershire-based company Next Generation. Designed at the offices of the architect Lord Norman Foster, it has been awarded official Millennium Product status by the Design Council.

The EcoTech Centre is an environmental education facility and visitor attraction dedicated to sustainable development. It presents a range of hands-on exhibits and activities illustrating how the earth's natural resources are consumed and sometimes exploited, and indicates a more sustainable approach.

Special events are held throughout the year at the centre, where organic and wildflower gardens are being developed. A cafe and shop are on site.

EcoTech, Swaffham, Norfolk, PE37 7HT; tel: 01760-726100. Open mid-April-end September 10.00-17.00 (closed Saturdays 7 May-7 July); 1 Oct-Easter 2001 Sun-Fri 10.00-16.00. Closed 24-26 December and 1 January.