What are your favourite beaches in Norfolk?

ColaCube

Still deciding where to go on this years summer holiday! I hope I haven't left it too late, I'm considering going abroad but its so expensive!!! So I have a feeling it could be good old UK again!

One of the places I'm quite keen on is Norfolk, but we'd have to stay on the coast as we love the seaside :j

Has anyone got a favourite beach in Norfolk?

Is Hunstanton nice? or is somewhere like Cromer better? or anywhere else?

Thanks

photome

My favourite beach in Norfolk is Horsey, (room to park a few cars behind the dunes) there is nothing there only sand and sea. I have been there in summer with family and we had 100s yards of beach to ourselves, was great for a game of beach cricket

That is my answer to your question, but not sure thats what you mean. (but you did ask for favourite beach)

ColaCube

photome wrote: »

My favourite beach in Norfolk is Horsey, (room to park a few cars behind the dunes) there is nothing there only sand and sea. I have been there in summer with family and we had 100s yards of beach to ourselves, was great for a game of beach cricket

That is my answer to your question, but not sure thats what you mean. (but you did ask for favourite beach)

Thanks, I've never heard of that one, I'll look it up. That's the thing I noticed about Norfolk last time we went it never seems that packed but I suppose it depends where abouts you go.

photome

Its known locally as horsey gap and is just north of the town of horsey down an unmade road about 400yards, and then you walk over the dunes (through the gap).

You can see the track on the link, it comes off the rd where there is a sharp bend just above the town



http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9LmhvcnNleSU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj01NS41Mjc5MTA0NTM1ODYlN2U4LjMzNzYzMzAxMzYyNTAyJTdlNDkuNTEwMTE3NDYwMjQzMiU3ZS01LjY1ODk0OTAxNzYyNDk4

It wouldnt disappoint if you are looking for a quiet and nice sandy beach.

As you say there are lots of quiet beaches, the busy ones would be around Hunstanton, Cromer, Gt Yarmouth, Hemsby which is where most of the accomodations are

unsure

Oooh, so may to choose from (that's one of the reasons we moved here) but of course it depends waht else you are after as well. Our personal faovurite is probably Cromer, nice old small seaside town with fabulous beach: walk more than 200 yds east fromt the pier and you are likely to find yourself all alone on a lovely sandy beach. Plus there are nice pubs, cafes and even a little benign gentrification!

Wells beach is amazing: a huge stretch of sand with a great big dune ( good for picnics) in the middle with the sea going out over a kilometre at low tide. Wells itself is quite a nice mixture of buzzy and quaint...but it's half a mile from the town/harbour to the beach car park (there's a quiet caravan site just behind the dunes by the beach).

Holkham just along the coast is a huge empty expanse of sand ( as seen in "Shakespeare in Love") backed by dunes and pines (like Wells) but it's a drive or walk from the road to get to the beach and it's strictrly beach and nothing else.

Brancaster, further around has a a beautiful beach...and not too much else ( but a bit more than Holkham!)

At the "kiss me quick" end of the spectrum, there's Great Yarmouth -- glorious wide sandy beach and all the entertainments, Pleasure Beach and fish and chip shops you could ever wish to shake a stick at if that's your thing ...but you are unlikley to find a cute little deli or a coffee shop that isn't part of a national chain.Not the place for a few quiet days.

Hunstanton is a bit less "in yer face" and a bit more traditional.

There are also Winterton, Mundesley, Sheringham, East and West Runton to consider. All smaller places that have their appealing aspects.

If you are a jet skier or you have kids who might want to spalsh around in some coastal dewfence "lagoons" then Sea palling might appeal.

The choice is nigh on endless...but Cromer would probably be my all-round-ticks most boxes-enough going on-but still pleasant and manageable- choice.

It really does depend what sort of holiday you are looking for and when you are going ...if you can tell us that we can refine the list a bit!

nic_santorini

I will ditto post from unsure. I'm from Norfolk and Holkham and Wells-next-the-sea is fabulous. Even the Queen has a bit of beach at Holkham, great walks, little train, great crabbing at the quay, fabulous fish and chips, great walks, oh the sea air, I love it. I think there is a static caravan park up their too. Go for it, you will have a great time. Sunny Hunny (hunstanton) is ok, Cromer has a great pier and always great summer shows., so many places to visit. Stay away from King's Lynn - it is the pit of Norfolk - everywhere has a pit and this is it.

susieb

Wells next the sea and Holkham are my fave beaches. Miles of sand and dunes and forests. The horses from the household cavalry even use Holkham beach to exercise the horses on while the are on summer camp near Bodney near Swaffham, during July.
I dont think Kings Lynn is a pit, its fine, Wisbech (in Cambs) is far worse.

The static site at wells is called pinewoods.

Hunstanton is ok, old style beach resort, there is a caravan site there call searles, which has a great name locally and does get good reviews on here as well.

ColaCube

unsure wrote: »

Oooh, so may to choose from (that's one of the reasons we moved here) but of course it depends waht else you are after as well. Our personal faovurite is probably Cromer, nice old small seaside town with fabulous beach: walk more than 200 yds east fromt the pier and you are likely to find yourself all alone on a lovely sandy beach. Plus there are nice pubs, cafes and even a little benign gentrification!

Wells beach is amazing: a huge stretch of sand with a great big dune ( good for picnics) in the middle with the sea going out over a kilometre at low tide. Wells itself is quite a nice mixture of buzzy and quaint...but it's half a mile from the town/harbour to the beach car park (there's a quiet caravan site just behind the dunes by the beach).

Holkham just along the coast is a huge empty expanse of sand ( as seen in "Shakespeare in Love") backed by dunes and pines (like Wells) but it's a drive or walk from the road to get to the beach and it's strictrly beach and nothing else.

Brancaster, further around has a a beautiful beach...and not too much else ( but a bit more than Holkham!)

At the "kiss me quick" end of the spectrum, there's Great Yarmouth -- glorious wide sandy beach and all the entertainments, Pleasure Beach and fish and chip shops you could ever wish to shake a stick at if that's your thing ...but you are unlikley to find a cute little deli or a coffee shop that isn't part of a national chain.Not the place for a few quiet days.

Hunstanton is a bit less "in yer face" and a bit more traditional.

There are also Winterton, Mundesley, Sheringham, East and West Runton to consider. All smaller places that have their appealing aspects.

If you are a jet skier or you have kids who might want to spalsh around in some coastal dewfence "lagoons" then Sea palling might appeal.

The choice is nigh on endless...but Cromer would probably be my all-round-ticks most boxes-enough going on-but still pleasant and manageable- choice.

It really does depend what sort of holiday you are looking for and when you are going ...if you can tell us that we can refine the list a bit!

Oh this is fantastic, thanks for all the info :j:j

We're probably looking around late August now. We like relaxed kind of places with maybe a few pubs or places to eat out in the evening, a few little shops and things like that, perhaps a few attractions/museums to visit.

I wouldn't mind the whole week visiting different beaches, living as far away from the sea as we do the coast is such a novelty. The kids are still happy to spend hours on the beach, digging holes and building sandcastles.

Are there any rockpooling beaches in Norfolk?

ColaCube

nic_santorini wrote: »

I will ditto post from unsure. I'm from Norfolk and Holkham and Wells-next-the-sea is fabulous. Even the Queen has a bit of beach at Holkham, great walks, little train, great crabbing at the quay, fabulous fish and chips, great walks, oh the sea air, I love it. I think there is a static caravan park up their too. Go for it, you will have a great time. Sunny Hunny (hunstanton) is ok, Cromer has a great pier and always great summer shows., so many places to visit. Stay away from King's Lynn - it is the pit of Norfolk - everywhere has a pit and this is it.

Great, thanks, so many places to choose from.

Perhaps we'll just visit Hunstanton, I'd like to go there but its seems a bit out of the way from other coastal places if that makes sense.

I'm liking the sound of Wells-next-the-Sea and Cromer at the moment.

ColaCube

susieb wrote: »

Wells next the sea and Holkham are my fave beaches. Miles of sand and dunes and forests. The horses from the household cavalry even use Holkham beach to exercise the horses on while the are on summer camp near Bodney near Swaffham, during July.
I dont think Kings Lynn is a pit, its fine, Wisbech (in Cambs) is far worse.

The static site at wells is called pinewoods.

Hunstanton is ok, old style beach resort, there is a caravan site there call searles, which has a great name locally and does get good reviews on here as well.

Great, thanks Susieb. There's too many nice places to choose from, I think I'll need to choose somewhere to base ourselves and visit all the others.

unsure

Hi Colacube,
Not many rocky beaches in Norfolk, underlying geology means they are mostly sandy or pebbly. However at East Runton, just next to Cromer there is the remains of an outflow of volcanic rock which means that half the beach is rocky with fanatastic rock pools when the tide is out (my kids used to spend hours there with their nets and buckets!) while the other half is sandy/pebbly (and theres' a car park and a little beach cafe and loos!). it's also pretty good fossil territory, the remains of a wooly mammoth were foudn there soem time ago! To be honest, if you set yourself up somewhere either in or between Cromer and Wells it's all pretty close for the odd excursion...but the coast road is narrow and winding and does get busy in Summer which might be an argument for finding the spot which fits most of your needs and setting up there.

A friend of mine stayed in the Pinewoods(?) caravan camp behind the dunes/beach at wells and spoke very highly of it for it's calm, friendly family atmosphere (no club or entertainments).

Years ago we stayed at the Cromer Country Club ( the name is a bit grander than the place perhaps deserves!) which is up on the cliffs by the ligthhouse. apartments and a few caravans, swimming pool, small gym(?) and a few other bits...but it's located on the cliffs a short walk form town, but a long wooden staricase climb up/down to/from the beach, which will be sandy and probably empty, even in August (when we went).

hope that helps