North Norfolk Coast

A coastline of salt marshes and sandy beaches in eastern England, where vast Holkham Beach, the seals of Blakeney Point and the royal Sandringham Estate make for a classic rural seaside getaway.

The North Norfolk Coast runs along the northern edge of Norfolk in eastern England, from Hunstanton in the west to just beyond Cromer in the east, and most of it lies within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This low-lying shore is a patchwork of salt marshes, dunes, pine woods and wide sandy beaches. It is one of Europe's key wintering grounds for migratory birds and home to England's largest grey seal breeding colony, while flint-walled fishing villages, Georgian market towns and stately homes are scattered along the way.

Where to go: Wells-next-the-Sea makes a good base. To the west lie the Holkham Estate and Holkham Beach, Burnham Market, Brancaster Beach and Titchwell Marsh; further southwest are the royal Sandringham Estate, Norfolk Lavender and the striped cliffs of Hunstanton, which face the sunset. To the east are Morston Quay and Blakeney village (boat trips to see the seals), Cley Marshes and its windmill, Sheringham and the Poppy Line steam railway, ending at Cromer, famous for its pier and its crabs. Inland you'll find the medieval pilgrimage village of Walsingham and several abbey ruins.

Best time to visit: Jun–Sep for beaches and common seal pups; spring and autumn migration for the best birdwatching; Nov–Jan for grey seal pupping, with huge flocks of pink-footed geese in winter.

Getting there: take the train from London to Norwich and change for Cromer or Sheringham, or go to King's Lynn and take a bus. The Coasthopper bus runs along the coast road, but driving is the most convenient option. Allow 3–4 days. Accommodation and beach parking get tight on summer weekends, and seal-watching boats depart according to the tides, so book ahead.

Top sights

• Holkham Beach – A wide sandy beach stretching for several kilometers behind pine-fringed dunes. At low tide it seems endless, and it is counted among Brita…
• Holkham Hall – An 18th-century Palladian mansion of the Earls of Leicester, with a grand marble hall and a park with lawns and deer.
• Blakeney Point Seals – England's largest breeding colony of grey seals. Take a small boat from Morston Quay to get close to the seal colonies on the sandbanks.
• Sandringham Estate – The private country residence of the British monarch, where the royal family traditionally spends Christmas. The house, gardens, and museum…
• Cromer Pier – A Victorian seaside pier whose end-of-pier theatre still stages traditional British seaside variety shows. Visitors can fish for crabs from…
• Wells Beach & Beach Huts – A row of tall, colourful beach huts on the edge of a pine wood, backed by dunes and facing a wide sandy beach. This is North Norfolk's most…
• Wells-next-the-Sea Quay & Town – The central town of the North Norfolk coast, where converted granary flats, fish-and-chip shops and fishing boats make up classic seaside c…
• Cley Marshes – England's oldest county-level nature reserve, where reedbeds and birdwatching hides offer sightings of avocets, bitterns and other rare wat…
• Cley Windmill – A 19th-century brick tower windmill in Cley village, with reeds and saltmarsh in the foreground. A classic postcard view of the Norfolk coa…
• Cromer Town & Crabs – A Victorian seaside town on the cliffs, famous for sweet Cromer crab. Its church tower is the tallest in Norfolk.
• Walsingham – England's most important medieval Marian pilgrimage site, with well-preserved priory ruins, a Shrine of Our Lady and a Tudor timber-framed…
• North Norfolk Railway (Poppy Line) – A heritage steam railway from Sheringham to Holt, with sea views and poppy fields along the way, and old stations full of nostalgia.
• Felbrigg Hall – A 17th-century Jacobean-style country house run by the National Trust, with an excellent house, walled garden and woodland walks.
• Hunstanton Cliffs – Striped red-and-white cliffs facing the open sea to the west, one of the few places on England's east coast where you can watch the sun set…
• RSPB Titchwell Marsh – One of the most popular reserves run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, with a trail that crosses reedbeds and lagoons to th…
• Brancaster Beach – A wide, quiet beach of sand and dunes, popular with kitesurfers, where the remains of an old shipwreck can be seen at low tide.
• Burnham Market – An elegant Georgian village built around green spaces, lined with boutiques and gourmet pubs. The birthplace of Admiral Nelson is nearby.
• Blakeney Village & Quay – A fishing village of flint-walled houses, where saltmarsh and moored boats face the quay. Children catch crabs from the quay at high tide…
• Sheringham Park – A landscape garden designed by Humphry Repton, with spectacular rhododendron displays in May and June and a viewing tower with views of the…
• Binham Priory – The ruins of an 11th-century Benedictine priory whose nave still serves as the parish church. Its early Gothic west front is very rare.
• Castle Acre Priory – One of England's best-preserved Cluniac priory ruins, with a richly decorated Norman west front and an intact prior's lodging.
• Houghton Hall – A Palladian mansion built by Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister. The grounds feature large contemporary sculptures, and the…
• RSPB Snettisham – A birdwatching haven on the east shore of The Wash, where spring tides in autumn and winter set tens of thousands of waders wheeling throug…
• Norfolk Lavender – One of England's largest lavender farms. The purple fields in July, along with the distillery and tea room, make it a popular summer destin…
• Pensthorpe Natural Park – A wetland nature park near Fakenham, with lake trails, a garden designed by Piet Oudolf and an adventure zone for children.
• Thursford Collection & Christmas Spectacular – A country museum housing steam engines and vintage fairground organs. Its Christmas show each winter is one of Britain's largest festive pr…
• Holt – A Georgian-style market town with independent bookshops, antique shops and delis, and the terminus of the North Norfolk Railway.
• Wells and Walsingham Light Railway – The longest 10¼-inch gauge steam railway in the world, a rural miniature railway linking Wells with the pilgrimage village of Walsingham.
• Happisburgh Lighthouse – A red-and-white striped lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia, beside a village on crumbling cliffs being eaten away by…

Where to eat

• Morston Hall – A Michelin-starred country house restaurant that has held its star for years, serving daily changing tasting menus buil…
• The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe – A popular gastropub by the saltmarsh, with a terrace overlooking Scolt Head Island, known for local oysters, mussels an…
• Wells Crab House – An award-winning seafood restaurant in the town of Wells, with a menu that changes monthly with the harbour catch and a…
• Cookies Crab Shop – A family seafood shop founded in 1956, overlooking the saltmarsh, famous for cold seafood dishes such as the Crab Royal…
• The Gunton Arms – A Michelin Bib Gourmand pub set in a deer park, grilling venison from the Gunton estate and local beef over an open fir…
• French's Fish Shop – A century-old fish and chip shop founded in 1921, right on the Wells quay, shortlisted in the national fish and chip aw…

Itineraries

• Cambridge, North Norfolk and the Broads in – Punt on the Cam, head north to the coast for seals and sandy beaches, then cross the Broads to Norwich.