We will start with an apology – if you happen to live on the coast and love the town, village and beaches, and we don’t mention you, it’s not intentional. Norfolk and Suffolk have a vast coastline that stretches from Hunstanton to Felixstowe and it would need an encyclopaediac blog post to cover each and every beach. But we will do our best, heading north to south.
North Norfolk is where we start with arguably some of the finest beaches in England. Holkham, famous for featuring in “Shakespeare in Love” is a panoramic vista of sky, sand and sea. it has tiny rivulets of warm water (in summer) awash with tiny fish to delight the young and old. Holkham Hall is nearby, and if you’re lucky, you may see the King’s Household Cavalry, from nearby Sandringham, exercising there.
Wells-next-the-Sea is equally delicious as a town and beach with pines and beach huts adding to the picture postcard look. Be aware though that North Norfolk is a very expensive area of the east – with house prices in the likes of Cley, Stiffkey, Brancaster, Blakeney and the Burnhams regularly exceeding £1 million.
Cromer is another town well worth a look for a holiday or permanent residence. It has a superb town centre, a beguiling beach that stretches north to West Runton and Sheringham. It has a beach that faces north along with a pier, with a RNLI station perched at its end, along with numerous eateries in a town that is relatively affordable with many period Victorian and Edwardian homes for sale. It is of course synonymous with crabs, a Cromer delicacy and is close to the inland marvel of Holt, a splendid Georgian town.
Sheringham, some argue, is nicer still than Cromer and has a lovely beach and town centre, with steam trains adding to the period feel. It’s a town where property is in huge demand as it is such a great place to call home.
Heading south, Mundesley is a splendid coastal village with a wonderful golden beach and plenty to do.
Property prices begin to reduce as one heads south but the beaches remain as pleasant. Winterton-on-Sea with its dunes, Horsey and its seals, along with Caister are all lovely, which brings us to the most southerly coastal parts of Norfolk – Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Hopton.
Great Yarmouth is the most affordable place for property in Norfolk, but it is not without charms. It has a wonderful seafront, promenade and beach that stretches from the newly-restored Venetian waterways south to the historic Pleasure Beach, punctuated by Joyland and its iconic snails. The northern end of the town has a great beach and the highest property prices along North Drive.
Cross the Yare and the residential suburb of Gorleston and its vast sandy beach greets you. This is a wonderful, relatively unknown beach, with lifeguard manned spots near the Pier Hotel and a sea that is great for paddling, swimming, and paddle-boarding. Keep walking and you hit the village of Hopton, famous for Potters and holiday camps and still a desirable place to live, although it has suffered like Hemsby to the north, with erosion in recent years.
What’s your favourite beach in Norfolk? We know people from Norwich love Sea Palling, which is wonderful, but do you have others? We will of course look at Suffolk in our next blog.
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