It’s a common misconception that Norfolk is just for old, posh people – after all, it was the Queens favourite holiday spot. Maybe it’s all that Norfolk lavender, maybe it’s that it has ‘the most reliable bus service in all of England‘?

Whatever the case, could it be at risk of going to seed? When the last OAP trips on his U-shaped toilet rug and can’t quite make it to the emergency pull chord, Norfolk could potentially disappear forever, and will only be occasionally referenced on Radio 4.

But we think not. In the last little while, the county has gained popularity in the trendy stakes. Especially the north Norfolk coast, where good coffee, delightful hotels and top-notch dining has encouraged an influx of visitors envisioning the perfect weekend break.

So, what DOES the north Norfolk coastline have going for it, why is it attracting the chic elite, and where is worth a visit if you find yourself in this British approved Area Of Outstanding Beauty?

We can give you some tips if you like…

Making The Most Of Your Visit To North Norfolk

We’ve taken many trips to North Norfolk over the years and have finally gotten around to writing about our favourite spots. We hope it comes in useful for your next visit to the north Norfolk coast…

IN THIS ARTICLE WE’LL COVER:

• A bit of Norfolk history and culture.
• Some of our favourite places to stay in Norfolk (North Coast).
• Some of our favourite places to visit and things to do in North Norfolk.
• A few travel tips for visiting North Norfolk.

A Bit Of Norfolk History

Over 10 years ago a team of scientists found some of the oldest human footprints ever discovered outside of Africa. On the Norfolk north coast, not far from the little town of Happisburgh, sea tides exposed the prints in ancient mud which became evidence of the oldest known humans in Northern Europe. Less than 2 weeks later the water had washed them away again.

This is a bit of a common theme on the Norfolk coast – it seems that anything significant that has ever happened to Norfolk has followed in the same fate! It has some of the oldest history in the UK and yet the shreds of evidence have often been just washed away – whether that be by the tides of life or in fact the brutal waters that are claiming 2 metres of coastline every year. I mean, in 1984 The Krankies performed at The Pavilion on Cromer Pier and it’s like the world has just forgotten, as if it never happened. Tragic.

A bit later on in history, under the rule of the Vikings in the 10th and 11th centuries, Norfolk was the most densely populated county in all of England – can you imagine that!? AND the most agriculturally productive too – a definite contrast to the small-village-speckled landscape that now exists.

Fast forward almost to our day and Norfolk became the talk of the town in London when a certain journalist of the 1880’s, Mr Clement Scott, exhumed the beauty of a little village called Overstrand, near Cromer. Due to his enthusiastic reviews many of his theatrical friends and acquaintances in London high society started to buy land and property there; a place to spend the weekend if you will. Overstrand actually carried the nickname The Village of Millionaires. I think you’ll find that even today Norfolk attracts the wealthy Southerners on weekends and there are still many second homes and holiday apartments filled with Barbour and Horse and Hound magazines.

Our Favourite Places To Stay In Norfolk

We have a few Norfolk coast hotels we want to share with you. For us, a trip to north Norfolk is a chic little treat – living only 2 hours away we love to pop across for a cute little weekend break sometimes. So there are a few tried and tested hotels that we can wholeheartedly recommend…

THE HARPER HOTEL – BLAKENEY

One of our favourite little towns for an idyllic weekend of coffee, pastries, beach walks and pub lunches is Blakeney – a more refined seaside village with old world charm. The White Horse pub on the High Street has some perfectly cosy rooms to rent if you want to ditch the car for the weekend and just stay put in Blakeney, but our first choice would be The Harper Hotel a 5 minute drive away.

The Harper is extra special and a hotel of exceptional quality – from the minute you arrive you’re taken care of and you feel like you’re being pampered. The rooms are gorgeous, the SPA and pool are a luxurious extra, a cocktail in the bar is the perfect end to every day, and the food you’ll enjoy in the restaurant is the best of land and sea in this area.

It’s like they’ve thought of everything before your brain’s even gone there… you’d love a stroll along the beach? Sure, take the complimentary bikes to get there. The weather’s nice? Enjoy a drink outside on their terrace, by the fire-pit when the sun goes down. You have an hour before dinner? Spend it in the Jacuzzi or playing pool in the bar. It’s a real retreat for some optimum down-time.

For the best rates at The Harper Hotel, click here.

THE SHIP INN – MUNDESLEY

Once the stretch of coast that drew London’s socialites for its big skies and rural charm, today it’s more a collection of sea-salted, slow-paced villages where time stands still. Less glamour but an appeal that’s just as strong. The days might be filled with antique browsing and deli shopping, but they’ll start with cliff-top walks and end with a pint chatting to a local.

The Ship Inn is cosy in a considered way – crisp linens, thoughtful finishing touches, nothing fussy. Book yourself a room with a sea view and spend a weekend appreciating why you ventured to the north Norfolk coast. And when you can draw yourself away from the vistas of the room, or the award winning beer garden, there are miles of coastal walks to take advantage of. Head east to the village of Happisburgh, and a Sunday roast at the traditional Hill House Inn – accompanied by some live music if you’re lucky. Or head west to Overstrand for a pot of tea and some cake at the Cliff Top Cafe and more views.

The Ship Inn serves amazing food, and we don’t want to take away from that, but you’re also very convenient for one of our other favourite places to eat in north Norfolk – the Suffield Arms. Expect fresh seafood tapas and loads more delicious Mediterranean dishes.

For the best deals at The Ship Inn, click here.

Our Favourite Things To Do In North Norfolk

So where is worth a visit? What is there to see and do? And, are there any places you really mustn’t miss as you meander your way along the north Norfolk coast road? Starting at Overstrand and driving west towards Hunstanton on the A149 you will definitely come across some gems and places worth stretching your legs in.

Overstrand

If it’s a clifftop walk you’re after then Overstrand should be your starting point. Only 1.5 miles to Cromer along the edge with uninterrupted views of arguably one of the best beaches in Norfolk, all the way to Cromer. The village itself deserves a slow amble too, if only to clasp eyes on some commissioned architecture from the days when it was known as the Village of Millionaires. There’s also a clifftop cafe where you can drink your coffee with those amazing views.

Cromer

Cromer is all about the pier. The town is a mishmash of little streets selling seaside stuff to the masses of tourists each summer, a typically English beach resort with enough bucket’s and spades on sale than will be ever needed for the number of sunny days England sees. The town is also famous for its Cromer Crab and definitely something you should try if you’re partial to a bit of seafood. But oh that pier : In 2015 it was voted Pier of the Year by The Pier’s Society, yes they are a real organisation and yes they take wooden promontory’s very seriously (man, can you imagine their Christmas parties!?) A rare example of Victorian architecture and so, so beautiful.

Jutting out into the sea by 140 metres and tipped by one of the most inspiring museums you should come across – the Henry Blogg Museum. What a guy! Henry Blogg saved 873 lives from the perilous North Sea in his 53 years of service to the RNLI. The museum is a collection of stories and photographs from bygone years and many which will bring a  lump to your throat. To top off your visit, if you’re lucky enough to catch a lifeboat launch too then you’re quids in. This is one of the most inspiring and heartwarming things to do in north Norfolk.

Ice cream on the pier is obligatory but watch out for those greedy seagulls. And, if you’re in town for longer, you must check out the Cromer Pier website for dates and times of current shows at the Pavillion Theatre.

The Beeston Bump

You see all you need to see of East and West Runton and Sheringham at 40 mph along the A149, small villages with some fascinating palaeolithic history attached to them but not much in the way of sights and places of interest. However, as you approach Sheringham on your right you may notice it sits at the base of an unusual mound on the landscape, The Beeston Bump.

The Beeston Bump is called a kame, a giant molehill formed by retreating glaciers in the ice age. It has served as a Y-station; gathering intelligence in world war 2, but also was the beginnings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story, The Hound of the Baskervilles. The author was on a golfing holiday nearby and was told the old tale of a wolflike creature who lived on Beeston Bump and got its kicks from scaring local folk; and so a novel was born.

The North Norfolk Coast Nature Reserve

As you drive the next 10 miles or so from Sheringham to Blakeney you cover a landscape that is most associated with the North Norfolk coast, that of salt marshes and nature reserves. Through the winter months, these narrow lanes are serene and captivating, broken only by the occasional traditional style windmill (the one in Cley Next the Sea was once the family home of James Blunt) or crab shop.

Walkers cut their way through the long swaying coastal grasses with binoculars and flasks of tea to the next village pub or crab house. In the summer though the roads can be tricky to navigate; traffic is high and bends are blind. Be careful you don’t become too distracted by the views and clip the heels of a saltmarsh sightseer (mind you, one less tourist wouldn’t do the area any harm!)

James Blunt’s family home

Blakeney

Blakeney is so perfect those nearby grassy reeds sound like angels singing. But with perfection comes attention and this can turn into nowhere to park your car and drinking your coffee standing up. It’s idyllic and sweet and people come to see Blakeney in droves between May and September, so do yourself a favour and book a cosy bolthole out of season.

The streets were built for Instagram; pretty flint fisherman’s cottages and cute little gift shops everywhere, plus there are enough deli’s, pubs and coffee shops to satiate a couple of days in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Walks along the beaches, boat trips to colonies of seals and views for miles across wide-open spaces – it’s no wonder the area has several art galleries to display the wares of artists who just can’t help themselves in these surroundings.

Wells Next The Sea

Wells sums up every family’s summer holiday in Norfolk. Fish and chips out of newspaper and entertaining the kids for hours with buckets and homemade crab lines off the sea wall. I’m not a massive fan of the town itself; it’s a bit too busy and there’s nothing particularly pretty to feast your eyes upon. In fact, it’s only missing the donkey rides and arcades to compete with Scarborough or Southend.

It’s not to be written off completely though when you finally emerge on the vast stretch of sand at the end of Beach Road. Once you’re past the ‘pitch and put’ and caravan parks, a wall of pine trees in a sandy forest stands between you and the sea and is reminiscent of somewhere like Sardinia or Portugal.

West Sands beach is a feast for the eyes. Even in the winter months, the car park gets rather full but if you come at low tide there is plenty of room for the world and his dog, and it appears this is exactly who turns up here. You may be treated to a show of seal pups if it’s the right season but other than that it’s the perfect British turnout of summer bathers, in spite of the crowds, framed so nicely with wooden beach huts in all shades of the rainbow. A Where’s Wally beach scene with bells on it!

Burnham Market

Although not essentially a coastal town in North Norfolk, Burnham Market must be visited – if only to appreciate the type of wealth which keeps north Norfolk’s high-end gastro pubs and art galleries in business. Middle-aged Landrover lovers with a penchant for hats and Labradors carry wicker baskets on their arm between butcher and baker, whilst their car is parked illegally across the drive of a frustrated local. Smiles are frowned upon and apparently, it’s OK to charge £14 for a ham and cheese toastie. The stiff upper lip snobbery is more than offset though by the picturesque weekend homes on the village green and their oh so beautiful wooden doors, equilibrium is restored to the universe when 1 sour puss Londoner = 1 nice-looking front door.

If it’s reasonably priced, excellent food you’re after, linger not in Burnham Market but carry on your way a little till you reach Brancaster Staithe. Look out for the White Horse on the main road and find yourself a table in their conservatory – never has a glass building been more appreciated than for these epic sea views whilst you tuck into their infamous mussel sharing bowl. Their Sunday Dinner ticks all the right boxes too.

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Travel Tips For Visiting North Norfolk

There are some things you need to know before booking and travelling to north Norfolk…

• Book accommodation early. There’s not that much around so even out of peak season weekends fill up quick.
• Check tide times before coastal walks. Some beaches and coastal paths can become inaccessible at high tide, and certain routes across marshland or sand flats are unsafe.
• Driving. Some of the roads in north Norfolk, especially in the rural countryside, can be very narrow and winding.
• Embrace the slower pace. Shops may close earlier and buses may run less often than you expect, especially in winter and on Sundays.
• Pack for all weather. Despite a good forecast, coastal winds and unexpected showers are the norm on the north Norfolk coast.

So if you find yourself in East Anglia for the weekend and fancy a drive along the North Norfolk coastline you now know all the places that are worth a little stop. It’s a beautiful stretch of coastline with some dramatic scenery unique to Norfolk, including the traditional flint stonework on the churches and houses and the long views across salt flats out to sea.

The basking seals and bird reserves add an element of calm and the unusual mixture of pine trees and salt air have you thinking of the med – go on, it’s time you took a road trip through one of Britain’s Area’s of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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Have you ever visited Suffolk? Equally as endearing as Norfolk but with its own distinctive personality, we recommend you check out our blog post…

Suffolk – The Perfect Short Break

And, if you’re looking for more ideas for short breaks in the UK, have a read of some of our other posts…

10 Unexpected UK Romantic Getaways

The Best Places To Stay In The Peak District

A Weekend Break On The North Yorkshire Coast

A Weekend Break In Cornwall – The Perfect Hotel & Itinerary

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