Villages of The North Norfolk Coast

The north coast of Norfolk is an area that is very special; it is beguiling and the first time visitor can rapidly become a devotee. The expansive sandy beaches, the salt marshes, pine woods, small towns and ancient harbour villages - with houses of red-brick and flint construction - are elements that combine to make a very pleasing whole.

At any season of the year something of interest can be seen. A walk along the edge of the marshes in winter, with the bracing air streaming down from the arctic – there is no land between here and the arctic continent – can be extremely invigorating. A summer stroll - drifts of blue sea lavender glowing in the warm sunshine and the singing of skylarks high above your head – is both physically relaxing and spiritually restorative. As well as its engaging natural features the area is full of historical interest and notable buildings. This part of Norfolk is perhaps best known by many as the birthplace of one of England’s greatest heroes.

Horatio Nelson took his first breath of good Norfolk air on the 29th September 1758. He was born in the Rectory at Burnham Thorpe just a few miles inland from the coast. Ten days later he was christened in the church of All Saints where no member of the congregation - even if possessed of the most active imagination - could have envisaged what the future held for the infant Horatio. The church now contains a lectern presented by the Lords of the Admiralty in 1881, as a memorial to Nelson. This was carved from a piece of oak that was once a part of H.M.S.Victory and is one of several items in the church that commemorate Nelson’s life.

A short distance North West of Burnham Thorpe lies the larger village of Burnham Market. This is a very pleasant place to visit with an attractive green and a stream running through the centre. In recent years the village has become very popular with people who are seeking second homes. Consequently, property values have soared, the cause of some amazement to those born and bred in the village. This new found status is reflected in the type and quality of retail outlets situated around the green. Amongst these is The Hoste Arms - a very popular eating-place with an excellent reputation for first class cuisine - and Gurney’s fish shop and bistro. (Featured in Homes and Gardens Magazine).

The nearby village of Burnham Overy Staithe serves many of Burnham Market’s residents as a sailing centre. The harbour area has probably changed little since Nelson’s day. As a boy he would have watched the boats going about their business, in what was then a small but bustling seaport. The channel has since silted up and small fishing boats and leisure sailors now use the harbour.

Walk on Holkham beach, a location in the Oscar
winning film, ‘Shakespeare in love’.

Three miles along the coast road towards Wells-next-the-Sea is the village of Holkham. Members of the Royal family, when staying at nearby Sandringham, use Holkham beach for winter walks. The wide sweeping sands are now to be seen by millions as a result of the beach being used as a location, in the Oscar winning film, ‘Shakespeare in Love’. Be warned! Naturists use an area of the beach. If the weather is hot and you are easily embarrassed I would suggest that you walk westwards. Assets of greater interest can be seen at Holkham Hall, a fine mansion erected between 1734 and 1760. This is the seat of the Earl of Leicester and is one of the finest estates in the County. The parkland is well wooded and stocked with deer, there is also a large artificial lake supporting a population of wildfowl. Visitors are welcomed, and after viewing the treasures inside the house, can visit the Bygones Museum or eat in The Stables restaurant.

Wells-next-the-Sea is still a working port and small ships can be seen unloading at the quay. The creek is wide and standing at the quay one has a fine view of the harbour entrance and the salt marshes; in the distance a stand of pines fringes the beach. The town has very narrow streets with passages serving the rear of the buildings and acting as useful short cuts. At the top of the main street is The Buttlands, a tree-lined green bordered by very
attractive early nineteenth century houses. Wells provides restaurants, hotels and public houses to suit all tastes.

Just inland of Wells is the village of Little Walsingham, which is one of the most important sites of Anglican and Catholic pilgrimage in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of thousands of people now visit the religious sites in the village every year. A short diversion to explore the historic sites is recommended.

Straddling the coast road three miles from Wells is Stiffkey. In the centre of the village there is an interesting shop that specialises in the restoration and sale of antique lamps. Stiffkey is also famous for the cockles found in its sands. (A long walk across the marshes!) These are known – because of a blue tint to their shells – as ‘Stewkey Blues’.

The next village along the coast provides access to the internationally important nature reserve of Blakeney Point. Ferries ply from the harbour at Morston, taking visitors across to the Point to view the resident seal population. Landing is allowed and the National Trust provides a tearoom. Boats also run a service from the larger village of Blakeney, a short distance from Morston. Standing in an ideal location near the quay at Blakeney is the Blakeney Hotel; this establishment provides high quality accommodation with views across the marshes to the Point.

There is a fine walk from Blakeney along the sea bank to the village of Cley-next-the-Sea. As you approach Cley the windmill can be seen on the skyline; it stands at the end of the quay, which was once the busy centre of a seaport. The coming of the railway age ended the trade and the channel was left to silt up. The windmill has now been restored to a high standard and provides accommodation for guests all year round. A pause in the village is rewarding; there is an excellent pottery, delicatessen, bookshop and art gallery. Cley is also an important bird-watching centre. The Cley Marshes Nature Reserve is cared for by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and is renowned for its avocets, which are now well established and breed on the marsh.

East of Cley the coastal terrain changes as the salt marshes disappear to be replaced by sandy shingle topped beaches. The larger resort towns of Sheringham and Cromer have much to offer, both have links golf courses and good accommodation is available. The crab fishing industry plays a very important part in the life of both the towns. The Cromer crab has a particularly good reputation and should be sampled by all visitors. Watching the activities of the fishermen as they launch and recover their boats from the surf is a very popular pastime. Sheringham and Cromer are famous for the exploits of their lifeboatmen, particularly Henry Blogg of Cromer. Both lifeboat stations - in the case of Cromer a brand new one at the end of the pier – can be visited.

This area of Norfolk has much to commend it. Did I mention watching the sunset over Blakeney Point, or the freshly caught mussels that can be purchased from stalls outside the flint cottages, as you travel the coast road? Or the local delicacy: samphire, a marsh plant that is delicious. I could go on and on… A final word of advice: don’t rush your visit, take life a bit more slowly and fall into the rhythm of the place. You will quickly realise why those coastal properties are so popular as second homes.