Local Beaches

We spend, many a Sunday on the beach with children, dogs and the occasional hang-over. On a great morning it really makes you truly appreciate what makes this small corner of the world so very special!

Holkham Bay (20 minute drive) is one of the most beautiful beaches on the North Norfolk Coast and indeed in the British Isles. Holkham beach is the most extensive, diverse and dramatic nature reserve in Norfolk, with windswept sand dunes, a maze of creeks, shady pinewoods, green pastures and marshes. This beach has been the setting for many major films and TV serials. Across the coast road is Holkham Hall, a Palladian style mansion and home of the Coke family. The hall is set in large parkland, full of nature trails and marked walks. The popular Victoria pub and tea room can be found on the main road, between the bay and the hall.

   Image courtesy of Jim Taylor

Brancaster Beach and Harbour (10 minute drive) is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and made up of saltmarsh, intertidal mud and sandflats. It is particularly noted for birdlife and nesting terns are frequently spotted. Now protected by the National Trust, walkers can get close to nature and enjoy miles of unspoilt Norfolk coastline. Take binoculars to view the breeding birds, and look out for the wreck of the ship S S Vina jutting out beyond the beach in the low water channels. On a fine boxing-day morning everyone who truly loves this part of Norfolk can be found striding down the sands.

Holme-next-Sea (10 minute drive) is a quiet favourite with visitors. There's a smooth, flat sandy beach, rolling sand dunes and a village pub “The White Horse” with a huge beer garden. Nearby you'll find a wildfowl reserve and a nudist beach: the place has something for everyone! Be wary of the Norfolk coastline though. There is much shifting sand and under the water the sea floor is constantly shifting. It's not a place to swim in as the water (the North Sea) is freezing and the currents are strong.

Wells next the sea (25 minute drive) features many narrow lanes nicely sheltered from the offshore winds and makes a very good base for exploring the surrounding coastline. This Norfolk town divides into three distinct areas, starting with Buttlands, a broad rectangular green, lined with lime trees and some very fine Georgian houses. Next are the narrow lanes of the town centre with Staithe Street having some interesting shops for browsing. At the bottom end of Staithe Street stands the quay and harbour, with a rash of amusement arcades. The harbour itself is lined with boats with the landmark Granary marking the mid-point.

Hunstanton (10 minute drive) has the unusual distinction of being an east coast resort that faces west and as a result the beaches get more than their fair share of sun with spectacular sunsets which you can really appreciate from Magazine Wood. “Sunny Hunny” saw its pier reduced to scrap metal in the 1978 storms but the town has since still continued to draw the crowds in ever increasing numbers. Today it is a popular holiday destination with a friendly family atmosphere where you can enjoy all the traditional seaside attractions, such as donkey rides on the beach, a fair, amusement arcades or if you are feeling more adventurous a ride on a sea buggy, which trawls up and down the coast. There is also a swimming pool, an indoor leisure centre, a theatre and a Sealife Sanctuary. Many prefer the beach at Old Hunstanton which is much quieter with its windswept dunes and expansive sands which are ideal for walking.

If you are staying at Magazine wood Bed and Breakfast we are happy to make up a packed lunch upon request.