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Norfolk Coastal Path

May 2021 - April 2024
Walking the coastal path of Norfolk. Read more
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  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 1

    Cromer to Sheringham

    May 17, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We're stopping in Cromer for a couple of nights with a view to do some walking along the Norfolk Coastal Path. The route from Cromer to Weybourne is part of the Sea Palling to Weybourne section of the England Coast Path, which is opening in sections around the UK.

    Starting at Cromer lighthouse - now automated, so the lighthouse keeper's cottage alongside the tower is now let out as holiday apartments - we descend down the East Cliff to the town of Cromer, enjoying wonderful views of the pier and church tower. It is a lovely town, although very much a tourist resort now, and we see the church and explore some of the streets.

    We walk along the shingle beach as far as East Runton Gap and divert along the A149 for a few minutes before cutting down to the West Runton Cliffs and walking along these; the fossil remains of the "West Runton Elephant" were discovered here in 1990 - it was the skeleton of the best preserved specimen of a 4m tall steppe mammoth ever found and put the town on the map.

    We continue along the cliff walk past Beeston Regis and reach the "Beeston Bump", an isolated hill above this village, and descend down the other side to Sheringham.    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    1
    Day 1

    Sheringham to Weybourne

    May 17, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Sheringham is another seaside resort and we enjoy our walk along the promenade; we see more beach huts, as well as fishing boats and lots of groynes along the beach front (physical barriers to limit the tidal movement of sand and sediment moving along the shore).

    We climb up to The Leas Garden and Shelter and then rejoin the clifftop path along the top of Weybourne Cliffs; Sheringham Golf Club is on our left and it is a long course! Further on we see Weybourne Windmill and then reach Weybourne Hope, heading up to the village here to visit Weybourne Priory - the standing remains are Grade II listed and attached to Weybourne All Saints Church.    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 2

    Weybourne to Blakeney

    May 18, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Weybourne Hope is a two-mile stretch of land between Weybourne and Cley and was regarded as particularly vulnerable to invasion from the sea due to the deep inshore water that would allow ships to unload troops and stores here in the event of an invasion; for this reason a military camp was established here. This is now the site of the privately owned Muckleborough Collection, a military museum and we see many pillboxes and some guns as we take the coastal path around the outside edge.

    We walk along the edge of the Salthouse Marshes, a popular bird-watching site, and espy the Parish Church of St Nicholas in the village of Salthouse itself. The beach becomes more sandy as we approach the Cley Marshes Nature Reserve at Cley Eye, and then turn south to Cley next the Sea; there are great views of the iconic Cley Windmill, a five storey tower mill that has now been converted to a guesthouse and licensed wedding ceremony venue. We cross the River Craven and head north on this side back up the coastline to skirt round the edges of Blakeney Eye and down to the coastal village of Blakeney and its welcoming Quay area.    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 3

    Blakeney to Wells

    May 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We leave Blakeney with the Morston Salt Marshes on our right to reach Morston village - like Blakeney, this used to be a major port 400 years ago but is now used by a small number of fishing boats, leisure craft and seal watching trips to Blakeney Point. There are distant views of the Watch House (formerly used as a lookout for sailors in distress and for smugglers) and the blue Blakeney Point visitor centre (formerly a lifeboat station).

    The coastal path now skirts the Stiffkey Saltmarshes, part of the National Trust, and then the Warham Saltmarshes; there are good views of the marshes themselves and the birdlife on them as we approach port the town of Wells-next-the-Sea. The distinctive landmark of the seafront is the granary with its overhanging gantry on the quay; this has now been converted into luxury flats (it ceased operating as a granary in 1990).    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 155

    Sea Palling to Mundesley

    October 18, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Sea Palling is a small holiday resort village to the south of Cromer. The Environmental Agency has erected 9 barrier reefs here to protect the village from the North Sea, as there is a lot of coastal erosion in this area. We start our walk at the small RNLI station and take the beach walk option towards Eccles-on-sea; this was abandoned in the 17th century due to being engulfed by the sea, and now exists as the Bush Caravan Estate behind concrete sea defences.

    We reach Happisburgh, which has national archaeological significance as evidence of the oldest human occupation in the UK was unearthed here in 2010. There are many groynes along the shore here to slow erosion; we pass the iconic red and white striped lighthouse - the oldest working in East Anglia - and St Mary's Church, the tall tower of which is an important landmark for sailors.

    We pass Walcott, well known for its sandy beaches, to reach Bacton; there are extensive sea defences here.... The Bacton Gas Terminal is an industrial complex of 6 different supplier terminals, each receiving gas from the UK continental shelf; a scheme was undertaken here in 2019 to deposit 2 million metric tonnes of sand in front of the cliffs to form an artificial dune to protect the complex and local villages for the next 15-20 years from from further erosion.

    The path continues along the beach at the bottom of Mundesley Cliffs, a site of scientific interest, to reach the RNLI Volunteer Station at Mundesley.

    It has been a good walk of close to 10 miles.    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    1
    Day 156

    Mundesley Circular Walk

    October 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The coastal village of Mundesley is well known for its firm, golden sand beach. In the cliff top gardens above this is the memorial to the Bomb Disposal teams that cleared the Norfolk coast of landmines post WW2, which is next to the smallest maritime museum in the world (formerly a coast guard lookout station).

    Many of the coastal villages around here have circular walks, and the Mundesley circular walk heads inland, past the golf course and follows the Paston Way as far as Gimlingham. From here, we head towards Trunch; the village is known for its 14th century, Grade I listed parish church of St Botolph as it contains a magnificent carved and painted wood font canopy (one of 4 in tbe UK), as well as a decorative hammerbeam roof.

    We follow "quiet roads" as they are known here, back to Mundesley and enjoy a view of the Stow Hill tower windmill in the neighbouring village of Paston on the way.

    Back in Mundesley, The Ship Inn beckons.    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 157

    Mundesley to Cromer

    October 20, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The coastal path from Mundesley takes you through a caravan park - there are many along the coast here - on its way to the village of Trimingham. On the outskirts of the village, we pass the RAF Trimingham Air Defence Radar Station, which is shaped like a giant golf ball. We reach the parish church of St John the Baptist's Head; a life size alabaster head of the saint was kept at the church and visited by pilgrims. The church has a short, buttressed and unfinished tower.

    From here, it is back to the coast to walk along the Sidestrand and Trimingham Cliffs, another Site of Scientific Interest, en route to Overstrand. This village was originally a crab fishing centre like Cromer, but it became a holiday destination for wealthy Victorians and was dubbed "the village of millionaires". We walk along the promenade there and then on to the beach for the rest of the way to Cromer.

    It is a lovely stroll to Cromer and there are excellent views as we get closer. It has been another excellent walk (about 8.5 miles).    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 1,066

    Wells-next-the-Sea to Brancaster Staithe

    April 16 in England ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    We take the Coastal Hopper 36 bus (free for people of a certain age) from Old Hunstanton to Wells-next-the-Sea and get off at Quayside to resume the Norfolk Coastal Path.

    We follow the coastal path to the lifeboat station, where it diverts across and through Holkham Nature Reserve. We walk along the outskirts of pine woods and then along alongside salt marshes and the tidal foreshore. We then turn sourh west through the Overy Marshes, water meadows, and the Overy Creek towards Burnham Overy Staithe, a hamlet and small harbour one mile north of Burnham Overy (Staithe means a landing place for boats in the local dialect).

    We walk close to the Burnham Overy Staithe Windmill, a Grade II listed Tower Mill that is now holiday accommodation, where the coastal path doubles back around the Norton Marsh and then goes on west past Deepdale Marsh and down to Burnham Deepdale. We then walk on to the neighbouring village of Brancaster Staithe - a landing place / harbour for the nearby Brancaster- with more saltmarsh on our right.

    Then it's back on the 36 bus, for a well-deserved cup of tea after a lovely 12 mile walk (despite the wind and rain at times!)    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    Day 1,068

    Brancaster Staithe to Old Hunstanton

    April 18 in England ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    It's a nice day as we set off on the 9:34am Coastal Hopper to Brancaster Staithe to resume the walk from where we left off. After a short while, though, we had to retrace our steps as the path was flooded and workmen were rebuilding it. We walked back and followed the diversion to Brancaster along the A149. From there, the coastal path and diverts inland behind Titchwell.

    There are good views of the countryside and of a pig farm before the 1 mile walk down to Thornham and the coast. The path is raised as we walk along a coastal defence towards the Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve, enjoying great views of saltmarsh, water pools, and pasture. There is a "wild" beach at the Nature Reserve; this is ideal for coastal breeding; we see a lot of bird watchers and stop here for a late cappuccino and lunch.

    We then set off for Old Hunstanton along the coastal path and have good views from the beach on the walk there. Another good 12 mile walk.    Read more

  • TravelerNorfolk Coastal Path
    1
    Day 1,070

    Old Hunstanton to Hunstanton

    April 20 in England ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

    It's a short walk from our accommodation to Old Hunstanton Beach, where we rejoin the coastal path and walk up to the lighthouse and cliffs at Hunstanton (a popular coastal resort on the North Norfolk coast). Both the coastal lookout and the lighthouse at the top are now holiday homes that are available for rental.

    A stone's throw away is the ruin of St. Edmunds Chapel, which was erected in 1272 in memory of Edmund who landed in 855 and was crowned King of East Anglia. He led an army against Viking invaders but was captured and killed. He was later martyred, becoming a patron Saint of England; when his body was found, it was being guarded by a wolf.

    We follow the path along the top of the cliffs, noted for their distinctive stripes of carrstone, white chalk, and red chalk, to the Esplanade Gardens and then further to The Green. The Norfolk Coastal Path starts or ends here.

    By coincidence, some family members are staying in Hunstanton this weekend, and we meet up with them for coffee.

    It's been a good morning!    Read more

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