North Norfolk - Hive mind tips needed

[TheRedShoes75]

We’ve booked a cottage in Burnham Market next weekend for a week. Shamefully I live in South Norfolk but don’t know the coast very well at all. There’s me, DH, DD (13) and DS (10). We were going to go and have a look at Sandringham Gardens and Titchwell RSPB but other than that we’re floundering a bit for ideas.

Any top tips?

Wells Next The Sea. Lovely town, great beach and fish and chips.
Brancaster is really lovely too.
Take a boat from blakeney to see the seals.

Oh and Holkham hall is great.

We’re just back from North Norfolk - we loved Holkham beach (we accessed from Holkham one day, and Wells another). Great for walks, playing games on the sand and splashing about in the water.

We enjoyed Holkham Hall as well; good for walks and there is a ropes course for the kids though you need to book it I’d expect. We went a day they had Feast in the Park, with various food trucks which was fun for lunch. If the dates line up that might be an option everyone would like?

www.holkham.co.uk/events/details/feast-in-the-park

Gorgeous there. Bike rides, Holkham, Wells, pub lunches, walks, Holt is a nice town, bowling in Fakenham, swimming pool in Wells High School, Pensthorpe, Binham Priory, Cromer Lifeboat Museum, Walsingham Abbey...enjoy!

I love Burnham Market and the surrounding area. Brancaster beach is quite close and is an amazing beach. There's plenty of parking, which you have to pay for.

To be honest, I wouldn't bother with Sandringham, it's a rip off.

Old Hunstanton has a lovely beach. You can park on the cliffs for free, or there's a big car park.

I second Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea.

I love Blakeney and Morston Quay. You can get a boat trip from Morston Quay to see the seals, it's well worth it. We take a picnic to Morston Quay and spend the day there.

Oooooh, taking notes! Thank you all

Holkham Hall is great - hire bikes but get there early they were out of bikes by 11 when we were there (open at 9, car park £5). Also food trucks / ice cream / hire boats/ rope walk thingy. Really nice.

Holkham and Brancaster for beaches.

Thornham deli for lunch. The orange tree in thornham for drinks and dinner. Eric’s fish and chips.

Burnham Market and Holt for wandering and nice little indie shops.

There is an ice cream parlour in Hunstanton, they make it themselves and there is a huge selection of flavours. They also do seal tours there and there is also a traditional fun fair and crazy golf on the seafront.

Cromer, Blakeney, Sheringham. Cromer is touristy, Blakeney is just lovely when the water is out as my dds were in the mud for hours. Sheringham is a quiet seaside town. Wells is a great one too.
You can take the steam train from Sheringham to Holt.

I was about to suggest the steam train from Sheringham too!

You’re also within striking distance of the Broads, if you wanted to hire a day boat, I think. Horsey is also nice, don’t think the seals will be there any more but it’s a nice walk from the wind pump to the sea, and the wind pump itself is quite interesting.

There was another Norfolk thread covering some of the same area a week or so ago - some of it might be helpful: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4301914-What-to-do-in-West-Norfolk

From Burnham Market you can walk or cycle up to Burnham Overy harbour and either walk out to the beach (huge expanse of sand, never crowded) or get the ferry out to Scolt Head Island.

If you have any interest in art, Houghton Hall (not to be confused with Holkham Hall) has great sculpture gardens. www.houghtonhall.com

A boat trip to see the seals at Blakeney is always good.

I'd have said everything PPs have said but have just remembered Cley is also worth a visit, a few nice little shops inc foody places, little windmill, marshes visitor centre. Certainly enough for a stop off to get a picnic and a walk if you're going past it to or from something else!

Personally I think Houghton Hall is a lot nicer than Holkham as you can explore the grounds looking for the art. Check everywhere as stately homes have rooms shut/limited hours due to Covid - Houghton only has 2 state rooms open but it didn't really matter as the gardens are brilliant.

DH and I didn't think much of the artist they have this year, but it takes most of a day wandering around just to see the permanent pieces and the gardens are lovely.

Otherwise there are beaches galore, seal trips, ruined castles and priories - Castle Acre and Castle Rising. Lots of random places to have lobster/crab/chips by the beach

If you want to eat anywhere you need to book! The place is heaving.

Have never done Sandringham but numerous people have told me it's massively disappointing.

Pensthorpe is fantastic. Wells Next The Sea, Holkham and sea life centre at Hunstantan. We used to love Bewilderwood too, though that's nearer to Norwich. I love Norwich, just got back from there.

@Heyha

I'd have said everything PPs have said but have just remembered Cley is also worth a visit, a few nice little shops inc foody places, little windmill, marshes visitor centre. Certainly enough for a stop off to get a picnic and a walk if you're going past it to or from something else!

Yes, Cley is lovely. The Smokehouse is a gem and worth a visit. You can park for free in Cley at the Village Hall.

The George and Dragon in Cley is a great place for pub food. They also serve nice coffee or cocktails in their garden across the road from the pub.