What's Sherringham like for a break with young children?

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Have never been to Norfolk before. A lot of places (like Wells next the sea) have limited availability for a last minute break. Found a house in Sherringham. We are after somewhere pretty (not tacky 😬), fairly quiet, nice to wander around, some cafes, restaurants etc and things to do with a toddler. For reference we like Southwold type seaside places - would Sherringham suit us?

Sheringham is lovely.
Small and not tacky, but there are bucket and spade type shops of course.
The steam railway is great for toddlers.

I loved it as a child, we would stay at Kellingheath Caravan park and do day trips to the surrounding area.

Blakeny is a lovely old town harbour, lots of tiny souvenir shops and cafes, you can sit and do crab fishing with bacon bits and lines you can buy from the shops or stands there. They also have stands selling fresh dressed crab, mussels and other seafood.

Then we would go to Holt and have cream teas and wander round the little markets and shops.

A little drive to Hunstanton for the beach.

It's not quite as posh as Southwold. I much prefer Sheringham.

Sounds good so far!

I love Sheringham and also Cromer, which is just up the road. Both are lovely seaside towns with nice beaches. You could do the seal trip from Morston Quay, which is brilliant. We took two small children on this trip and they loved seeing the seals. The whole of North Norfolk is very nice, from Hunstanton down to Mundesley.

It sounds as though it would really fit the bill for you. Lots of nice cafes, places selling crabs for tea, lovely beaches, some pretty old houses and gardens to wander around, bird sanctuaries to visit….
You will all have a wonderful time.

I like it - we often go for a few days in summer because the youth hostel has inexpensive family rooms and is right by the sea. It's shingle rather than sand, but DS doesn't mind. There's plenty to do for a short stay if you get half decent weather.

I’m in Scotland mum used to live in Norwich and I loved visiting sherringham with the kids lots to do, such a nice friendly place. Would be great for a full holiday. I’ll Miss it now she’s moved away

Gorgeous town for young families, with the steam railway, Wells up the coast and Cromer pier in the other direction.

Sherringham is lovely. Lots of places to eat. Beautiful beach to walk.

Also lots of other beaches and places to visit whilst in the area.

You'll have a lovely time

It’s more downmarket than Southwold and the seafront isn’t very attractive (lots of concrete) but it’s not too tacky and, as PPs have said, close to lots of very lovely places.

Sheringham is fab. Not quite oldie worldie but not tacky.
Seaside town on a lovely stretch of coast.
Steam train to Holt which has really nice shops.
We love it.

If you like Southwold then I would give Cromer a miss as a place to actually stay. It’s ok for a day trip but very run down in parts. It’s more “up and coming” but has some nice parts.

I love Sheringham. We actually have a house close to Wells and it has a different vibe. Bit more relaxed. A wider selection of places to eat I think, the railway, the beach, a cinema. It’s also well located for visiting other parts of the coast.

Here you go:

I like Southwold but prefer Cromer. Cromer is a lovely seaside town, we’ve just been there. We commented on how vibrant it was, with a nice beach, a pier, nice shops and plenty of places to get a coffee or eat. It’s not run down, there aren’t any empty shops or buildings.

I grew up 6 miles inland of sheringham and cromer and my parents still live there so we visit regularly. Both towns are very touristy in the summer months especially during carnival weeks, but loads to do during those times! Sheringham steam railway is lovely (my dad volunteers there 😆) and there is the beach which is pebbles and some sand, cafes, shell museum, and slightly inland there are several national trust places- felbrigg hall and sheringham park are both nice for walks. Cromer has the pier with a theatre on the end and they do an old school variety show in the summer which is always fun. There is also the lighthouse at cromer, lifeboat museum, surf school and plenty of shops... and of course the must buy crab for your crab sandwiches 😁

People, please, (OP and at least 2 other posters) it’s SHERINGHAM. Only 1 R.

I was born there, I feel strongly about it!

It is a cheerful little resort town with a pretty High St.

Sand at low tide.

Good nearby places are the Amazonia zoo at Cromer, Mundesley to the East has a nice sandy beach, as does Wells to the West.

Felbrigg Hall has some nice walks, the new lambs are out in the fields on the estate at the moment.

We holiday at a caravan site at weybourne, near sheringham, every year. We absolutely love sheringham. The children spend hours in the sea, there is a lifeguard on one section of the beach, I like to walk along the cliffs towards weybourne, though not for the faint hearted if you have small children with you. The grey seal coffee shop is excellent, there are some lovely restaurants, though you have to book well ahead in the tourist season. Fat Ted's street food is supreme. Holt is worth a visit on the steam train. There is a national trust place nearby, Is it felbrigg? the muckleborough collection which my 8 year old son enjoyed...there are some arcades and plenty of ice cream shops. We haven't been to the museum yet.

We love it. I never thought I would be someone who goes to the same place every year, but we are drawn up there. It feels like a different world and is just perfect for our young family. We have passed many an hour on the sea wall with chips/ice cream. That whole area is my happy place.

The rhododendrons might be out in Sheringham Park, they are spectacular if they are. (It is a National Trust park inland from Sheringham)

@StageRage My mum's from Sheringham, so I understand!

OP, it's a great place for young kids. Cheap & cheerful without being tacky/plasticky, and the beach is great, as are the woods & common. We've been doing family holidays there every May since my youngest was 3 (now 14) and it's suited us really well. I'm not a huge fan of Cromer by comparison it always feels a bit tattier & parking is a nightmare!

Sheringham's much cosier and it's hardly changed since I used to go there as a child. It's very much reliant on tourism but still feels like a town where people actually live & work so it's not too twee. And yes, it's actually the law that you have to eat ice cream sitting on the sea wall if you go.

Sheringham is a good shout.
If you love seafood the fish monger does a seafood platter with crab, prawns and salad. Dh and I specifically go there for it.
The beach is semi pebbles/sand.
If you just want sand Sea Palling, Walcott, Bacton Mundesley (Ship Inn).
Blakeney is good fun with kids. Our dds once spent a whole afternoon in the shallows sliding down the muddy banks.

Ronaldo’s is a really good local ice cream, using local produce in season. There is a great shop at the seafront end of the High St that sells many many flavours of Ronaldo.

We like Dave’s Fish and Chips which is in a side street on the right as you walk towards the sea. Co-op St. I think. Also excellent F&C from Number One Cromer. In Wells we like French’s. My favourite are from The Village Chippy (with the yellow shop sign) in Mundesley. (They cook in dripping so not good if you are veggie).

Sheringham is one of our favourite places in the whole world - we go there as a family every year and I spend most of our time there fantasising about living there full-time! It really does just grab you and stick with you. They have community fun and activities on throughout the whole season (most of the year, actually), which are brilliant for locals and tourists alike.

Absolutely echo the suggestion to go to Ellie's three times a day for a Ronaldo's ice cream or sorbet - all made in Norfolk by a very small company and absolutely amazing, huge choice and you can mix and match; delicious, quality natural ingredients.

For the best (and quieter) beaches, don't follow the road naturally around and down to the left (west prom), which is all stony, but head around right to the east prom instead for sandy beaches and decent (free) individual toilets. We'd been going there for years before we discovered that there were beaches in that direction!

So sad that the Funky Mackerel cafe is no more now, though

'So sad that the Funky Mackerel cafe is no more now, though'

Oh that is sad, I loved that cafe. It used to do amazing flapjacks.

Gutted about Funky Mackerel! Although I imagine someone will snap up the chance to take it on.

If you get bored of the beach, Beeston Priory's a lovely little secret place to explore. It won't take up an entire day, but in all the years I've been going there I don't think I've ever had to share it with anyone else and it's just lovely. Plus you can have a picnic on the common afterwards before you walk back into town.

It's not just me that feels really wholesome about Sheringham, is it? It just seems to be the type of place that turns you into a Ladybird books family