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?

If you have a car Sheringham provides everything for a family holiday.Without a car it is a good low key bucket and spade type holiday.Having said that the train works to take you along the coast, That area has an incredible variety of beaches from rock pools and fossils to sandcastles and ice creams to miles of sand and horses at Holkham.Similarly the coastal resorts provide lots.We are fans .

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

I may have the wrong end of the stick, but I gather the council ramped up the business rates to the point that it was hard to remain viable to earn a living and the people who ran it felt constructively forced out. It was a popular, thriving business that they were keen to continue, but they felt really taken for a ride and decided they should call it a day. It's been empty for quite a long time now, so that worked - well done, council.

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

No, it's a marvellous place, and you put it so well. Like Daddy Pig and the puddle, you feel like you become Sheringham

We've deliberately never used the Tesco there, in solidarity with the locals who never wanted it. I don't know if people in general have become more resigned to it now, or if it largely survives on tourists and those from a little further afield; but Tesco 'pressured' the council into allowing it, as they made it clear that they had far more money for lawyers than the council did, so opposing it was never going to stop them. I wonder if their arrival had any bearing on the lovely fruit and veg shop closing down? Thankfully, the excellent bakeries and butcher's shops have survived thus far.

It's such a unique place, with a thriving local community that also extends a friendly welcome to visitors (and not just in a cynical money-grabbing way). Now, a load of holidaymakers will buy up their food for the week as soon as they enter the town and then never have a cause to visit the wonderful local fresh food shops.

Blythe & Wright is still going strong after over a century, though: what an institution!

Having said that the train works to take you along the coast

It always makes me chuckle every time we enter the two and see the marked out officially-designated parking spaces crossing over the railway tracks

I presume it must be a no-longer-used hinterland section between the scenic Poppy Line and the regular railway!

As you'd expect, things dried up somewhat during the pandemic, but I just found this picture of the sign showing the year's local activities from 2019. Did I remember to say that they have a full community schedule....?!

We've deliberately never used the Tesco there, in solidarity with the locals who never wanted it

They actually had a town council referendum, which I’ve never heard of before, and the vote was narrowly in favour. Shrewdly, Tesco give free parking for 2 hours in the summer and 3 hours the rest of the year, which has actually attracted custom to the town, so I think most people are cool about it all now. Certainly Costa have recently moved in with absolutely no fuss at all.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll I've got really strong family links to Sheringham because of my mum although she hasn't lived there for over 50yrs. I can't tell you the number of times we've been walking down the high street together and someone's said 'sadeyedmum MaidenName? It is you, isn't it? I haven't seen you since 1967!'

It's just lovely. Like you say, it doesn't feel twee or a tourist trap, it does feel like the type of place you could be the type of family we all wish we were. My cousin hated it as a teenager because everyone knew everyone else's business. My cousin is now in her 40s and has never moved away because she has really appreciated that community feel as she's got older. And yes YES to Blyth & Wright! I could lose days in there.

It might never be fashionable, but it is very special. 'twixt sea & pine'.

I LOVE Blyth and Wright.

You need the bus for getting along the coast. Excellent service, and it enables you to walk sections of the coast path and then get the bus back.

We had a nice holiday on the Norfolk coast last summer, although our DC are a little older. We based ourselves in Cromer (which I really liked!) and did a few day trips. At that age they're incredibly easy to amuse IME and will just really enjoy having a beach to play in. Cromer is worth a day trip - usual seaside stuff + cute little lifeboat museum + you can have a go at crabbing off the pier. We also went to Bewilderwood, which might maybe work for toddlers too?

They actually had a town council referendum, which I’ve never heard of before, and the vote was narrowly in favour. Shrewdly, Tesco give free parking for 2 hours in the summer and 3 hours the rest of the year, which has actually attracted custom to the town, so I think most people are cool about it all now. Certainly Costa have recently moved in with absolutely no fuss at all.

As in a referendum of the councillors? That's what I'd heard (yes, it does sound an unusual measure), but I understood that it was made clear that Tesco would persist relentlessly until they won, so I wonder if all of those in favour were actually in favour of Tesco coming or just in favour of avoiding an expensive war of attrition that they were guaranteed to lose?

I suppose the free parking is a benefit, but there's already ample free on-street parking further into the town itself - closer to the beach and main amenities. I'm not personally a fan of Costa, but I don't think one of their branches is anything like as far-reaching in the impact on local business as is a massive Tesco, although granted they are both amenities that are obviously popular enough to keep going. I'm glad the locals are now at peace with the situation - not like they can change it now.

@sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea

Ah, yes - so lovely to hear your memories and experiences. I've known other places where people have been stopped walking down the street of a small place by people demanding to know their justification for being there; not by long-lost friends to welcome them back! Such an amazing town and community.

I'm feeling dim now for mis-spelling B&W, by adding an extra 'e'; their 125th anniversary this year, though! I always used to love Crowle's (have I remembered the name properly?) and their marvellous emporium of all manner of curios - now the black-fronted gift shop next to the entrance to the arcade. Mind, there are still the two antique/bric-a-brac shops down the side street - with the Dalek outside - where you can spend ages rummaging through!

Yes, we really love Cromer as well, although it has never quite 'stolen' our hearts the way Sheringham has. They're very different towns in many respects, but I think they complement each other perfectly.

I went there for the day last summer - the beach is lovely for a swim with children and we loved that a seal passed by pretty close and had a look round.

Actually all the talk of OMG a Tesco will lower the tone is putting me off Sheringham.

@CuriousCatfish It wasn't that a Tesco would 'lower the tone' at all, it's just that the high street is full of really thriving traditional shops and the council were worried those would suffer if a Tesco was built.

From my local council sources, what actually happened was that the people in the town said they WANTED a supermarket where they could do a big shop, instead of having to drive to Cromer to go to a 'proper' supermarket once a week. Plus Tesco provided more jobs to the local population. I admit to not being a fan of it, but I don't live there year round. Having Tesco there has actually helped the town not become one of the Norfolk ghost towns further along the coast where the shops are full of £30 mugs & designer clothes but you can't get a pint of milk. Visitors love the high street, locals mostly go to Tesco. You can trust me on this, I know Sheringham very, very well. It's not in any way pretentious. And the 2p machines in the arcades are brilliant.

Who said it would lower the tone? I think you might have somewhat misunderstood the issue. There are plenty of cheap-and-cheerful shops in Sheringham that people love. It's got nothing to do with snobbery - it's to do with one extremely large national chain coming in with a huge store and potentially threatening the livelihoods, and thus the special character, of a beautiful small town in the corner of the country.

It's the same as we see in small places up and down the country: everybody loves the uniqueness and individuality of the local shops, but if nobody ever supports them, they will go. Unlike with pretty, mainly self-contained villages, this is particularly pertinent with places like Sheringham that attract and rely on many tourists, because it isn't the tourists left paying the price when their decision not to support the local businesses hits home.

X-posted with sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea there, albeit maybe from a different perspective. She knows the town better than I do, so I may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick - but I maintain that what I said still holds true in many places.

Thanks, sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea - your local insight is really fascinating. I'm very glad that the tourists haven't abandoned the wonderful high street.

The Tesco doesn’t lower the tone. It’s been built fairly sympathetic to the typical Sheringham cobbles etc.

i park there for free then walk into town 😬

the high street is always busy, I don’t think Tesco has affected it. loads of shops open, some great bakeries.

Also opened recently where the old Splash swimming pool used to be is a new pool (The Reef) If you have toddlers and really young kids there’s a great huge splash pad with fountains etc. next to a really shallow large pool.

We would love there if we could, fab place

Because the High Street is the main way to the beach, it’s always going to have people on it.

Dont forget a walk up Beeston Bump

Sheringham is lovely. I proposed in Sheringham Park!

Agree steam train is a great trip and you can get off at Holt

Second Bewilderwood for kids - magical day and about 40 mins away

I did think I'd like to live there but the talk of no to Tesco just confirms what it would really be like to live in a small town in Norfolk.

We stayed near there for a week last year and had a great time - it’s great for small kids/preteens. The steam railway trip at Sheringham is great, and at the other end, if you get off and walk into Holt (about 25 mins but there is a bus), there are some really nice lunch places and shops before you go back abs get your return steam train. We enjoyed fossil hunting at West Runton beach, crazy golf at Mundesley, Blakeney point, and the local National Trust houses (Felbrigg and Blickling) are great and just lovely places to visit. Bewilderwood is not far away (but don’t leave it too late to book as tickets sometimes sell out). Enjoy!

We've always found Holt very pleasant, but not particularly friendly - nothing like Sheringham, just down the road. It also seems to have quite a few boutique-style shops but, between the time when Budgens burned down and the new temporary store was up and running, nowhere else really to buy a lot of very basic essentials. Parking is often difficult, too.

We rented a cottage there once that we later discovered by accident was owned by a celebrity (not that we'd actually heard of her at the time - had to look her up online)!

There’s a lovely brand new swimming pool at Sheringham. 🐳