Norfolk Beaches

[Jeclop]

Hello,
Looking for recommendations for best family friendly coastal towns. We are looking for a characterful town with sandy beaches. It would also need to have a handful of restaurants within walking distance. Ideally quaint and quiet-ish (we are escaping London!) but not off the beaten track - somewhere tried and tested.

Considering Hunstanton, Cromer, Mundesley. Anything else we've missed?🤔

Thank you so much in advance!

For a holiday or to live in?

Wells next the sea has a beautiful sandy beach and a lovely little town with a harbour

Gorleston-on-Sea it's a locals beach and generally missed by holiday makers who head for Great Yarmouth down the road or Southwold. A huge sandy beach, free parking,, some cafes and restaurants on the sea front, a childrens play park at the top of the cliffs, a splash park and boating lake for remote control boats, shop selling buckets and spades and a small amusements. You can hire beach huts too if you fancy it. One end is dog friendly and the other dog free depending on what you want. A lifeguard is in attendance with hut for first and and lost children but generally a very safe beach and doesn't have a wicked riptide like Seapalling and Winterton way.

For a holiday but we'd like to find somewhere to come back to time and time again, all year round really.

Wells next the sea is lovely. Brancaster a great beach. If you still want a little bit of a town ( not quite Norfolk ) but southwold and ALdeburgh are nice little get aways.

Thanks, Wells looks stunning but isn't the town a little inland? We'd like to be able to walk to the beach (15 mins or under). Or have I missed parts closer to the sea?🤔

Sheringham ticks all your boxes I think.

Norfolk has so many great beaches, I wouldn't limit yourself. I live here and my record is 8 different beaches in one day Some have rock pools or are great for crabbing, some are rocky, some sandy, some have tiny pebbles which keeps the sanddown and the sea is as clear as the carribean and you can see the fish, some are dangerous with riptide and some are shallow for a long way out and safe, some are windy and great for surfing. Some have great dunes but they can be dangerous and also have adders so you have to be doubly careful. Some have great facilities and toilets and others do not. I would come, stay in a caravan or whatever you are doing and visit one each day and see which one you like best.

Thornham. Several good food pubs, a lovely deli cafe with kids play area, a farm shop with upmarket boutiques. Near to Burnham Market for a more bustling feel. I have glamped at Wildluxury, which gives you access to Thornham beach which is one of the biggest, most beautiful but quiet of Norfolk’s beaches in my opinion.

We live around 25 mins from Southwold. I would definitely recommend there. It's gorgeous, very picturesque.. lovely dandy beaches and a really cute town with a variety of shops, pubs & restaurants! X

Wells has a nice caravan park called Pinewoods next to the beach and a short walk into the little town.
Hunstanton has a caravan park called searles with an indoor and outdoor pool. The beach in Hunstanton is alright but down the road is Old Hunstanton with a nicer beach.

Southwold in Suffolk would tick most of your boxes and is usually over run with Londoners escaping London

Brancaster in Norfolk is lovely, or anywhere near Holkham (which is probably the most spectacular beach on the East coast).

Happisburgh.
Brancaster.
Wells (there is a little train that runs from the harbour down to the beach but it is also walkable)
Sea Palling
Second Aldeburgh and Sothwold (Southwold's beach is nicer than Aldeburgh's)
Old Hunstanton is lovely
Heacham
Holkham
Waxham

We'd fit right in then 😂
Thanks!

Wells is super. Little train that runs from the caravan park by the beach into town.

Another vote for Wells next the sea.

best fish and chips I’ve ever had (there are two chippies next to each other, we went to one at random and it was awesome)

then there’s this little train you can take to the beach and you can walk instead.

don’t know your kids’ ages but my husband and daughter rented a kayak on the beach and had a lovely time. There’s a bit on the right hand side that is very calm and lovely to go on the kayak.

I would also recommend taking a boat to see the seals in Blakeney.

and if you want to stop on the way to the coast, Bewilderwood was great.

Wells. Is just lovely.

I was in Wells next the Sea last weekend and the train is no longer running....soon to be replaced with an electric bus but it is a lovely walk from the beach to the Quay.
Lovely little place.

Wells beach is lovely. The little train hasn't ran for a while now but there's a bus from town down to the beach starting this summer.

Cromer and Sheringham are both lovely. West Runton too.

You can walk to hollkam beach from wells it's really beautiful. Our favourite place !

Oh, shame about the train. It was so cute!

Ah, thanks everyone. Lost the post and wasn't able to reply! Wells does look lovely but a 25 min walk to the beach may be a little far for us. 😂
We'd only be here for short periods so looking for convenience 😬
Thank you so much to everyone!

If you are looking for convenience then have a look at Gorleston, you can travel there in under 3 hours saving you at least 40 mins heading Cromer way. It isn't really quaint but it's also not busy like Great Yarmouth and the facilities are better with free parking beachside.

If you are looking at getting a little holiday place then depending on budget you could get a lodge at Fritton Lake for £££, or a chalet at burgh Hall for less or there are some caravan sites too in Belton, Bradwell and Hopton. Alternatively Potters resort is sort of the East Coast version of centre parks and family friendly during school holidays. There are some very quaint villages nearby too like Somerleyton and its only 40 minutes to Norwich for days out.

Wells next to sea, Sheringham and as others have said southwold down in Suffolk

Thanks! I hadn't heard good things about Great Yarmouth, is Gorleston much nicer?