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!

Also, whilst I'm on the thread, what seems to be happening in Lowestoft? Seems to be the "least nice" town along the coast but don't understand why? 🤔

Gorleston is a residential town and nothing like GY, it isn't quaint like Southwold or Wells but has a very large sandy beach, is very safe, has lots of eateries etc and is on the A12 so very easy (by Norfolk standards) to get to other places.

GY seafront is a good day out for holiday makers and had lots of money ploughed into it, it's the residential and shopping areas that have gone down hill (most locals shop at the out of town retail parks so lots of shops in town have closed), the seafront itself with the venetian waterways is nice, the circus is one of a kind and arcades, Pleasure Beach, crazy golf etc children will love it if they've not been somewhere similar so don't discount it completely.

If I was coming on holiday from London I'd stay at Potters, Hopton caravan park or Fritton if I had a large budget, or slightly fourth out Waveny River Centre (20 mins from a beach but is on the Broads)
Use Gorleston beach, you can crab off the promenade if the weather isn't good, although we get very little rain in the summer.

Day trips wherever you stay but include journey times from gorleston:
Pensthorpe nature reserve (60-90 mins, amazing climbing frames indoors and out)
Dinosaur Park (60mins ish)
Bewilderwood, (age 3 - 12, 40min drive), pop into Wroxham barns on your way home
Norwich, (35 min drive, visit the castle & themed afternoon tea at assembly House)
Beach ride from Pakefield riding stables (20 min drive)
Oulton broad to watch the race boats (Thursday evenings) (15 mins)
Oulton broad to hire a motor boat, canoe, kayak or paddle board.
Beccles Lido (30 min drive)
Carlton marshes nature reserve (15 min drive free entry and parking, brilliant climbing frame)

Spend the evenings in GY enjoying the lights, rides and arcades etc, fireworks at 10pm on Saturdays. Go to the circus.

I'd spend one day and drive up to Cromer for rock pooling and crabbing and a dip in the sea, on the drive back visit the seals at Horsey and the lighthouse (and DD loves the little zip line on the cliff) at Happisburgh.

Lowestoft is like GY, very popular once upon a time but has deprived areas especially around shopping zones and residential. However like GY money has been put into the seafront, the beach is lovely and has good facilities although gets very busy. Pakefield just a tiny bit further along is a bit quieter.

It's the nightlife aspect which I suppose can be a bit rough although no worse than anywhere else but if you have children the chances are you won't see that side as you'll be back in your accommodation.

Norfolk is large with no motorways, but generally it doesn't take that long to get anywhere, no longer than if you were stuck in a city traffic jam. There are certain hotpots, Norwich on a football day, trying to get into GY during rush hour and getting stuck in holiday traffic but you can avoid these issues fairly easily.

My grandparents, parents, me as a child and adult, my own children, have all ridden the little train in Wells hundreds of times. Its loss has absolutely devastated the locals. We rode it on its last day for nostalgia's sake. It's such a flipping loss.

The landscape of Wells has changed incrementally. It makes me feel quite sad. It's beautiful still and well worth a visit but it's become an extension of Holkham in many ways.

I spent my childhood in our beach hut, lived only just down the road. The North Norfolk coast is stunning.

It's not sandy but Salthouses beach is pretty fantastic.

I absolutely hesitate to mention it, because I love it so much & it's a village rather than a town, but Salthouse might suit you. Pub, Cookie's crab shed, post office/village shop, ice cream van. The beach is shingle not sand, but it never gets mobbed, and it's very walkable.

Further along the coast, West Runton, Overstand, Mundesley are all large villages with lovely beaches that are sandy & unspoilt.

Can't thank you enough for this! Very insightful and helpful.