Wells next the sea or Heacham beach ?!

[RealReginaPhalange]

Posted in chat but it seems to be very dead there 🙂

I have 18 months old and 5 year old. We had to cancel holidays this year but i really really want to go to the beach at least for a day! it has to be this Wednesday. its a long drive, around 2-2.5 hours. I have not been at the beach in the UK yet. What do you suggest ? :D

Any tips or advices for a day trip with two little kids?

YABU = Wells
YANBU = Heacham

Neither - Brancaster! X

Where are you starting from?

Where are you starting from?

havent heard of it but seems to be in the area and looks beautiful!

not far from Cambridge

how about Suffolk beaches?

Southwold is absolutely beautiful and sandy

Aldborough also lovely but pebbles

The only problem with Wells next the sea is that it isn’t next the sea. Not by miles if the tide is out.

Wells has a beautiful beach but so too does Brancaster. Heacham's beach is not as nice.

However if you want to go in the sea, look at.tide times - it goes out a long way!

Where are you based? Would going west to Wales be just as easy?

Just seen your reply! We go to Brancaster if we want a beach day and are in North Cambs.

Brancaster definitely. Easy access, lovely sand and ice creams

if tide is low is the beach rocky? Apparently Heacham is but not Wells which i was leaning towards because of that.

Check the tide times for Brancaster .. there were a couple of days last week where you couldn’t get to the beach as the road was cut off. Holkham all day long for me. I like Holme as well..

From what I remember, Brancaster is all sandy and with lovely dunes at the back of the beach.

Wouldn’t recommend Aldeburgh with young children. Not only is there no sand, the beach is shelving. On moment they will be paddling and the next they are out of their depth.

Wells beach is nice. It has big car park, cafe and toilets and it’s about twenty minute walk into town. Brancaster is lovely as is Thornham you can park at the RSPB where there is a cafe and toilets,

I live round this way, so will give you some insider goss.

We go to Wells each year for a short break, staying on Pinewoods- in fact we're off next week. It is a lovely site - two minutes to the woods and same to the beach which is enormous. If you're happy to walk a way along uts usually (even in August) fairly empty.
The town is a mile walk or a little bus ride away and is small and 'touristy' of course but still very nice.
Heacham is much smaller with little to do but a good base and of course the lavenders fields.

I’d go to Holkham. Beach early then across road to stately home with grounds and large play area

I voted Wells because last time we were there you could get a miniature train to the beach and the kids loved it.

The beach train was fab but it went a few years ago..sadly.

Ahh wrote a long message that has disappeared!

I wouldn’t go to Heacham - until recently it had a ‘brown’ flag. I love the village, and my parents live here, but I wouldn’t go to the beach.

Hunstanton is a lovely seaside town with fairground and amusements and a long beach.

Thornham and Titchwell are fab sandy beaches, but there’s a bit of a walk to get there and there are no icecream shops etc. Brancaster you can park close to, but it does get busy - it’s gorgeous though.

Holkham gets lots of best beach awards, it’s v sandy, but it’s not my favourite. I like Wells - there is a car park near the beach, but it does get full. The town is fab - a bit of a walk away - but the fish and chips are out of this world.

The next villages tend to be either harbours or pebbly, although Blakney is fab for crabbing.

Sheringham and Cromer are both lovely seaside towns, Cromer has a pier. Inbetween are east and west Runton, good for rockpooling and fossil hunting.

hope that helps!

My vote would also be Brancaster for that age. Try to get there early though (by about 10) because it does get busy and you'll want to make sure you can park in the car park. Heacham is nice as long as the tide isn't out. Holkham is really beautiful but given you will have small children with you, it's not worth all the walking you'd need to do.

Old Hunstanton (not Hunstanton) or Brancaster.

Wells is glorious but you will be trekking miles from the overflow car park etc.

Old Hunstanton is the best place in England I think!! We have a lot of old family connections there and it is just beautiful! <soppy!>

@RealReginaPhalange go to Felixstowe beach!

Lots of free or cheap parking. Lovely prom walk. Arcades on the pier then some more arcades and a huge adventure playground further down.

And then you can also go down to the dock and watch the container ships which kids love.