What to do and see in Brancaster and north Norfolk

[RisingPheonix]

We have a week in Brancaster in July with DC (9 and 12). We plan on exploring the area and coast of north Norfolk and possibly making it our go to UK mini break.

Those of you who live or have been there on holiday what are the hidden gems and best places to see/ things to do?

My dc have spent their entire childhood holidaying in North Norfolk so here goes.... They love Brancaster Beach but Old Hunstanton is a must too. Both are so so lovely, perfect beaches for families.
There is a lovely walk nearby, park at Deepdale (there's a lovely cafe and nice little shops) and you can walk along the marshes, at the end their is a very family friendly pub called The Jolly Sailor, it does amazing pizzas and has a cute ice cream hut in the garden!
My two also loved a trip to the lavender farm in Heacham, there's a small farm there, shops, gardens etc Wells on Sea is lovely, great for crabbing and worth a visit.

Thanks Strawberry. Those ideas are just perfect for us.

Holkham Hall
Wells-next-the-Sea
Boat trip to see the seals at Blakeney Point (if you do nothing else you must do this)
Wells and Walsingham light railway
Sandringham
Beach stuf (IMO the best beaches in the UK are in North Norfolk)

Have a great time. I loved North Norfolk.

My DH is actually from Norfolk believe it or not. He can only remember that it is nice and can't recall what to do . We recently moved a 2 hour drive from this area so it would be great to find somewhere we fall in love with that we can do day trips/ weekends away and a weeks holiday from time to time without shlepping down to Cornwall and Devon, which I loved but is too far for us to go for the weekend.

The North Norfolk Railway from Holt to Sherringham and back again.
Seal trips to Blakeney Point
Travelling home stop of at Bewilderwood!

You are all so helpful on here. Thank you.

My memory is a bit hazy as it was a few years ago, but on Brancaster beach if you turn left (facing the sea from the main path to the beach) and walk for a way (maybe 20 mins walk) you can usually see Seals just hanging out by a kind of river bit on the beach that leads to the sea, really great to see them close up !

The ‘attractions’ are more the beaches, walks through the pinewoods at Wells (park in the beach car park at Wells and take the path behind the beach rather than taking the steps straight on to the beach. There is a fantastic landscape of undulating dunes and tall pines) or the boardwalk across the marsh to the sea at Titchwell which tells you about the birds etc.

During the summer hols it is best to book in advance for seal trips, google Blakeney Point Seal Trips and you will see the companies:Bishops, Temples, Bean or Moreton. The boats leave from Morston on the high tide. The boats get very very close to the banks where they bask and seals pop up in the water right next to the boat. Don’t go anywhere near them if you see them basking on a beach, you will just scare them into the water.

Crabbing is also good from Blakeney Quay and if you are a NT member you can park free on the car park by the quay.

If you get a lot of rain it is harder.
Steam Engine Museum at Thursford.
Cinemas at Lynn or Cromer. Langham Glass Blowing ( which is no where near Langham ).

Best beaches; Brancaster, Holkham, Wells. Thornham (a long walk along the marsh bank), Hunstanton.

If they are into fossils there is a tiny museum in Cromer with the remains of the whole hairy mammoth skeleton found at Runton. West Runton beach is good at low tide for rock pools and fossil hunting and a change of scene from dunes to cliffs. Not good at high tide though. Cromer pier with chips, Sheringham is a cheerful, pretty small resort town. If you venture that far East stop at the conservation centre on the coast road between Cley and Salthouse. They have webcams onto the marsh and telescopes and you can sit eating cake watching the life on the marsh.

At Burnham Thorpe is the Nelson, a pub with a good beer garden out the back and a lovely ‘snug’ bar at the front where they sell some rum concoction as Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe.

Norfolk’s pleasures are subtle and for the outdoorsy-minded.

Look for leaflets about the various town carnivals and regattas: there will often be a fly past by a Spitfire or the Red Arrows.