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Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

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Original poster

Wells next the Sea or Sheringham?

29 replies

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 20/01/2019 10:26

I know North Norfolk is very popular on Mumsnet so I'm looking for some wise words from the experts!

We're hoping to go to this area for a week in August. We went to Wells next the Sea on a day trip last year and totally loved it - the beach, the amazing playground, the crabbing and the lovely pubs and shops. But I'm finding it hard to find a cottage in our budget. We also looked at Pinewoods as it's right next to that gorgeous beach but we'd prefer a cottage really.

I've found some lovely holiday homes in Sheringham close to the beach and they're more in our budget but what do people think of this area? It looks pretty perfect for us except for the beach being pebbly apart from at low tide. We just really want to be able to spend as much time as poss on the beach, weather permitting,

We have a car so could drive to Wells or other places, of course, but we'd rather be able to walk to places most of the time.

We'd be mainly eating at home/picnics but would go to the odd cafe or pub so as long as there is a good selection of these we'll be happy.

So in a nutshell, can Sheringham offer as much fun as Wells next the Sea for us do you think?

Thanks in advance.

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Original poster

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 20/01/2019 10:33

We have two DC by the way - 7 and almost 4 when we go.

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Original poster

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 20/01/2019 15:59

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siscaza · 20/01/2019 16:03

Wells every time!

ihatethecold · 20/01/2019 16:04

Wells can be a nightmare to park in during summer.
If you can afford wells I would base yourself there.
The pubs are really good.
Sheringham as you know is about 30 mins drive during high season.
Beach is crap also.

Original poster

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 20/01/2019 16:07

Hhhm.....this is what I wondered about the beach at Sheringham. We loved Wells when we visited for the day. But yeah, we had huge problems parking there!

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jollyoldsoul · 20/01/2019 16:07

Go to sheringham, then you can pop to cromer for a day trip, or Hunstanton, not too far from Holkham beach which is simply stunning.

kazzymac · 20/01/2019 16:07

Yes it would aside from the beach.
The high street gets very busy so you need to be in walking distance of the beach as parking in August can be a pain.

Just a suggestion but have a look at Mundesley instead which is nearer to Cromer. Lovely beach there and plenty of places to stay nearby with a cafe and few village shops. It's within driving distance to Sheringham too.

CandleConcerto · 20/01/2019 16:08

You can’t go far wrong with a lot of the Norfolk Coast. Have you tried Happisburgh?

Original poster

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 20/01/2019 16:15

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have a look.

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ANiceLentilHotpot · 20/01/2019 16:16

Wells and Sheringham are both nice, but I do prefer Wells. We've also stayed in Mundesley as mentioned by PP and that is lovely too. There are lots of beautiful beaches within driving distance - Holkham, Brancaster, etc.

Hazlenutpie · 20/01/2019 16:16

Wells is perfect! Sheringham has a much smaller beach and not so much to do but the steam train trip is good.

Cromer is lovely, has a bigger beach and a pier. Mary Janes is an old fashioned sit in fish and chip shop, highly recommended.

The seal trips from Morton quay are totally worth it.

Brancaster beach is amazing and there’s a huge car park.

As you have a car anywhere would be okay.

Oddsocksandmeatballs · 20/01/2019 16:35

Given a choice of the two I would go for Wells, Sheringham is OK for a day trip but I think Wells is nicer overall. I have many happy memories of my children crabbing from the harbour at Wells while we ate fish and chips.

If you are open to suggestions...

Happisburgh has a lovely little cafe on the road down to the carpark and the pub in the village does nice food. It has a lovely beach, a proper red and white lighthouse, and some good opportunities to find some very old footprints.

Sea Palling might fit too, the beach there is lovely and it has places to eat.

Mundesley has a lovely beach.

Brancaster has a lovely beach too and there are often seals swimming in the creek that is on the beach.

Amortentia · 20/01/2019 16:42

I prefer Holt, it’s a nice wee place to have a wonder around, have lunch/dinner and you can then walk back to your cottage. It’s handy for Cromer too. I like Wells but the traffic on busy days is a pain.

I think there are loads of lovely places and beaches to visit in Norfolk but you do spend a lot of time driving so being based in an area that is nice to walk around is a good idea.

Springmachine · 20/01/2019 17:08

I must be one of the few people on mumsnet who hasn't been at all impressed with north Norfolk after visiting last year.
Maybe we had high hopes.

Out of the places mentioned wells probably better of the two if I had to pick though

Original poster

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 20/01/2019 17:42

Really, springmachine? What didn't you like about it?

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ihatethecold · 20/01/2019 20:48

yes, Holt is a lovely little town

Hazlenutpie · 22/01/2019 08:33

We also like Blakeney and Cley.

jessstan2 · 22/01/2019 10:02

Both nice places but there is more to do at Wells. Do visit Holkham Beach - 7 mies of sandy beach with sand dunes and it is simply beautiful. It has its own car park from which it's quite a long walk to the beach so be warned about that and take a snack and drinks.

Another place to visit is Walsingham. You don't have to be in any way religious to appreciate the quirky, eccentric, quintessentially English charm of the place, beautiful ruins of the abbey, lovely restaurants and cafes and the Wells to Walsingham light railway.

Fakenham is a good town with a market and once a week there's an auction, all sorts of junk but some interesting stuff.

Norfolk is one of my favourite places in the country. We have a flat up there in a small market town (Wymondham).

BigusBumus · 22/01/2019 10:20

What's your budget and how old are your children. When my 3 boys were all under 10 we used to stay in Great Walsingham in Cog Cottage. Bloody brilliant holidays. Wish my kids were still small. We would go to the beach in Wells, BeWilderWood, the Dino Adventure place, the little train that runs from Pinewoods up to the town in Wells, the other little train that runs between Walsingham and somewhere, lunch outside The Globe whilst the kids play on the green, lunch at the pub in Cley that has all the budgies in the garden for the kids to look at, seal watching at Blakeney, The Street skate ramp park at Sheringham.

I want my old life back... Arsey teenagers now.

Hazlenutpie · 22/01/2019 15:35

West and East Runton are nice. We had a cottage at East Runton by the beach, it was lovely.

countrybump · 22/01/2019 15:43

If walking to the beach is your top priority then Wells might not be the best place because it is a long walk from the town to the beach. There aren't many non-caravan places that are a short walk from the beach, other than in Sheringham and Cromer.

Have you looked at Brancaster? That's nice?

My personal recommendation would be Kelling Heath. They have lodges or caravans you can hire (as well as camping) and is set in wonderful woodland with some great (although admittedly non-beach) walks. There is a free outdoor pool and a nice restaurant in the 'village square' where there's also a shop, pizza place and they do activities for families. You can catch the steam train from the request stop there and go into Sheringham.

It's a short drive to several beaches, and isn't too far from Wells.

It's not walking distance from the beach, but does offer a lot of other things and is brilliant for children and families.

pegitout · 22/01/2019 16:41

I much prefer Cromer to Sheringham. Better beach and eatery choice..... but very important to me.... the public toilets in Sheringham make me shudder....

anniehm · 22/01/2019 16:43

My dh loves pinewoods lots of happy family memories from his childhood! We though tend to stay inland as wells is too popular now!

Original poster

imabeautifulfennelcalledjoan · 22/01/2019 23:05

Thank you so much for all these fantastic suggestions. I'm checking out airbnbs as we speak.....

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jollyoldsoul · 23/01/2019 07:13

Check out a place called 'kelling heath'. Its a forest/nature/holiday park. It's really, really lovely! And, although tucked away, it's a great base if you don't mind the odd 30-40 min drive.

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