Is a week long enough at Great Yarmouth

[Coastalchick23]

Hi
I’m looking to book a holiday for my family for august , (2 adults , 2 children ) we have to take our little dog too so looking at caravan at seashore haven in Great Yarmouth, this is august and a week is just under £1300 , was going to go for 10 nights but it’s just under 2k so too much really.
I just am wondering if it’s possible to get everything done in a week I haven’t booked yet but it says check in could be as late as 5pm so unsure what would do until then as abit cautious to leave all our suitcases etc in the car. We will be arriving early around 10 am latest . We would want to do the usual seaside activities and go to Hemsby etc for a day , do you think a week is long enough ? We have our little dog so finding pet friendly accommodation has been a pain. Vauxhall park dean comes up cheaper but I’ve heard bad reviews from there and I also believe it’s quite a long walk from everything as the plan is to leave the car by the caravan most days and use land train / bus from haven if we do book there. Any advice welcome

Documented even 😂

Having said that - nothing wrong with Yarmouth as a base - and as a pp said, lots of fab things to visit nearby. Broads, Pleasurewood Hills, Bewilderwood, Norwich Castle, Sea Life Centre, lovely beaches further up the coast to the North (Sea Palling, Happisburgh etc) Southwold isn't that far - a place to satisfy any snob ;)

Haven sites are great for kids. Hemsby beach is a great beach too,

If you go to Southwold be sure to wear your best Joules and Seasalt dresses.

So we took the plunge and booked 7 nights august haven seashore , really mixed reviews on here we are locked on certain dates due to work etc so booked it didn’t want to risk it getting booked up. I will be driving eek first time but means if we don’t like GY town we can go Hemsby etc will look into pleasure woods I have a little dog though so that may restrict some places ? We like typical seaside hol so hopefully we will have a great week and the weather will be kind

Great Yarmouth is great for kids in the summer. Yes it’s not posh like north Norfolk but go expecting to have a good time and most likely you will :)

Be aware dogs aren’t allowed on the main beach (between the piers) in summer, but there’s plenty of beach where they are allowed. The north beach and Venetian Gardens are great, Scratby and Winterton are dog friendly all year round.

Yarmouth is a great place, but you need to expect what you will get. It is not classy but there is a beautiful beach. Loads of interesting history. My Grandparents were born and brought up in the Row Houses, much bombed in WW2 but many rows left still. Some interesting museums. Dreadful waxwork museum if it's still there, so bad, it's good. Children love going on The Snails at Joyland. The area round the historic harbour looks a bit rough but there are some great cafes. The lady that wrote Black Beauty lived there. It is what you make it. I am jealous of your holiday now. 😄

You will love it OP, great place for a seaside family holiday, enjoy.

A day would be more than adequate to take in Great Yarmouth. It is well past it's former its former glory. I am trying to be kind.

Look at park holidays, similar type of site but half the price

We stayed further up the coast for a week in a cottage and went to GY for a day and a trip to the circus (which was brilliant by the way). I'd read up in advance about what it was like, so we parked up in the car park near the Venetian Waterways and it was much nicer at that end.

As I say, we were only there one day, out of season (the pleasure beach was closed) and the main part seemed to have been taken over by toothless drunks/druggies and as we sat and ate some fish and chips outside the shop there was a massive police presence as they'd just broken up a fight after a car crash!

Gorleston is apparently very nice, but we didn't get that far down.

We stayed up near Happisburgh and did something every day - boat trip on the broads at Wroxham, trip in to Norwich, Horsey Gap for the seals and the Windmill there too, trips to Cromer and Caister, Blickling Estate, plus the day in GY. We didn't have any children with us, but there are even more things to do in the area with kids.

Try UKCaravans4hire where you can rent from the owners directly and then buy an entertainment pass separately if you want one.

Can you not board the dog or find a family member to have him / her for the week as it will really restrict where you can visit , activities etc .

We did Haven Hopton last summer with 8yr old DD and had a great time. The site had amusements, a pool, easy access to the beach and entertainment then we went into Gt Yarmouth for the rides and more amusements. We ate out a lot, spent lots of time at the beach, drove to nearby towns and chilled around the park.

It's not a luxury AI beach location but it's a good way to spend a few days with kids. A week will be plenty though.

I wouldn't pay that much for Yarmouth

Agree sheringham is good, and Cromer

We stayed seashore some years ago, kids loved it and Yarmouth beach is actually nice and sandy. We went to Southwold which is nice seaside town, the broads, Cromer, Wells next the sea. Yarmouth town itself is not very nice but plenty to see elsewhere.

We went camping for four days last year just outside of GY about 15 minutes drive. It was about 160. I would recommend that as there was a couple of other beaches we visited so weren't just tied to GY. There's a beach that has seals! It was lovely.

We've stayed at Potters Resort close to Gorleston. It's very expensive but all inclusive and fabulous for families. We had a day out at Great Yarmouth one year and really enjoyed it. Great gift/novelty shops, amusements and just a good old fashioned seaside town.

Great Yarmouth and Hemsby are both awful. Go to the Norfolk Broads or to Wells/Holt/Burnham Market etc instead, they’re lovely.

Blakeney, Horsey etc for the seals

Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads is fab

There's a lot of snobbery on here.

GY is run down in places, but I'm sure the holiday parks will be fun and it's in easy reach of lots of activities.

There's nothing for kids to do in Holt or Burnham Market. Unless they enjoy looking around over priced shops.

Gt Yarmouth is definitely tacky and suffering from deprivation. Almost anywhere else in Norfolk is sure to be nicer. However, it also has lots of things children find fun, like the Pleasure Beach with one of only two wooden rollercoasters; Joyland with the Snails, of which everyone who grew up anywhere close by has fond memories, and some interesting small museums, like Time and Tide. Depends what you want from a holiday and how old the children are. I don't think I could spend that amount of money on going there. I'd prefer to stay in Cromer or Sheringham and travel for the day to it. Searles in Hunstanton used to be fun.

It's not snobbery to call a rundown seaside town a rundown seaside town when there are much nicer places not far away. It's just what it is!