A marvellous mini-break in North Norfolk
Spectacular sandy beaches, beautiful towns and family-friendly hotels – why Norfolk’s a must-do
I grew up not far from the North Norfolk coast and we had a family tradition of visiting Wells-next-the-Sea every Easter and walking through the woods, to glorious Holkham Beach. Back then, it was popular with day-trippers, but was very much a working port and local town.
Fast forward, ahem, several decades and Wells is now a holiday hotspot, part of the gentrified coast of North Norfolk. Aside from wishing we’d bought a fisherman’s cottage for peanuts back in the day (add that to my lengthy list of real-estate regrets), it was wonderful to visit again with the next generation of my family and see that mostly, apart from the arrival of quality coffee shops, it was unchanged.
I took a last-minute mini-break to Norfolk with my sister and our assorted kids and, despite an appalling weather forecast (“a month’s worth of rain will fall in two days”, the weather channel cheerily reported) we ended up having an absolutely brilliant time and our short-trip felt like a big break.
Basing ourselves near Sandringham (West Norfolk), we stayed in the Ffolkes, which was an all-out fab find for families. This pub-with-rooms, has loads of activities for kids, including a large playground, crazy golf, shuffle boards, table football and more. The rooms were excellent. We stayed in a family bunkroom and I had no idea what it would turn out to be, but it was one of those experiences where the reality is much better than the photos and ended up being a huge family suite with four bunk beds, an outdoor seating area and bath. It was super-clean, super-fun and super-comfy. Can’t recommend highly enough.
Norfolk is a huge county, but if you are visiting the north, then it’s all about the beach. It is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Holkham Beach is a vast stretch of sandy beach and if you luck out and visit on a warm day, it’s as beautiful as the South of France – honestly.
Wells, as I mentioned, is a lovely town to visit, as is nearby Holkham Hall and Burnham Market. Also nearby is the smart market town of Holt and Blakeney, with its popular hotel The Blakeney Hotel. In the other direction, you come to Brancaster Beach, also sandy and less busy, then further on west, you hit the delights of Hunstanton.
Resiliently resisting the gentrification of its neighbours, Sunny Hunny, as it is fondly known, is exactly the same as it was in my childhood – fairground rides, penny arcades, long promenade. The only thing that had gone was the “I Shot JR” hat stand. And you know what, our kids had the best time ever here, riding the dodgems and playing the 2p slot machines. Loved it.
Norfolk is full of holiday rentals, family-run hotels and gastro pubs. Whether you spend time further south, with its seal beaches and famous broads, or go north for its sandy beaches, you can’t beat a break in Norfolk. We only came for a few days, but we’ll be back, again and again.
The Travel List
Where is it: North Norfolk is on the east coast of England and has 45 miles of coastline, beautiful beaches and smart market towns and seaside resorts. For more information visit visitnorthnorfolk.com.
Where to stay: There are endless options for holiday-makers, from cottages to yurts, caravans to hotels. We stayed at Ffolkes, near Sandringham, which is technically West Norfolk. It’s a brilliant pub-hotel and excellent for kids. Visit ffolkes.org.uk.