'''North Norfolk''' a region of Norfolk, a county in eastern England in the region known as East Anglia.

Towns

  • Cromer
  • Sheringham
  • Holt
  • Fakenham
  • Understand

    A quiet backwater, and largely unspoilt coastal region. The landscape is mostly flat and agricultural populated by quaint, if unremarkable towns and villages. The real highlight is the coastline itself, which ranges from the sandy beaches of Sheringham and Cromer to the mudflats of Morston marshes.

    The Coast Road

    The A149 from Hunstanton to Cromer is the highly popular and scenic route along the North Norfolk coast. The road is the principal coastal route, andcarries a lot of tourist traffic during the summer months. Do not be surprised by how narrow it can become as it passes through the pretty coastal villages of the region. The route is equally easily explored by bicycle or public transport.

    '''From west to east''', the road passes through:

  • Old Hunstanton
  • Holme-next-the-Sea
  • Thornham
  • Titchwell
  • Brancaster
  • Brancaster Staithe
  • Burnham Deepdale
  • (Burnham Market is a few km inland from here, and well worth a diversion)
  • Burnham Overy Staithe
  • Holkham
  • Wells-next-the-Sea
  • Stiffkey
  • Morston
  • Blakeney
  • Cley next the Sea
  • Salthouse
  • Weybourne
  • Talk

    The local dialect and accent is referred to as '''Broad Norfolk'''. See [http://wikitravel.org/en/Norfolk_%28England%29#Talk|Norfolk: Talk] for more information.

    Get in

    By Train

    In the west of the region, buses 40, 40A, 41 and 41A operate every half hour throughout the day from King's Lynn railway station to Sandringham and Hunstanton. Hourly direct trains operated by First Capital Connect [http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/] connect King's Lynn with Ely, Cambridge and London King's Cross.

    At the eastern end of the region there is regular and reliable rural train service operated along the Bittern Line from Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham operated by One[http://www.onerailway.com/].

    By Car

    From King's Lynn the A148 goes to Cromer.

    From Norwich the A140 goes to Cromer.

    From London, Cambridge and Newmarket, the A1065 is the main route into the region.

    By Bus

    National Express [http://www.nationalexpress.com/] operates one daily service in and out of the region:

  • '''NX496''' from London Victoria to Cromer via Stratford (London), Mildenhall, Brandon, Swaffham, Dereham, North Elmham, Fakenham, Holt and Sheringham, once a day, approximately five hours.
  • Get around

    By Bus

    Norfolk County Council [http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=300] co-ordinate several rural bus routes which serve both local residents and tourists.

    The most useful route for exploring the North Norfolk coast is the Coasthopper [http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=NCC044190&ssSourceNodeId=&ssTargetNodeId=300] which operates every two hours throughout the year and hourly during the summer season from Hunstanton to Sheringham, following the A149 and calling at all villages en route. Day tickets ('Rovers') are available on the bus, and combined tickets with the Bittern railway line from Sheringham and Cromer to Norwich - such as the Bittern Line Rover - allow a family of four to travel between the coast and Norwich for only __10 return.

    Sanders Coaches[http://www.sanderscoaches.com] and First Eastern Counties [http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/easterncounties/easterncounties/home/index.php] also run regular services from Norwich to the towns and villages of the region.

    By Train

    In addition to the Bittern Line (which is part of the National Rail network) detailed above, The Poppy Line is the name of the preserved railway which is run by the North Norfolk Railway [http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/] from Holt to Sheringham, where the Poppy Line station is just a short walk from the National Rail station for services to Norwich. The train station in Holt is a couple of miles from the town center, but there is a Horse drawn cart from the town to the station called the '''Holt Flyer'''. Depending on the season, Poppy Line trains run approximately hourly. Some trains are steam powered, some are diesel powered.

    See

    Take a ferry to see the Common and Grey seals at Blakeney Point. Departure times and availability depend on the tides. The ferry stays within the harbor and doesn't venture to the open sea. Morston is the more interesting place to depart from. You can always pop over to the Anchor Pub to warm up afterwards. Trips are operated by the following companies:

  • '''Temples Ferry Service''' [http://www.sealtrips.easternengland.co.uk] operating from Morston (01263) 740791
  • '''Beans Boat Trips''' [http://www.beansboattrips.co.uk] operating from Morston and Blakeney
  • '''Bishops Boats''' [http://www.norfolksealtrips.co.uk] operating from Blakeney
  • Do

  • Birdwatching at Cley, Blakeney Point, Titchwell and Holme.
  • Walking
  • *Walk along the Norfolk Coast Path Walk from Hunstanton to Cromer.
  • Eat

    Famous for locally caught seafood including '''Cromer Crabs'''.

    Drink

    Hunworth Bell, Hunworth

    Sleep

    Budget

  • There are YHA Hostels at Wells-next-the-Sea, Sheringham and Hunstanton.
  • Deepdale Granary at Burnham Deepdale
  • Mid-Range

  • The Blakeney Hotel, Blakeney (01263) 740797.
  • Quayside hotel with views across the estuary and salt marshes to Blakeney Point.
  • Caley Hall Hotel, Old Hunstanton (01485) 533486.[http://www.caleyhallhotel.co.uk (website)]
  • 40 bedroomed hotel with mainly ground floor rooms in a peaceful village setting.

    Luxury

  • Morston Hall, Morston
  • An intimate country house hotel with its origin in the 17th century.

    Stay safe

    In case of emergency at sea, dial 999 and ask for "Coastguard".

    There is a lifeguard service at Cromer, Sheringham, Mundesley and Sea Palling. This operates daily from June until the first week in September, from 10:00 to 18:00. The lifeguarded zone is defined by red and yellow flags on the beach, with the beach lifeguard station also flying a red and yellow flag. Do not swim if a red flag is flying.

    On occasion live ammunition and unexploded bombs from World War II have been found on the coast. If you do come across a suspicious item leave it alone and report it to the coast guard.

    This is a tidal region so be careful, especially with young children.