Now that we are back on our own small (but perfectly formed) island, having overdosed on mountains these past few years (never a bad thing!), we are currently enjoying making up for lost time when it comes to beaches, and being so very close to the sea… So, when Parkdean Resorts got in touch to ask whether I would like to help them with their Coastal Adventures Campaign to highlight and celebrate just how beautiful and unique the British Coastline can be. I couldn’t really say no now could I?
We have tried to explore as much of this part of the country as possible during our time here, and thanks to the fact that East Anglia has some 500 miles of coastline (Parkdean Resorts actually have ten of their resorts there!) you don’t actually have to go too far before you stumble across a beach or two…
Unsurprisingly, we haven’t quite managed to visit all the places in those 500 miles, but I think the following is a good round-up of where we have managed to explore so far, and should hopefully give you an idea of what East Anglian coastline looks like for those of you wanting to have your own Coastal Adventures in these parts…
Sheringham
Taking up a hefty chunk of the top half of the East Anglian Map is Norfolk, world-famous nowadays for its beautiful beaches and wide expanses of sky… It’s also got a reputation for really good food. Our first visit here was to Sheringham, where we introduced our (then very un English) children to many traditional English Seaside delights including Penny Falls, Mushy Peas with their fish and chips (instead of sauerkraut with their Bratwurst), and evenings spent listening to the seagulls squawking to each other whilst we watched some spectacular springtime seaside sunsets from the beach.
Blakeney
Our Norfolk wanderings also included Blakeney, famous for the huge Stiffkey Salt Marsh Nature Reserves owned by the National Trust. This important bird conservation area is a photographer’s dream thanks to a combination of the birds and the colourful boats perched high and dry upon the mud flats (a few a bit more complete than others!)! Blakeney is also brilliant for crabbing. What better way to spend an afternoon than by first popping to nearby Blakeney Deli to stock up on freshly made sausage rolls and hot tea, and then sit back and relax whilst the children are quietly entertained concentrating on that all important gentle tug on the crab line, and the close inspection of greedy crustaceans thereafter (always returned to their silty homes afterwards of course!)…
Holme Next the Sea
Whilst trying to find Wells Next the Sea, we stumbled across Holme Next the Sea, which is as equally pretty as its more famous neighbour, just without the iconic beach huts. To find the beach here, you must walk through the golf course (you are allowed to, don’t worry!), and up and out through the dunes until you get to a stretch of sand that goes on for miles and is littered with shells…
It’s most famous for its bird observatory status like many others on this stretch of coastline, and for me, it’s the closest I have come to the beaches we enjoyed during our life in Scandinavia thanks to its silver light, and enormous skies…
Holme Beach was also the site of SeaHenge, a 4000 year old Bronze age timber circle that slowly revealed itself to the world having been buried beneath the sand for thousands of years. English Heritage thought it best to remove and preserve the circle, but you can visit some of it today at the Lynn Museum in Kings Lynn…
Hunstanton
Not far from Holme Next the Sea (and visited by us slightly later in the year) lies (both Old and New) Hunstanton. Known affectionately as Sunny Hunny by the locals, it’s everything that pops in to your head and more when you imagine a typical English Seaside resort… New Hunstanton is the busier of the two with a modern pier and a lengthy promenade filled with arcades, fairground rides, crazy golf and all kinds of culinary seaside delights. It’s almost a little gaudy in parts, but in the best possible way.
Between Old and New, lie the famous striped cliffs, and the beach here is home to a shipwreck of an old trawler that you can spot when the tide’s out.
Beyond that Old Hunstanton sits serenely, away from the lights, noise and crowds with a wide and pretty sandy beach dotted with mostly pastel beach huts. Once the toddler had eaten an impressive amount of sand, and we had finished with our kite flying attempts, we bade the beach here farewell and walked along part of the Clifftop Parade, past the old Victorian Seaside dwellings, and said a quick hello to the now retired light house before ending up at the Ancient Mariner Inn for lunch…
Southwold
Our most recent Coastal Adventure were to SouthWold, somewhere that had been on our list for quite some time (the closest Parkdean Resort to this is Kessingland Beach!). We started our visit to the traditional pier, home to the completely nontraditional Water Clock that’s designed to make us think about water recycling. It celebrates the arrival of each new hour with two little figurines having a lengthy pee. Child heaven!! Also by the same creators here is the Under the Pier Show, full of less traditional arcade games such as test your zimmer frame abilities, and a machine that makes you practice your pirate skills, as described here by my good friend Trish!
Afterwards, we headed past the rows of beach huts and in to town in search of lunch.
I think Southwold must win some kind of award for classiest seaside resort, it’s all just so pretty (and given the fact that we timed our visit just before the current heat wave began, it was lovely and quiet too!). Even the Little Fish and Chip Shop we found went above and beyond in how inviting it all was as well as serving up some pretty tasty fresh seaside food. Another big plus is that this place also sells dinky bottles of prosecco if you want to try to look classy whilst eating out of paper sat on a bench!
We did exactly that outside the ornate Sailor’s Reading Room, looking out beyond the wild flowers of the cliff top and out to sea. Southwold is also home to Adnams Brewery if you need an excuse to pack any husbands off so you can enjoy a few more hours of peace and sea air… It also has a working light house that you can tour (if you are above 1.1 metres tall!)…
We finished our day here happy and full and enjoying an empty beach with the pier to the left of us and a row of brilliant beach huts behind us (you can rent them you know if you plan on spending a whole day here!)… The Toddler even found a star fish. You can’t get more typical day at an English beach than that…
Aldeburgh
Further down the coast, Aldeburgh is another British Beauty with famous reed beds surrounding it, an iconic scallop shell sculpture as a tribute to one of its most famous local residents Benjamin Britten, and a stunning 16th century Tudor hall as local museum (and council meeting room!).
Tiny wooden huts line the roadside selling the fresh catch of the day and there’s a lovely community feel to the place. Look out for the Old Customs House on the high street with its amazing doorway, and the tiny dog sculpture near the boating lake dedicated the lifelong friend of a local doctor (he was bedecked in a hat and scarf when we visited!). Aldeburgh is also a brilliant place for a first Mr Whippy!!
Mersea Island
Much further down the map you can find Mersea Island, cut off from the mainland during Spring tides when the causeway floods.
This historic island (quite the Oyster eating destination in Roman times!) is eight miles square and split into two main areas – East and West.
On this visit we explored West Mersea, the Island’s capital (and busier of the two spots), where we spent the day inspecting nature on the pebbly beaches, walking through salt marsh reed beds, and admiring the colourful fish boats, before joining in with that Roman tradition of some delicious native seafood sampling, fresh from the nets of the many fishing communities that have been here for generations if not centuries. We really loved The Company Shed (take your own wine, bread and butter and they do everything else!) and the Oysters at the West Mersea Oyster Bar were excellent too. And the King of Belgium also thinks so!
Look out for the oyster shells you can spot everywhere here, from the baskets of discarded shells on the beach walls, to those inset into fence posts and the like. I am sure the Oyster is the unofficial emblem to these parts.
And that’s as far as we got with our Coastal Adventures… What about you? Are you thinking of having a Coastal Adventure of your own? Or if you are an East Anglian Native, which parts of coastline should I put on my list when we are next in these parts?
*This is a collaborative post
Vyki from Museum Mum says
Great to read more about the Norfolk coast. We’ve been to Cromer and Sheringham but definitely would like to see more of this part of the country. Will remember the rock / pavement chalk tip next time we’re at the seaside! #CulturedKids
Emma says
:D Glad you like the pavement chalk tip. Sadly it doesn’t work anymore in our house! :D It really is pretty that coastline!
Scarlett Roitman says
What a fantastic tour. Southwold gets my vote, for the poppies alone. #CULTUREDKIDS
Emma says
Thanks so much Scarlett! :)
scots2travel says
Looks wonderfully quintessentially English. p.s. excellent strategy believing rock is pavement chalk, might steal that one :-)
Emma says
Now I wish that they still thought it was pavement chalk! :D Thanks so much! :) x
Megan - Truly Madly kids says
We are currently in Norfolk and I concur that it is a very beautiful part of the world! #culturedkids
Emma says
It really is lovely! Enjoy Megan!
Erin Gustafson | Oregon Girl Around the World says
Southwold looks just my style when it comes to seaside towns – bring on the chip shop and cute beach huts! Call me crazy, but now I’m craving cockles! Wonder why they aren’t as popular over here in Denmark? #CulturedKids
Emma says
I actually think the Danes would approve of a cockle given the amount of seafood they LOVE over there. Could be a new trend – cockle smorrebrod! :D Thanks so much! :)
Trish says
Lovely to be reminded of the beautiful places in this part of the UK. We’re going to be in Aldeburgh again very soon. Can’t wait to see that gorgeous coastline.
#culturedkids
Emma says
So very beautiful! We are lucky in the UK in that respect! :) Thanks Trish x
Catherine’s Cultural Wednesdays says
Feeling homesick now, great list I would like to suggest Wintertin on Sea, Covehithe, Warbleswick, Thorpeness or Orford for when you next visit! #CulturedKids
Emma says
Have been to the last two, but didn’t know enough about them to include them here. Will add the first three to my list now. Thanks so much! :) x
Catherine’s Cultural Wednesdays says
Lots of favourites here, Norfolk is my home county and we visit East Anglia often. Great post!
Emma says
Thanks so much Catherine! (:
Emily Leary says
Love the photos, they pull me right back to my own childhood. I need to get down to the beach with my family soon.
Emma says
Thanks Emily! (:
Jemma says
Sadly, I’ve yet to visit this part of the UK, but from your post and photos I think I need to change that.
Emma says
It’s really worth it. Thanks Jemma! (: x
Lauretta at Home and Horizon says
Those are lovely photos! Those oysters are making me crave.
Emma says
They were seriously good! Thanks Lauretta! :)
Kacie says
Wow, I haven’t been to any of these destinations yet. I really want to explore more of the U.K.
Emma says
There are so many gorgeous places to choose from! Thanks Kacie! :)
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
I really want to experience my own coastal adventure with my little ones. I’ve been search some seaside resorts to find one that would keep the children happy. Bet your little one enjoyed his first Mr Whippy.
Emma says
Norfolk with little ones is perfect! Thanks Melanie! (:
Anosa says
We love East Anglia lived in the region for a long time, Hunstanton is our most favourite place. Such lovely pictures.
Emma says
Such a fun place! Thanks Anosa! :)
Jumble Tree says
Lovely, informative post Emma and wonderful photos. I’ve visited a few of the places you mention when I’ve been over seeing my sister – so different from the hilly part of the country we live in! My brother-in-law loves Blakeney. His favourite thing at the moment is to go really early in the morning and take pictures of life on the marshes as the sun rises. For me, as long as there are shells, I’m happy! And the beaches along that coastline are stunning xx
Emma says
Thanks so much T! :) x
Yeah Lifestyle says
What a fabulous post on East Anglia, Southwold has been on my list for a while now as I wanted to head there to take some photos. It looks so picturesque.
Emma says
It’s a photographer’s dream! Thank you! :)
Joanna says
What a beautiful part of the country! Even if I do live by the sea, in the South, I see how different the coast is in East Anglia. I would love to go and explore all the 500 miles one day.
Emma says
Thanks so much Joanna! (: x
Kara says
I am ashamed to say that I have never been to east anglia but it looks stunning. That Tudor house is stunning
Emma says
I know you would love it Kara! Thank you! :) x
Mellissa Williams says
I love East Anglia, it is such a beautiful part of the country and you’ve shared some fabulous places.
Emma says
Thanks very much Mellissa! :)
Midlife Singlemum says
I feel nervous for these beautiful places as they’re all going to be under the sea when the glaciers and ice-caps melt. :(
Emma says
I know :( But I can’t think of a lovelier place to sit and eat rock whilst we all slowly go under! :D x
Lilinha says
Such a great idea to have a coastal adventure. I now feel inspire to embark on our own adventures as it looked like you had a great time!
Emma says
We really did! Thanks Lilinha! :) x
Trish @ Mum's Gone To says
You’ve just described my coastal adventures over the past 30 years. I’m so glad you loved Southwold and Aldeburgh but also Hunstanton, as that’s our nearest beach resort. So many happy days visiting Sunny Hunny when Rory was little. It’s also wonderful to watch the sunset there as there aren’t many places on the east coast that actually face west!!
Emma says
Such a fun place! We all loved Hunstanton! Thanks Trish. xx
Alison Rost says
No doubt that they have amazing places that you can visit! I love that the whole family will appreciate this even the little kids. It’s definitely worth it to tour the coastline as much as you could!
Emma says
Thanks Alison! :) x
Sarah Bailey says
Oh wow what an amazing looking place to go and visit – we really do have some gorgeous places in the UK to go and explore.
Emma says
We really are lucky! Thanks Sarah! :) x
Bryanna Skye says
we live in Norwich and you’ve given so many ideas for weekend trips! went to Blakeney late last year and it was lovely – amazing how many beautiful places are on our doorstep in East Anglia :)
Emma says
Thanks Bryanna! :) x
Lorelle says
Gorgeous shots Emma, I can’t believe how fresh those oysters look…. and someone’s enjoying his first Mr. Whippy. ;)
Emma says
Thanks so much Lorelle! Best oysters I have ever eaten! :) And yes, he LOVED it! :D x
Tanja/The Red Phone Box travels says
I love English beach huts! they’re so cute:)
Emma says
They really are aren’t they? A friend of mine bases her whole blog around hers – A Beach Hut Cook! :)