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Holkham Bay to Well-next-the-Sea, North Norfolk
5-7 miles or 1-2 miles with wheelchair access
FactFile
How to get there:
From Norwich, take the A1067 to Fakenham, the B1105 to Well-next-the-Sea
and then the A149 westbound to Holkham. From King’s Lynn, head for
Burnham Market and then take the A149 eastbound to Holkham.
Parking:
In Lady Anne’s Drive, opposite the Victoria Hotel in Holkham. Parking
is £3 per day.
Toilets:
At the Marsh Larder Tearoom, just off the main road in Holkham; in the
car park behind the beach at Wells-next-the-Sea; and in the town itself.
Refreshments:
At the Marsh Larder Tearoom (open daily except Mondays) and Stable Café
(open daily except Saturdays) in Holkham, at the Pinewood Café
in the beach car park at Well-next-the-Sea and in the town, where there
is a number of tearooms, cafes and restaurants, including fish and chips.
Maps:
The Ordnance Survey map for this area is OS Landranger 132 North West
Norfolk
Weblinks:
www.holkham.co.uk
www.wells-guide.co.uk
This must surely be the ultimate seaside walk, whatever the time of year
and whatever the weather.
The outward journey takes walkers along the sort of wide sandy beach for
which the north Norfolk coast is renowned and back through the shady pinewoods,
oddly known as Holkham Meals, that clothe the sand dunes all the way to
Wells-next-the Sea.
This is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and one of the largest nature
reserves in the county, managed by English Nature.
For the return journey, walkers can stick to the Peddars Way & North
Norfolk Path, which runs between the woods and the marshes, or follow the
myriad of well-worn tracks through the trees, those above the beach offering
sea views through the pine trunks – spectacular, especially on a sunny
day.
Underfoot the going is good, sandy of course, and soft in places. So comfortable
walking shoes are best, or even trainers if the weather is dry. The winds
along any coast can be mean at times and north Norfolk is no exception.
DIRECTIONS
1 From the car park in Lady Anne’s Drive,
head towards the sea, pass through the gates and on to the boardwalk that
leads to the beach. Alternatively, those who are less able, and wheelchair
users, can turn left at this point on to a hardcore track that runs through
the pines for about a mile to the sea.
2 At the end of the boardwalk, for those who take
this route, cross the sands to the water’s edge (about a quarter mile)
and turn east (right) towards Wells-next-the-Sea.
3 Follow the water’s edge for about a mile-and-a-half,
until the beach huts heave into view on the right. Veer towards the huts,
with the tussock-topped High Cape sand dunes on the left.
4 Follow the line of huts to the far end, where
there is a hefty wooden ramp, which takes walkers up and over the dunes
to the car park, café and toilets.
5 From here it is exactly a mile along the dead
straight flood protection wall into the town of Wells – and a mile
back, of course.
6 For the return journey, walk to the far end
of the beach car park and either pass through the gateway on to the Peddars
Way & Norfolk Coast Path, or turn right and follow the sandy track into
the pinewoods. Both lead back to Lady Anne’s Drive.
Points of interest
You'll
be amazed at what you may spot on Holkham beach. It could be the Household
Cavalry exercising ....
...
or a naturists' day
Holkham
village is part of the 25,000-acre Holkham Estate, the ancestral seat of
the Earls of Leicester. The park is truly beautiful, with many fine, mature
trees and woods, an extensive wildlife lake and herds of deer, and is open
daily throughout the year. The hall, in truth a vast Palladian palace, is
also open to the public. Both well worth visiting before or after the walk
– or indeed, instead of the walk
Holkham
is an estate village built either side of the grand driveway leading from
the road to the park gates. The Marsh Larder Tearoom, the Stable Café
and Holkham Pottery shop belong to the estate.
Lady
Anne’s Drive runs from the village down to Holkham Gap, on Holkham
Bay, where the walk starts.
Holkham
Gap was the setting for the closing scenes of the movie Shakespeare in Love,
in which the Gwyneth Paltrow character is see walking, windswept and alone,
towards the water’s edge.
l
As the whole area is a huge nature reserve, which attracts masses of birdlife,
binoculars are essential.
The
beach huts at Wells are particularly colourful and varied and many have
evocative seaside names, some quite fun, others tongue-in-cheek.
The
lifeboat station at Wells is worth a visit, too. Walk past the end of the
beach huts and the ramp to the car park, to the end of the point, where
the station will be seen on the right.
Although
it adds a couple of miles to the walk, a visit to Wells is always rewarding.
Those who leg it can enjoy the boats moored alongside the seawall, while
those short of puff can cheat and catch the miniature railway that runs
from the nearby Pinewood Caravan Park into the town.
Wells
is an ancient fishing port where daily catches of crab are still landed
on the quayside. The town is much bigger than it appears, and has many narrow
streets and intriguing old buildings and a fascinating museum right on the
quayside. There is also a good range of shops for both visitors and residents
alike and, of course, places to eat that would suit most pockets.
For
the walk back to Lady Anne’s Drive, keen birdwatchers might prefer
to take the Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast Path (above, inset) that skirts
the marshes and watermeadows, which attract an abundance of birdlife.
Those
who want to keep the water firmly in sight should head into the pinewood,
taking those paths that lead up the slope to the top of the tree-clad dunes,
from where there are wonderful views out to sea.
More walks by the seaside
SUFFOLK: Thorpeness from Leiston, 6 miles
Combining farmland, clifftop, beach and heathland all in one, this walk
starts in the car park of Leiston Leisure Centre and follows tracks and
footpaths to Sizewell Beach, a comfortable distance from the nuclear reactor.
From here it takes the Suffolk Coastal & Heaths Path along the sandy
clifftop, past Sizewell Hall Christian Centre, eventually dropping down
on to the beach before arriving in Thorpeness. Refreshments are available
at The Dolphin Inn, in Thorpeness (01728 454994) or, just along the road,
at the Meare Shop & Tearoom (01728 452156), overlooking The Meare, a
manmade sheet of water – on which row boats and punts are available
to hire.
Thorpeness is a one-off, having been built in the early 1900s as a seaside
resort, with predominantly black and white holiday homes and many other
quirky buildings at which to marvel. Either head back along the beach or
follow the footpath past the famous House in the Clouds landmark, over Thorpeness
Golf Course, around the edge of The Meare and across Aldringham Heath, to
rejoin the lane back to Leiston Leisure Centre.
Weblink: www.suffolkcam.co.uk/thorpeness
This walk can be found in The Pathfinder Guide to Suffolk Walks. Ordnance
Survey maps OS Landranger 156 (Saxmundham Aldeburgh and Southwold) or OS
Explorer 212 (Woodbridge & Saxmundham)
ESSEX: Walton-on-the-Naze, 4.5 miles
Grassy cliff paths overlooking the sea, a tidal salt marsh and a few seaside
town streets makes this a many and varied walk, with the chance to take
a shortcut for those who can’t manage the full distance. It begins
in either the pay-and-display in Mill Lane or at The Naze Tower.
From Mill Lane, the walk loops around the town to the Pier Approach, from
where there are splendid views over the pier (the second longest in England
after Southend) and the beaches of Walton-on-the-Naze and Frinton. It then
heads north along the Princes Esplanade past the Maritime Museum to the
cliff tops and The Naze Tower, built in 1720.
Take a picnic and dine alfresco on the wooden table provided. From the
car park café, the walk heads inland, on to a field-edge footpath
past a couple of wildlife ponds, then down to the Walton Channel sea wall
and back into the town, where refreshments are available.
Weblink: www.walton-on-the-naze.com
This walk is from The AA 100 Best Walks in Eastern England. Ordnance Survey
map OS Explorer 184 Colchester, Harwich & Clacton-on-Sea.