Collaborative post
I love UK travel, in many ways it’s my favourite. Holidaying on your home turf is simple, quick, your expectations are often not so grand, yet the UK can really over deliver! I stood last night chatting to a guest in our holiday barn in the garden about travel, we both agreed the UK is amazing and in many ways you don’t need a passport. We began to share memories of North Norfolk and I wanted to share a few today.
I remember walking along Blakeney beach, the first holiday I took with my parents when I was a parent myself. We went out exploring each day, taking it in turns to carry my sixth month old daughter in a sling. It was blustery, cold March, we worried constantly about her being warm enough, but she was like a little hot water bottle strapped to our fronts.
She won’t remember a thing, but she saw seals from a boat at Blakeney, walked around the windmill at Cley and sheltered in the dunes at Holkham. We booked a beautiful cottage in Blakeney, right next to the deli and a stone throw from the pub, each night we would come home and feast after all the fresh air. She was weaning, I remember her wide eyed, taking her first tastes of everything in as we feasted on local cheeses, breads and olives.
From Blakeney, you can take a boat trip to Blakeney Point to visit the seal colonies in the National Nature Reserve, which is managed by the National Trust.
North Norfolk boasts vast swathes of film-set-worthy sandy beach. Holkham’s golden sandy beach was trodden by actress Gwyneth Paltrow in the closing scenes of Shakespeare in Love.
Norfolk is the place I bought my first grown-up pair of binoculars, after a walk along the beach we drove through the grounds of Holkham Hall and watched barn owl after barn owl fly past. I’ve never been so close to these amazing birds and to this day they remain a favourite.
We visited Sandringham in our caravan when the kids were small. It’s on the way into Norfolk so perfect if you don’t want to drive all the way around the coast. I loved wandering in the seemingly endless woods, they are old and magical, the perfect place to forest bathe! You can see why the royal family like to hide out here. We made it to Hunstanton from here, another of North Norfolk’s vast and amazing beaches.
Wells next the sea came when the kids were older, the perfect age to enjoy crabbing in the harbour, running through forest, past beautiful beach huts and playing in the sand with our dog.
On another trip we took the North Norfolk railway, or Poppy Line steam train to Sheringham, and loved the old fashioned station, with vintage signs, suitcases and cafe. The walk down to the seafront is lined with all kinds of gift shops and eateries, it’s a real new meets old seaside town, with something for all generations.
Find out more
Here is our guide to North Norfolk with kids and a dog if you want to find out more about the stunning beaches and places to visit around this special coast.
Norfolk Cottages have some fab places to stay and loads of great blog posts on making the most of your trip, I especially liked the one about unusual things to do in Norfolk, now that my once babies-in-a-sling are now tweens fast turning into teens, it’s always good to find something new to keep them interested in holidaying with us!
So that’s why North Norfolk is one of my favourite places to escape, have you been? I would love to hear what you love about it?
Thanks for this post.