Best beaches in Norfolk

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Below are a list of the top 12 beaches in Norfolk as selected by the users of the Beach Guide website.

The current most popular beach in Norfolk is Wells / Holkham. If you would like to have your say on which are the best beaches in Norfolk just follow the link to the beach and vote by clicking the star ratings at the top right of the page.

  • 1. Wells / Holkham Beach

    Wells / Holkham © Alan Reed

    Holkham beach is a widely recognised as being one of the finest beaches in Norfolk, if not England. The beach itself is a vast expanse of unspoilt golden sand which seem to stretch on for ever. In fact it can be a fair stroll to the water's edge at low tide.

    Even in the summer…

  • 2. Brancaster Beach

    Brancaster © Julian Dowse | BY-SA

    This expansive stretch of flat golden, unspoilt sand is a year round favourite. With literally miles of beach there is plenty of room for summer picnics and romantic winter walks. As well as being a good family beach with all this sand space Brancaster is a popular spot for windsurfing, kite surfing and various buggies.…

  • 3. Cromer Beach

    Cromer © Arran Bee | BY-SA

    Cromer is a traditional Victorian seaside resort, with a wide sand and shingle beach popular for swimming and surfing. Many of the buildings in the town date back to the Victorian era, although the town has expanded rapidly in the last fifty years. 

    Cromer originated as a fishing community and is still famous for its crabs…

  • 4. Sheringham Beach

    Sheringham © Andrew Tatlow | BY-SA

    Sheringham is an award-winning Blue Flag beach made up of sand with areas of shingle and larger stones. At low tide there is plenty of golden sand for families to sunbathe and explore the rock pools filled with miniature marine life. However, as the tide comes in the beach all but disappears.

    Pedestrian access is from…

  • 5. Hunstanton Beach

    Hunstanton Beach © Richard Humphrey | BY-SA

    Hunstanton is the only resort town in East Anglia which faces west, making the beach relatively sheltered from sea breezes and an excellent place to enjoy watching the sun set.

    There are two main areas of beach, the part nearest the resort being mainly made of shingle and boulders leading into the sea, and just north…

  • 6. Horsey Beach

    Horsey © Roman Grac

    Horsey beach is a wild, unspoilt sandy beach where nature abounds. Backed by one of the largest sand dune systems on the east coast, this beach is often deserted outside of summer. Even in the summer you won't have any trouble finding a spot to yourself. The main attraction at Horsey though are the seals.…

  • 7. Mundesley Beach

    Mundesley © Philip Halling | BY-SA

    Mundesley is considered one of Norfolk's finest beaches, long and sandy with safe swimming at low tide and all the amenities and charm of a popular seaside resort. Backed by a promenade lined with colourful beach huts, Mundesley Beach is a family friendly beach about 8 miles southeast of Cromer.

    The beach is fairly narrow, particularly…

  • 8. Winterton on Sea Beach

    Winterton on Sea © G Laird | BY-SA

    If you like sand you'll love Winterton on Sea. Not only is the beach covered in fine golden sand but it is backed by what are widely regarded as the best sand dunes in Norfolk. Despite being within half an hour of Great Yarmouth, Winterton is usually quiet, if not empty. That isn't to say…

  • 9. Old Hunstanton Beach

    Old Hunstanton Beach © Richard Humphrey | BY-SA

    Set a little way to the north of Hunstanton is the pleasant little village of Old Hunstanton. Just far enough from the resort town of Hunstanton the village manages to retains its own character. The beach itself is a world away from the pebbles of Hunstanton main beach. Instead it is an expanse of fine…

  • 10. Sea Palling Beach

    Sea Palling © Karen Roe | BY-SA

    Located between Cromer and Great Yarmouth, on the Norfolk coast, Sea Palling is an excellent sandy beach with 9 artificial offshore reefs created as part of a flood prevention scheme. Backed by sand dunes, the curving beach has been awarded Blue Flag status for its pristine waters and is rarely over-crowded. Lifeguards are on duty…

  • 11. Snettisham Beach

    Snettisham Beach © Rob Farrow | BY-SA

    The expansive sands of Snettisham are in fact Norfolk's only west facing beach. Given that Norfolk is generally considered to be on the east coast this is worthy of mention. This, of course, means it gets some of the best sunsets in Norfolk. In fact it has been dubbed "the sunset coastline".

    Snettisham beach is…

  • 12. West Runton Beach

    West Runton © Chris Morgan | BY-SA

    Situated between the towns of Sheringham and Cromer the lovely sands of West Runton are often overlooked - which is nice!

    Towards the high tide mark the beach is quite shingley, but as the tide goes out a large expanse of fine sand is revealed, along with numerous rockpools.

    Beyond the sandstone cliffs are the fields of…