Best beach near Norwich

We’re going camping just outside Norwich and we’re gonna want to hit the beach for some short hikes and ridiculously cold swimming. It looks like Great Yarmouth is the closest but we prefer a more remote, less developed vibe. What’s good around there? Google maps is showing tons of lovely looking golden sandy beaches between there and Comer, what are best ones? Don’t fancy driving for more than about 45 mins if possible..

Best beach by a mile in North Norfolk is Wells/Holkham. For walks at least – swimming there might entail a very long trek depending on tide!

Covehithe is really nice. Park in the lane, follow footpath for about half a mile, no one there this time of year.
Edit- could be close to 45 min from Norwich.

Both look amazing!

Sea Palling to Winterton is great

There were hundreds of seals on the beach between Winterton and Horsey a few weeks ago

Blakeney Point is the best place to visit on that coast.

My wife was swimming with the seals at Wintertom a few weeks ago. They probably thought she was mad.

I think you need to hurry if you go there, it is rapidly disappearing into the sea.

Brancaster, Holkham or Blakeney for me

Happisburgh and Sea Palling are both a bit closer than the North Norfolk beaches, and both nice and quiet. North of Winterton is also good.

We stayed in Winterton last summer. There is a seal colony at Horsey so wouldn’t recommend swimming there in case you disturb them. We went in for a swim at Winterton every day, and every day at least one seal turned up for a look. Kids were blown away as they were literally 6 feet away and looking right at us.

Brancaster to Wells really is stunning. Massive expanse of sand, dunes and once past Burnham Overy you have a backdrop of the pinewoods. It can get crazy busy in the summertime but equally remote and windswept this time of year. Keep an eye on tide times to avoid a long walk for a swim.

Deffo go to Covehithe before it disappears into the sea!

Tom Hiddleston took Taylor Swift there for a day out.

Amazing, thanks all! We’ll prob be going to places like Winterton and Covehithe as they are closer than the North Norfolk coast ones..

Swimming with the seals sounds like quite the treat!

Covehithe has the benefit of being near Southwold for when you want to grab a coffee and a bite to eat. Be warned the coast road is closed until February so you’ll have to detour through Wangford!

If you go through Wangford stop at The Angel for coffee and food and save some time. On what was the London Yarmouth Road, last time we used for work The Plough it was a bit ‘special’ in a way only rural Suffolk can only manage.

December… camping and swimming in Norfolk?

West Runton is my favourite North Norfolk beach. Has sand, waves, rock pools, fossil hunting, nice little shop for ice cream/snacks/coffee. Plenty of parking.

Never really seen appeal of the whole “flat sand as far as the eye can see” you get at Holkam/Wells.

December… camping and swimming in Norfolk?

Nothing worse than a dry and sunny holiday

Great Yarmouth is a hole, It’s like Hartlepool with amusement arcades. Gorleston beach was nice when we were there in September, very clean (& big) but It still might be classed as Gt Yarmouth cos It’s kind of joined on.
It’s a canny old hike from Norwich to North Norfolk!

Agree, Great Yarmouth is a hole, but if you’ve never been to Blackpool, Margate, etc, and you’re over that way it’s probably worth a visit. Quite interesting/sad to see what has happened to our big Victorian seaside resorts, I quite enjoy trying to imagine what they were like in their heyday. I grew up not far from Margate.

At the very least you can take shelter from the wind and rain for an hour in the arcades – lots of tuppeny shovers.

Horsey is the best beach, with added advantage of a nice Pub in the form of the Nelsons Head. There’s also showers at the Mere.