Diane Shortland's Blog "50 Beaches of Norfolk"
Follow me on my travels around the 50 beautiful beaches of the Norfolk coast! In the summer of 2011, it will be my quest to visit all the beaches of Norfolk. You can follow me on my travels by this blog. I'll be including many photos, so do check it out if you're planning a trip to Norfolk and want insider information on the beaches and facilities around this stretch of coastline.
Posted: September 10, 2011, 8:02 pm
We drove along the seafront with me shouting every 100 metres to stop the car for a photo opportunity. The views of North beach from the top of the hill are lovely. The boating lake and life guard tower providing interesting focal points, as well as the children’s bouncy castle and of course the white sand of the coastline.
We could see cars parked right down by the beach’s edge but alas, we couldn’t find access to this car park so we parked along the road at the top of the hill instead, by a small road that took us down to the beach under an overhead walkway. We walked to the town end where the life was and passed lovely tendered gardens built around a set of stones to our right.
The beach was superb and even more sandy than South beach. With Gorleston amenities to our left, all visible as the coast curved round to Great Yarmouth. Another expansive area of sand with a real family holiday feel but without being too tacky; well watched by life guards so a good beach if the safety of children concerns you. Although as my friend pointed out, perhaps not such a safe beach, hence the need for all the guards in the first place. There were lots of rolling waves and a strong current. A good beach for kite and wind surfing, boogie boarding and the like. I thought about doing a little damsel in distress routine to attract some Baywatch action but in the end I behaved. My folks had lost interest in beach life by this point and sat on the bench at the top end while I went exploring, and I had to prop my camera on a life dingy to prove I’d been here.
I knew from the Appleyard’s book that Gorleston is a thriving little resort but I was struck by the Victorian feel that still surrounded the place. From the huge boating lake (a popular hobby for children in the 1900s) to the old theatre with its dome pillars; the new bandstand is in keeping with the feel of the resort too. Near the beach is a row of old amenities: places to eat, buy beach accessories and get an ice cream. They sold ‘Maggie’s Sorbet’ which was a nice surprise given Mum is on a dairy free diet; the lemon and raspberry were first class. Dad walked miles to get back to the car and find a way back to collect us but was pleased with his 99 and flake on returning. An enjoyable afternoon out was had by all.
Posted: August 30, 2011, 7:50 pm
So having coaxed my folks out on the first of many beach adventures, we arrived in the car at the top of the hill. Convenient car park directly in front of us, we parked up, jumped out and took in the view. There’s a pedestrian path that runs from south to north beach and guided measured walks on information boards in a bid to get the locals exercised, but I was heading straight for the beach. It was breezy and my folks were reluctant to venture out of the warm haven of their car but followed suit.
The wind was a blowing so we found a spot by the concrete steps to eat our picnic and dodged the breeze as best we could. I laid out our blanket on the sand, went to sit down and fell backwards at exactly the same time as my dad. We smacked heads with force and I felt like my teeth were being flung through the back of my head, but I could still see a straight horizon so I figured I was ok. We ate our sandwiches, mum very slowly whilst insisting she already had grains of sand in her mouth (did I mention she’s not a beach lover?), and me quickly as like a child I was itching to go play.
Once I’d proved my lunch box was now empty (you just never grow up to your parents, do you?) I was dismissed and headed straight for the shore. The beach is part sand, part shingle towards the water’s edge. An unspoilt expansive beach that was very quiet bar the odd dog walker and had a lovely tranquil feel to it. The coast curves round from here in both directions as far as the eye can see. To the left is Gorleston south beach and round further is the large seaside resort of Great Yarmouth which can be seen in the distance. Despite the wind, it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed my time wandering. The urge to paddle overtook me and here in was born my desire to put my feet in the water at every beach I visit – so look out for the crazy photo each time.
Dad came for a wander too, with his binoculars and a happy hour was spent by all. Mum was eager to push on though, so we embarked the slope back to the car and headed for Gorleston north where I think mum was hoping to find a bit more life.
Posted: August 29, 2011, 7:59 pm
A week or so after purchasing the Appleyard’s book I found myself not in Norfolk but Suffolk, on holiday with my folks, but if it’s got a beach I’m generally happy. I’d taken my book to study and was delighted to discover we were actually staying right on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, at Corton. Bonus, I thought. The beach quest can begin. So the first beaches of Norfolk I visited for this blog were actually the furthest away from me. My folks aren’t beach lovers but I managed to convince them to accompany me to see what this part of the coastline had to offer and I was not disappointed. During that weekend we visited both the North and South end of Gorleston-on-Sea plus Hopton-on-Sea and I was impressed with them all. The next few blogs will focus on these beaches.
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| Gorleston-on-Sea South Beach |
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| Gorleston-on-Sea North Beach |
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| Hopton-on-Sea |
Posted: August 11, 2011, 1:41 pm
I’m a beach bum. It should come as no surprise to those who know me that I’m blogging about beaches. It’s always been my dream to live by the sea and a beautiful beach as my garden. There mere thought of waking up every morning to the sound of the ocean filling my ears, the fresh salty air filling my lungs and a vast expanse of blue seas and big skies filling my vision, makes me want to squeal with delight. Beaches are my church. The ocean is my God. My sanctuary.
I live on the Norfolk/Lincs border and whilst my address is Lincolnshire (by about a mile), my heart is Norfolk. I grew up with Hunstanton (Hunston or Sunny Hunny to us locals) as my seaside resort, and that stretch of beach from Heacham to Holme is still my favourite. It’s home and I never tire of spending time there. If God is an ocean then the Holy Spirit, for me at least, is a sunset. If you haven’t experienced a Norfolk sunset then stop reading this right now and head to Hunny before nightfall. Trust me, you won’t regret it. They are breathtaking. Being the only East coast that faces West (check out the right side bump above London on a UK map – we’re the top of the builder’s bum; sorry but it’s the easiest way to describe it), the sun sets directly over the water and usually makes for spectacular viewing.
So when it comes to Norfolk beaches I don’t exactly need a sales pitch. I’m already sold. But I haven’t experienced them all. My Mum, God love her, would say a beach is a beach. To me though, that’s swearing. They’re like snowflakes, and indeed sunsets, all unique and worthy of exploration. So imagine my joy when I came across Steve & Alyson Appleyard’s book Norfolk Beaches– A Guide to the 50 Beaches that make up Norfolk’s coastline. I was at Norfolk Lavender at the time with my friend Claire; an Essex lass, although void of the stereotype, who was very excited by the rows of vivid purple I’d taken her to see. In the gift shop however, it was my turn to regress to pure childhood delight. I stood, for what Claire would describe as an eternity, transfixed in leafing through the pages of this book. She managed to drag me away in the end but the book refused to leave my thoughts for the next two days until poor Claire reached breaking point as I repeated, for the 69th time that day, ‘Did I tell you about this book I saw on Norfolk beaches?’ So it was inevitable I’d go back and purchase. I could hear it calling to me in bed at night. It was my destiny. I had to buy it. It wouldn’t have been right to do anything else.
50 beaches, 50 days out. That’s what Steve & Alyson did and that’s what I’ll do. All blogged here for your enjoyment. Expect photo’s galore, amusing anecdotes and multiple entries on the diverse array of beaches this wonderful coastline has to offer.
Posted: August 3, 2011, 8:51 pm