We still have so much of Norfolk that we need to visit and we know that we’re very spoilt for choice with the coastline around here. So when Parkdean Resorts got in touch wanting to work with us on their Coastal Adventures campaign to help promote Britain’s coastline, we knew that this was the perfect fit for our family adventures.
I have fond memories of visiting beaches as a child as I used to live in a village by the seaside in Dorset. So being nearer beaches again was actually one of the major pull factors when decided on our relocation to Norfolk.
There are so many hidden gems around the country to be explored and you can read more about Britain’s amazing Coastal Adventures here.
We decided to go on a couple of trips within the locality of California Cliffs Holiday Park. As our chosen beaches were a little far apart to manage in one day, we decided to split the trips over two days. We also knew that the kids would get really tired and we wanted to get the most out of our time in the different locations and for everyone to enjoy it.Some places we had already visited but we were excited to discover new areas that we hadn’t yet got around to seeing. Of course the glorious weather we’ve been having lately made our coastal adventures an absolute pleasure (bar bickering children).
We chose a few spots to visit…
Hemsby Beach
This was a new one for us. It’s a busy little place with lots of attractions that you would expect for a beachside resort. We parked up and walked through the bustling centre of the town past the amusement arcades and shops to reach the soft sandy beach that stretches for miles. We also visited on a weekend when the World Cup was on and we pretty much had the beach to ourselves for the afternoon!
It gives you all of the liveliness of Great Yarmouth but on a much smaller scale.
Great Yarmouth – Britannia Pier
We’ve paid Great Yarmouth a couple of visits since we’ve been living in Norfolk and without fail, it’s always a hit with the children.
The boys went armed with their collection of 2p’s and loved nothing more than hitting the arcade machines.
I even had a go too and you can see that it required some concentration…
Great Yarmouth offers so much for a day out but the amount of attractions on offer can be quite overwhelming when you’re a new visitor. The kids get very excited and it’s a good idea to work out what you want to get from the day and make some sort of plan. We always find it easier to hit one particular area – as it’s a long stretch along the promenade.
We spent a lot of time on the Britannia Pier as it has an amusement arcade as well as a funfair right at the bottom of the pier.
Once we had finished at the funfair, we walked down the steps of the pier where the kids took a ride on some donkeys before we grabbed some chips to enjoy on a bench.
You need to go prepared for your kids to want to do absolutely everything!
The beach has the most wonderful white sand and always only a short walk from the main strip of attractions.
Happisburgh Lighthouse
On our second trip out we decided to go further up the coast and visit the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia. Unfortunately for us the lighthouse was having a bit of a makeover when we visited and was being given a fresh coat of white with red stripes.
We found a great kids play area that was situated by it and which was adjacent to the car park. From the car park it also leads down to the beach, so there are a few things to do for a trip to see this iconic landmark.
Winterton-on-sea
This is our favourite beach and this is the place that we go back to time and time again. In the summer months it becomes a popular place to visit but the sprawling beach and sand dunes never make it feel like it’s too overcrowded. It’s situated within a village so you have none of the hustle and bustle that comes with a beach resort.
Amenity wise there is a cafe on the beach and it’s fairly close to walk back into the village where there is a convenience store and a fish and chip shop.
There are also dunes aplenty too and as it’s a Nature Reserve, it’s a great place to be spotting wildlife.
Once we had visited the lighthouse we took a trip to Winterton beach in the early evening before sunset, where we set up our portable firepit to toast marshmallows! We hadn’t ever tried this before and we all thorouhly enjoyed getting messy eating our s’mores. It was the perfect end to our wonderful adventure exploring what our coastline has to offer in Norfolk.
As always we show you what our adventures are really about in our videos and we sum up our #CoastalAdventure here…
So what Coastal Adventures have you been on? I’d love to hear about places you have visited that make a really memorable family day out.
Nb. In Collaboration with Parkdean Resorts for #CoastalAdventures.
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