Norfolk Beaches

I've lived in Cyprus for several years and the last thing I expected to be impressed by after moving to England were the beaches. In spring 2007 we've made our first trip to Norfolk and were so impressed by its beauty that we keep on going back. We - that is me, my husband and our two little daughters.
Of course there is so much more to Norfolk than just its beaches, especially the Norfolk Broads are remarkable and a paradise for birdwatchers. Of course you can also take a boats trip here, either on an organised boats trip or just by yourself in a rented boat. Alternativley you can rent a houseboat for a few days and live on the canals.

The first beach we've visited was Great Yarmouth. I'd seen it on photos before and knew that it was long and and wide but didn't quite it expect it to be that large. Forget about the pebbles at Brighton or Southend-on-Sea - this is lovely fine powdery sand and almost white. The beach is not only more than 15 miles long but also wide and spacious and very clean. We've managed to end up here on a bank holiday weekend which was also the hottest of the year - and the most busiest - and there was still lots of space on the beach without feeling too enclosed by other visitors. The town itself was buzzing and the main pedestrian area was so full that you could hardly walk but the beach still appeared to be half empty, even there must have been thousands of people on this particular day. You can rent a

beach chair for the day, facilities are plentiful, and there are enough of snack bars closeby. We've tried some of the restaurants along the promenade and food was a bitter disappointment. As beautiful as the beach is - the food was "Greasy Spoon" quality.Of course there is also the inevitable pier - this is England after all - and there are some amusement parks with kiddie rides, minigolf etc along the promenade.

A few kilometres into the sea there is a wind farm called Scroby Sands. The windmills are clearly visible from the beach and it is possible to take a boats trip out there. Apparently there are seals living on the base of the wind mills.

Much more quiet and relaxed was our trip to the beach in Caister. We went in September and the snack bar on the beach was already shut. We still had a great day, collected some sea shells with the girls, took a long walk along the water and didn't miss the pier and fun fair atmosphere one bit.

Sheringham is located in North Norfolk and we ended up here as we had promised the kids a trip on the Poppy Line, a steam train that departs from the Victorian station of the small seaside resort. A trip to the beach wasn't really on our itinery but we managed to see the sunset.

Our trip to Hunstanton, again in North Norfolk, had to wait until November. This time we weren't so lucky with the weather and it was a cold and stormy day. There is a promenade high above the beach from which we were watching the waves coming in.If you've ever suffered from a hang-over - if this doesn't clear your head out nothing will !