Photo story: the windmills, waterways and wild beaches of the north Norfolk coast
Tracing a golden thread against the North Sea, the salty shores of north Norfolk are an undisputed highlight of the English coastline.
Wend your way east from the marshes of Brancaster, home to some of the country’s finest seafood, through the streets of Cley next the Sea and on to the town of Cromer, with its grand pier jutting out into the surf. In between these picturesque pit stops is a serene landscape, where the wind and water have shaped the lives of locals for centuries. Pictured is the view across the marshes and reedbeds to the 18th-century Cley Windmill, in Cley next the Sea. The village was an important medieval trading port, although its waterways are now part of a nature reserve for birds.
Many of the families farming Brancaster’s mussel beds have been doing so for generations, working with time and tide to nurture a prized variety known as the Norfolk Blue.
Moules marinière served at The White Horse in Brancaster Staithe. The village is synonymous with shellfish, particularly the mussels that thrive in the local salt marshes.
The White Horse has a bright conservatory and wraparound terrace that allows diners to enjoy unobstructed views across the marshes and out to the North Sea.
Boats moored in the shallows at Blakeney, a picturesque fishing village that was a busy seaport until the 20th century.
Referenced in the Domesday Book, the village of Blakeney emerged as a busy shipping port in the medieval era, and maritime trade flourished until the mid 19th century when the harbour became stilted and accessible only for smaller fishing vessels.
Blakeney is the gateway to the Blakeney National Nature Reserve, home to the largest grey seal colony in England. The salt marshes, shingle and sand dunes make the perfect breeding ground for the seals, which come ashore to calve between November and January.
It’s possible to admire the seals from a responsible distance by taking a boat trip, such as those run by Beans Boats. Jason Bean’s family has been leading trips in this corner of the county since the 1930s.
A village with narrow streets lined with flint-walled cottages, Cley next the Sea was one of the area’s most important trading ports, and its longstanding relationship with the sea can still be seen — and tasted — at the Cley Smokehouse. Here, Glen Weston does a fine line of seafood specialities, including kippers, prawns and salmon, all smoked on site.
Kippers hanging in the smoker at the Cley Smokehouse. The pungent fish is a signature product of the smokehouse, along with dressed Cromer crabs and kiln-roasted salmon.
Fishermen load up the boats at dawn in Cromer, ready for a day on the water. Calmer seas in the summer mean a greater chance of catching the Norfolk town’s most prized delicacy, Cromer crab.
Unique self-catering and B&B accommodation awaits at Cley Windmill, which dates to the early 19th century. Presiding over the marshes and winding River Glaven, it’s one of the area’s most recognisable landmarks.
Once a small but thriving fishing community, Cromer is now a classic English seaside resort, famous not just for its dressed crab but also its Victorian pier and elegant architecture.
The town is also known for the courageous lifeboat crews that have served the community for centuries. Perhaps the most famous lifeboat man of them all is Henry Blogg (pictured top), who retired in 1947 and is said to have saved at least 873 lives during his 53 years in service. A museum dedicated to the 'greatest lifeboat men of them all' can be found at the lifeboat station on the town's seafront.
