The best stately home in the area is Holkham Hall (01328 710227), an 18th-century Palladian mansion in a vast estate. Highlights are the paintings, most notably Ruben's Return of the Holy Family, and the marble entrance hall with trompe l'oeil ceilings. The Bygones exhibition is fun for children.
The place children ask to go back to again and again is the Thursford Collection (01328 878477). It's a spectacular museum in a very unlikely setting, on a farm in a hamlet outside Fakenham. But you step inside a big old barn to find the most magical place: it's like walking into an old-fashioned fairground. It is known for the huge collection of barrel organs, but there are also vintage rides and carousels, all beautifully painted in their original colours. There are steam engines chugging and music going, and you can not only touch the exhibits but ride on them as well.
The places to head for are between Brancaster - with its part enclosed, tidal harbour - and the old port of Cley-next-the-Sea, with its distinctive windmill, where the sand gives way temporarily to shingle.
Water quality standards are high along this coastline; with many beaches so remote they are not even tested. This means you can take your pick from an almost continuous band of soft, yellow sand that unfurls in a broad ribbon along the coast.
Best for families is the beach at Wells-next-the-Sea, a long sandy stretch that circles the lifeboat house and continues as far as Holkham. It is backed by pinewoods, low dunes and a line of brightly coloured beach huts on stilts. When the tide is in, the gently sloping shoreline makes for good paddling, while at low tide the beach shelves more steeply and swimming is possible - but beware of strong currents. Lifeguards patrol a designated area of the beach in high season. A large cafe by the car park sells buckets, spades, windshields and other essential beach ware - and you can buy ice creams on the beach.
For good sand backed by a broad band of dunes and marram grass try the beach at Burnham Overy Staithe. Parking is on the quayside - and to get to the beach you have to walk about a mile along a raised sea wall so it's not one to lug too much beach gear or tiny tots to. Once you've walked through the high dunes you get a stunning view of sea, sand and sky.
Easier to get to with children, and just as rewarding, is the horse-shoe shaped, pale sand beach sheltered by pinewoods at Holkham, exposed enough for kite flying and large enough for beach cricket or volleyball. It's a popular area for riding and in the far distance you can often see hazy groups of horses galloping along the water's edge. Even if Lady Ann's Drive, the long straight road opposite The Victoria Hotel that leads to the beach, is packed with cars you will still be able to find plenty of space away from the crowds.
Some beaches, such as those that fringe Scolt Head Island and Blakeney Point, are best reached by boat. From Burnham Overy Staithe, you can catch a ferry to Scolt Head Island - one of the most inaccessible of the region's beaches, and the most beautiful (for ferry bookings and information call 01485 210456). Managed by English Nature, it is an important breeding ground for birds and is owned by the National Trust.
Blakeney Point is also a bird sanctuary, and home to common and grey seals that sprawl lazily by the water's edge. A boat trip to the beach here makes a good excursion on a sunny day and when the tide's high enough, boats depart from Morston Quay, taking about an hour (some allow you to land and explore the Point for half an hour or so).
In high season, boat trips to Blakeney Point get very busy, but you can book through Temple (01263 740791), Bean (01263 740038) or Bishop (01263 740753). Beyond the old lifeboat house (now a cafe) there's a blissful beach and mountainous dunes.
Birdwatchers should head for the areas around Titchwell Marsh or Cley Marsh, both important nature reserves. Birds to spot include avocets, ringed plovers, little terns and marsh harriers. There's a large RSPB visitor centre at Titchwell and the information line is 01485 210779. Other bird hotspots include the National Nature Reserves at Scolt Head Island, Holkham and Blakeney Point.
The classic day out from Morston is the trip to Blakeney Point, the tip of a long shingle spit, home to colonies of seals and breeding ground for terns. Boat trips leave from Morston Quay on a variety of tours depending on the tides, allowing both close-up viewing of the seals and landings at Blakeney Point. Book through Temple (01263 740791), Bean (01263 740038) or Bishop (01263 740753).
A perfect way to reach some of the best beaches, are half or full day trips on a superb 45ft sailing barge, Juno, from Blakeney Harbour to Brancaster, landing at Scolt Head Island or Holkham (food can be provided by Morston Hall). For barge bookings and prices contact Charlie Ward Traditional Boats (01263 740377).
For sailing enthusiasts there's RYA-accredited Sailcraft Sea School (01485 210236) in Brancaster Staithe organises lessons in Wayfarers, Toppers and Lasers dinghies. Two-day courses for children (from eight years) and adults. Hour-long taster courses are also available. Oceanus (01328 864141) operates out of Wells Harbour, and offers courses in sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and powerboating, with easy access to the open sea and superb coastal scenery.
For the full range of RYA powerboat courses from beginner to advanced and informal powerboat, keelboat and dinghy, sailing courses and activities plus RIBS, sportsboats and "Constance" - ex RNLI lifeboat contact Blakeney Point Sailing School (01263 740704).
The North Norfolk Cycleway runs along the Norfolk coast from Cromer to King's Lynn and through some of the prettiest countryside. The Wells and Holkham Circuit is a 10-mile circular ride forming part of the National Cycling Network North Sea Cycle Route. Alternatively you can pick up suggested routes from the tourist office, such as the 21-mile Nelson circuit, which takes in the Admiral's birthplace at Burnham Thorpe as well as Burnham Market and North Creake. Hire bikes from Walsingham's (01328 710438) in Wells-next-the-Sea hires out mountain bikes.
With a Michelin star to its credit, Morston Hall (01263 741041) stands out as one of the area's top restaurants. Celebrity chef Galton Blackiston uses local produce and offers mouth-watering no-choice, five-course menus. Superb.
The Moorings (01263 740054) offers unpretentious contemporary cuisine in a relaxed setting. Located at the bottom of Blakeney High Street, a few yards from the quay, patrons Richard and Angela Long serve fresh, simple, honest food - fantastic local fish, shellfish, game in season, delicious meat and vegetarian dishes, dreamy puddings, and a well chosen wine list.
The stylish Victoria Hotel (01328 713230), part of the Holkham Estate, has gained a reputation for both its food and eclectic decor since it was refurbished in 2001. It's a fairly relaxed kind of place, and very child-friendly. The menu makes the most of the game and beef from the estate.
Sometimes you come across somewhere so near perfect you can't believe it hasn't become overrun already. Despite the fact North Norfolk has received acres of publicity Cookie's Crab Shop (01263 740352), in the pretty village of Salthouse, doesn't seem to have registered. Perhaps it's not expensive enough to warrant coverage in the glossy magazines. A local fisherman, Jack Cook, set it up in 1956. The menu is scribbled on a white board above the fish counter - soups, sandwiches and platters from a simple crab salad to the "lobster royal". No contest really, given that the lobster comes piled high with prawns, smoked fish and salad for under a tenner. There are mugs of tea or litre bottles of apple juice supplied by a nearby farm. Or you can bring your own wine. There are fairy lights strung over Jack's old fishing boat and a gate that makes a silly frog noise every time the waitress swings through bearing more seafood platters. It's sweet and simple and the perfect spot on a sunny afternoon.
Of the pubs in the area The Anchor Inn (01263 741392) at Morston is a centuries old smugglers' inn. Great food, good wines and real ales. Morning coffees, bar meals, sandwiches, ploughman's etc.. Delicious lunches and evening meals. Sunday Lunches. Also buy tickets here for Temple's Seal Trip to Blakeney Point.
Newly refurbished and under new management The Wiveton Bell (01263 740101) just a mile inland form Blakeney is exactly how you would want a village pub to be. Award winning restaurateurs, Berni and Sandy Morritt, have enhanced the character of this eighteenth century pub, creating an exquisite environment in which to savour the delights of outstanding cuisine, fine ales and wine. Produce is sourced locally. As well as classic bistro favourites there is always a daily fish special alongside unrivalled homemade puddings and pasties.
For simple flavours with an innovative twist visit the ever-popular The White Horse (01263 740574) at Blakeney, despite new competition in the area people keep returning.
Whether you want to take a picnic to the beach, or stock up for the evening, there are plenty of excellent food shops along the coast. Winner of Norfolk's Deli of the year 2003, Byfords Deli in Holt (01263 714816) is a foodies delight. The Wells Deli Company in Wells-next-the-Sea (01328 711171) stocks local cheeses as well as olives and regional honey. Larners of Holt (01263 712323) is perhaps the best food hall in north Norfolk, with a wide selection of both fresh and tinned delicacies. Nearby, Blakeney Delicatessen (01263 740939) and Picnic Fayre (01263 740587) in Cley, sell good cheese, pates, wines and cakes.
Crab, smoked eel (delicious accompanied with horseradish) and sea trout (available from the beginning of May until the end of September) are local specialities available from the North Norfolk Fish Company (01263 711913) tucked behind the High Street in Holt. Cley Smoke House (01263 740282) is an excellent place to buy wild smoked salmon and fish pates. Weston's in Blakeney (01263 741112) is a lobster supplier and also sells ready-made plates of fresh seafood.
With the Ordnance Survey large-scale (1:25,000) Explorer maps of the Norfolk coast (numbers 250 and 251), it's easy to pick out good circular walks - try one along the sand from Holkham to Wells-next-the-Sea and back through the pinewoods. Or walk along the raised sea defences between Morston and Cley. Alternatively, you can walk the length of the Peddars Way/Norfolk Coast Path and return on the North Norfolk Coast Hopper bus, which steps up its service through the peak summer months (call 0845 300 6116 for timetable information).
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