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Four short North Norfolk walks

29/1/2017

15 Comments

 
(Try saying that five times fast!)
cliff white at top and red at bottom
We spent a week of winter holidays in Old Hunstanton, a pretty village tucked up in the northwest corner of Norfolk, where The Wash becomes the North Sea. We have several favourite short walks in the area - these are a few of them. I've included GPX files so you can download them if you want, but most of them are pretty easy to figure out for yourself once you're there! They’re all circular or there-and-back strolls that will take 1-2 hours, so they’re perfect for stretching your legs in the morning or for catching a breath of fresh air after lunch.

1. Above and below the Hunstanton Cliffs

Distance: 3mi/5km
Start: Old Hunstanton (or Hunstanton)

Hunstanton Cliffs Walk (GPX)
File Size: 3 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

Although on paper this walk is pretty much a there-and-back-again kind of affair, the 'there' along the beach is very different to the 'back' along the cliff top. We started in Old Hunstanton, walked up the beach below the famous two-tone cliffs, had a cuppa in Hunstanton at the lovely Norfolk Deli, then wandered back via the lighthouse and old ruins. You could just as easily do it the other way around. (NB: check the tide times if you want to make sure you can get around the bottom of the cliffs.)
beach with rocks and cliff
The beach below the Hunstanton Cliffs. A fantastic place for anyone interested in geology - I found a fossil on the beach here once!
footsteps
The low sun catching on footprints in the sand.
cliff nose
You can see the profile of a person with a beard, right?
black and white bird with long orange beak
Oystercatchers on the rocks, feasting in the tidal pools.
wrecked old boat on beach
Another diverting feature of the beach, the wreck of the Sheraton, a steam trawler built in 1907 and wrecked in 1947.
kite surfers
There were half a dozen kite surfers out on the water. I'd love to try this one day!
Hunstanton town sign
Hunstanton town sign - depicting St Edmund and the wolf, I suspect.
lighthouse seen through arch
The lighthouse seen through the arch of the Chapel of St Edmund.

2. Up through the Ringstead Downs

Distance: 2.5mi/4km
​Start: Ringstead Downs Nature Reserve, Ringstead
Ringstead Downs Walk (GPX)
File Size: 3 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

Norfolk is famously flat - but it turns out there are some "hills" just out the back of Hunstanton, at Ringstead. We drove out one beautiful frosty morning and parked at the Ringstead end of the downs, following the path straight up between two low, mainly wooded rises. The return walk was much the same, though we detoured up to a lookout over the little park in an old chalk quarry and then down through said park before heading to the car.
path through field
West through the Ringstead Downs. It's a lovely, quiet little reserve - and beautiful on a clear winter morning.
Frost beads on grass
I love how the dew drops have formed and then frozen on the grass.
fish skeleton branch
Not sure what tree this is - we called it the fish skeleton tree.
old barn
A wonderful old barn at the far end of the Ringstead Downs. I imagine lots of bats live at this farm.
Pine
pine
path
The path back - looking east through the downs.

3. Beach huts and holiday homes . . . next-the-sea

Distance: 2.5mi/4km
Start: Old Hunstanton (or Holme)
Old Hunstanton and Holme Walk (GPX)
File Size: 2 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

This walk follows the River Hun (which is not very big, for a river) from Old Hunstanton to Holme-next-the-Sea, with the golf course on your left. At Holme, walk out towards the beach, then follow the Norfolk Coast Path back to Old Hunstanton. You'll see all manner of holiday accommodation, from hotels to beach huts, caravans to fancy houses - especially if you explore the villages at each end.
sign
It's an inauspicious start to the walk. Looking back over my photos, the number of warning signs implies this is a far more treacherous walk than it is!
golf course and flag
We managed to avoid the golf balls.
rose hips
Rosehips - a welcome splash of colour.
signs
Holme is where the Peddars Way joins the Norfolk Coast Path (they're treated as one national trail). More warning signs!
intertidal sand
I do like the muted colours of the Norfolk coast and the abstract patterns formed by sand and water.
warning sign
Just be careful, OK?!!
beach
Heading back towards Old Hunstanton along the coast.
beach and shed
A hut kind of thing on the beach, but not a beach hut. A beach shed?
beach huts
Now we're talking! Beach huts (or beach boxes, if you're from Melbourne). We slept on the verandah of a box like this last December. Not this time!

4. Handsome Holkham Hall

Distance: 4mi/6.5km
Start: Holkham Park, Holkham
Holkham Hall Walk (GPX)
File Size: 2 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

This final walk is a little longer and a bit further east along the coast at Holkham. Holkham is a large, walled estate with a fancy hall, a landscaped and well maintained park, farmland, various monuments and loads of deer. They have a number of suggested walks, both shorter and longer than the one we did. We set off a bit after 9am on Boxing Day and by the time we had finished the carpark, the village and the nearby nature reserve were heaving. We'd chosen a good day to come early!
bare trees in silhouette
I love the silhouettes of gorgeous old trees, the lines thick at the centre and dissolving into fine etching at the edges.
deer and monument
The Monument (imaginative name) and lots of deer!
hall and tree
In which I manage to make Holkham Hall look a lot smaller than it is.
trees and little building
Probably my favourite building at Holkham (and one of the oldest): the ice house. Not spectacular, but very cool. (Cool, haha.)
water
Two-tone water on the lake. The line down the middle is a little weir-type thing.
silhouette obelisk
The Obelisk. A high point on the estate and quite the landmark.
straight road into distance
One point perspective - works every time. The trees are holm oaks.
blue sky
And finally, a reminder that winter in the UK is not always gloomy and overcast. Bright, cold days are great for walking.

I hope you found those little walks enjoyable to read about - and if you ever visit that corner of Norfolk, I hope you give them a go. Let me know if you do!

15 Comments
Clare link
29/1/2017 21:43:03

I'm doing Peddars way in April. Eek! Taking the sensible option though and overnighting in Castle Acre.
The woods between Holkham and wells are delightful to walk too.

Reply
Jonathan link
30/1/2017 07:48:12

Are you doing it over just two days?! Rather you than me! XD

Reply
Clare link
31/1/2017 01:37:13

Yep, a weekend challenge. Slightly longer section on day one, hotel stop where we potentially eat and drink too much and fail to leave the room on day two. Ha! Sadly my friend is far too motivated for that version unfortunately.

Reply
Jonathan link
31/1/2017 05:42:49

Good luck! That sounds like a pretty long first day... no time for finding caches on the way. ;)

Reply
Clare link
1/2/2017 05:45:07

Now you're just being silly... ;)

Reply
Mary Mayfield link
3/2/2017 21:34:59

I'm glad i stumbled on this post. We've visited North Norfolk a lot, but I've never tried any of these walks - I didn't even realise you could walk along the beach from Hunstanton to Old Hunstanton, though I think the tide's possibly been too high when I've visited.

Reply
Jonathan link
4/2/2017 05:53:18

Hi Mary - that's a really good point. I shall add a note about the tides to the post (don't want anyone getting stuck out there!). I hope you manage to try out some of the walks when you're next in the area.

Reply
Lauren M link
4/2/2017 06:34:29

We visited Norfolk last year and loved it. We'll definitely be heading back and trying some of these walks.

Reply
Jonathan link
5/2/2017 04:12:12

Fantastic! I'd love to hear how you go with them. The first time I went to Norfolk I thought it was all a bit samey, but the more I visit the more I've been able to discover the variety in the habitat and scenery. I think these four walks all manage to take in something different of the area.

Reply
Laura May link
5/2/2017 03:40:40

I really need to spend more time on the East coast of Britain...it's neglected part of the world for me. These also look like pretty trikable routes! Many stiles in the way?

Reply
Jonathan link
5/2/2017 04:22:59

Ooh, good question. I think Walk 1 (Hunstanton Cliffs) includes some stairs to get from the beach to the town in Hunstanton, but not in Old Hunstanton - so you could do a there and back along the top and possibly along the bottom (there are a lot of rocks on the beach), but might have difficulty with a circular version. Walk 2 (Ringstead Downs) has a kissing gate at each end, but if memory serves me correctly the one at the end with the carpark you can just go around (might include one step up/down?). Walk 2 (Old Hunstanton - Holme) is not accessible for the part along the River Hun - there's at least one stile and the path is narrow - but if you're OK with soft sand, you could head along the beach walks. Also, if you park in Holme to start, I'd actually recommend going east along the coastal boardwalk towards Thornham instead - much more accessible. Walk 4 (Holkham Hall) would be great - as would most of the park. There are a few cattle grids but they had gates next to them (swing gates rather than kissing gates, I think). Hope this helps!

Reply
Zoe at Splodz Blogz link
9/2/2017 21:19:06

Ah some lovely ideas for walks here. I love RSPB Titchwell Marsh, a beautiful place for a walk. Must go back there very soon.

Reply
Jonathan link
10/2/2017 08:16:25

Yes, it's a gorgeous place... And Titchwell Manor does very good food, too, if you're looking for somewhere a bit special to eat!

Reply
WalkingAngells link
27/2/2017 06:30:34

It's been a while since we visited Hunstanton and we had horrible food poisoning while we were there...but I agree, it's a lovely place to walk.

Reply
Jonathan link
28/2/2017 17:25:26

Oh no! I can imagine that would colour one's memory of a place somewhat!

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