The Norfolk Coastal Path is an 84 mile long distance walking trail, running from Hunstanton on the west coast, to Hopton on Sea on the east coast. The trail used to finish at Cromer, but in 2014 it was extended to Hopton.
It’s the perfect trail to do if you are new to long distance walking, due to it being mostly flat, with lots of places you can stop, and public transport along the way if you need to bail out.
In this guide, I’m going to first tell you a bit about what to expect when walking the Norfolk Coastal Path. I will then go through everything you might want to know so you can plan the walk to suit your preference. This includes logistics and suggested itineraries, public transport, accommodation, luggage transfers, and general tips. I have also included links to the full walking guides for each day that I did on the trail. These have lots more detail about each section, including full logistics, maps, amenities, and more photos. If there is anything I have missed that you would like to know, then please send me an email. I would love to help.
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What to expect when walking along the Norfolk Coast Path
Lots and lots and lots of beach. When the tide is out, you can walk almost the whole way on just beach (which will be nice and firm at low tide). And we are talking big beaches, stretching for miles as far as the eye can see. When no one is around, it’s pretty mind blowing. Some of the beaches are below rugged cliffs which is nice. I do love a rugged cliff view.
Most of the beach is sand, but there is one very very long stretch of shingle.
It’s also almost completely flat. I say almost, because there are a couple of big cliffs you will have to walk up, which took me by surprise. They aren’t tough, but rather, unexpected.
I would say that the route has two distinct sections. The north coast and the east coast. The north coast from Hunstanton to Cromer/Mundesley has more variety with a mix of big beaches, marshland, nature reserves (and those cliffs). The villages along the north are also nicer. More quaint, less ‘touristy’.
The east coast has more uninterrupted beach, and you will have a higher chance of spotting seals. The villages on this side are a bit more British seaside type, with caravan parks and arcades.
Where there is no beach, or if the tide is in and the beach is underwater, the official Norfolk Coast Path actually runs a bit inland, in the marshes, or on the clifftop.
Wherever I could, I stayed on the beach though. If you choose to do this too, then just be aware of the tides movements, particularly when you are walking below the cliffs. If the tide comes in, you could get trapped down there. On my guide for each day of the walk, I have provided a link to check the tide times.
The seals
Seals are known to frequent the Norfolk Coast. The best place to see them is around Horsey which is near the end of the trail (I saw hundreds here). Blakeney on the North Coast is also a seal spotting place, but you would have to explore off the trail to see these ones.
I saw the seals in March, but if you come around the end of December, you have a high chance of seeing baby seals.
When is the best time of year to walk the Norfolk Coast Path?
The Norfolk Coast Path can be walked at any time of year. I would probably avoid the height of the summer though, especially school holidays. I have heard the beaches become very packed. Plus the sun might be quite unbearable when walking along some of the long stretches of beach.
Winter is a good time to experience some of the beaches with no one in sight for miles, plus accommodation will be cheaper in the winter. Accommodation is very very expensive out here, which I will get to a bit further down.
If you choose the winter time to walk the Norfolk Coast Path, you might want to spread the full thing out over more days, due to less daylight hours.
The main risk with winter though, is the weather. If the weather is good, it’s glorious. If it’s bad, you might lose the will to live. The wind can be pretty intense.
Autumn and spring are happy mediums.
Norfolk Coast Path Map
How many days does it take to do the walk?
I walked the Norfolk Coast Path over 6 days. It can definitely be done over 5 days, but equally, you can make it longer to suit your preference. There are many little villages along the whole route with places to stay.
How far you walk each day, might also be influenced by what accommodation is available at the time.
Cromer (which has a train station) makes a good dividing point along the whole Norfolk Coast, so you could break it up into two separate trips quite nicely.
It is also possible to split the walk into weekends, if you don’t want to take time off work. There is public transport along most of the route, which I explain in more detail further down.
What I will say though, is start from Hunstanton and walk from west to east. If you start from the other end, you have a high chance of facing headwind. And you don’t want that.
Below is a suggested 6 day itinerary (what I did), a 5 day itinerary (what I was trying to do), and a 7 day itinerary (what I wish I did).
Norfolk Coastal Path 6 day itinerary:
I started in Hunstanton, and walked as far as Great Yarmouth. Hopton (the end of the path) is just a couple of miles further along. For various reasons I didn’t walk to the end, which I explain in my guide for that day. This is my itinerary: (You can click on each of them to take you to the walking guide for each day)
- Day 1: Hunstanton to Burnham Overy Staithe – 16 miles. This day along the Norfolk Coast Path is a lot of beach, with some impressive red cliffs.
- Day 2: Burnham Overy Staith to Blakeney – 15 miles. The walk along this section of the Norfolk Coast Path is a lot of marshland and nature reserve.
- Day 3: Blakeney to Cromer – 15 miles. Today is the day of shingle and cliff.
- Day 4: Cromer to Mundesley – 8 miles. There is clifftop walking today, and a little too much road.
- Day 5: Mundesley to Hemsby – 18.5 miles. Todays walk along the Norfolk Coastal Path is beach the whole way, and a chance to spot all the seals.
- Day 6: Hemsby to Great Yarmouth – 7 miles (+2 miles to walk through GY). The final day of the walk along the Norfolk Coast Path. My least favourite day. Pretty to start, but not as nice later.
If you want to split the walk into weekends, you can follow this itinerary as there is a bus or train at the start/end of each day.
I had actually planned to do the full walk along the Norfolk Coastal Path over 5 days, however, I got an injury on day 4 which forced me to stop the walk early. I then came back for a weekend trip to complete it over 2 more days.
Norfolk Coast Path 5 day itinerary:
- Day 1: Hunstanton to Burnham Overy Staith – 16 miles
- Day 2: Burnham Overy Staith to Blakeney – 15 miles
- Day 3: Blakeney to Cromer – 15 miles
- Day 4: Cromer to Sea Palling – 17.5 miles
- Day 5: Sea Palling to Hopton – 20.5 miles
I would only do this itinerary in spring or Autumn. I tried it during winter, and was fighting for daylight. During summer, it would be too hot for some of the long walking days on the coast.
Norfolk Coast Path 7 day itinerary:
- Day 1: Hunstanton to Brancaster – 10.5 miles
- Day 2: Brancaster to Wells Next the Sea – 13 miles
- Day 3: Wells Next the Sea to Cley Next the Sea – 10.5 miles
- Day 4: Cley Next the Sea to Cromer – 12.5 miles
- Day 5: Cromer to Walcott – 11 miles
- Day 6: Walcott to Winterton on Sea – 13 miles
- Day 7: Winterton on Sea to Hopton – 13.5 miles
If I was to do the walk along the Norfolk Coastal Path again, I would do this itinerary. It would have allowed me more time to explore the villages, and really take it all in, instead of rushing through.
Getting to the Norfolk Coastal Path
Norfolk is located in east of England, above London. The Norfolk Coastal Path is quite well connected with public transport, and as such, it is possible to do the full walk as weekend trips. This works best if you live in London, Cambridge, or anywhere in the section of England between these.
It does take a bit of logistical planning though, as it is not connected by just one bus or train line.
Getting to/from the start and finish
The walk starts and finishes in a small seaside towns with bus connections to a bigger towns with train station.
- To get to the start at Hunstanton, you would get a train to Kings Lynn, then the 36 Coastliner bus gets you to Hunstanton in a bit under 1h. Kings Lynn has direct trains from London Kings Cross. Journey time 1h48min.
- From the finish at Hopton on Sea, you can catch the 1 Coastal Clipper bus to Great Yarmouth which has a train station. Journey time 30 min. Great Yarmouth train station has direct trains to Norwich taking 30min. From there you can get a connecting train to London (or elsewhere).
- Cromer, at the halfway point along the Norfolk Coastal Path, is also on a train line, which runs to Norwich. Journey time 45 min. The train journey between London and Cromer should be 2h 45min with a change at Norwich. However, at the time of writing, this is just on weekdays. For a weekend trip its a bit over 3h and involves 2 changes. I have looked ahead a few months and it’s still the same.
Buses along the Norfolk Coast Path (from start to finish)
The north part of the coast is the best connected with buses. After that, it’s a little more complicated.
North coast
- The 36 Coastliner bus runs between Kings Lynn, Hunstanton, and Wells-Next-the-Sea.
- The Coasthopper CH1 bus runs between Wells-Next-the-Sea and Cromer.
- The Coasthopper CH2 bus runs between Cromer and Mundesley. It also stops at North Walsham inland, which has a train station.
- These buses run all week, and are hourly in winter, 1/2 hourly in summer. The first buses start around 8am, and finish around 6pm give or take a bit.
East coast
- After Mundesley, there is a long stretch without buses. So you will need to stay on the trail for this bit. At Sea Palling, there is a bus that will take you inland to North Walsham. But the bus only runs on weekdays.
- The next coastal bus isn’t until you reach Winterton-on-Sea. From here you can get the 1 Coastal Clipper bus which runs south to Great Yarmouth, and Hopton.
Accommodation
Accommodation along the Norfolk Coast Path is ridiculously expensive (particularly when walking the north coast section). When researching the walk, during winter months my options were at best £150 per night, and in some locations the cheapest was £250. The exceptions are Hunstanton and Cromer where you should be able to find something for under £100.
The east coast is a little cheaper, but still not that budget friendly. Great Yarmouth is the exception and you should find cheap stuff around there.
Accommodation types are guest houses, bed and breakfast, AirBnB, static caravans, and holiday cottages. You will find that a lot of places also require more than one nights stay (further below I have listed options that allow 1 night stay).
My accommodation
For the first half of the walk between Hunstanton and Cromer, I took a car and based myself in Hunstanton and got the bus back to my car at the end of each day of walking. For the second half of the walk, I stayed on the trail.
I found something in Hunstanton for £25 per night, but it looked a bit grim, so I splashed out a little and went for the Burlington Guest House, at £60 per night. I really liked it there. What really sold me was that my room had a fridge. There is also a dining area with a fridge, kitchenware, and free coffee and milk. The hosts were really lovely, and it was nice and warm inside during the winter.
I checked out on day 3 for the walk to Cromer, then got the bus back to my car once I finished for the day, and drove to Great Yarmouth. I left it there, and got a train to Cromer the next morning for day 4, with a plan to pick the car up 2 days later when I finished the Norfolk Coast Path at the end. Sounds a bit longwinded, but the money I saved made up for it.
I don’t recommend where I stayed in Great Yarmouth. In Hemsby I stayed in a static caravan, which I also wasn’t happy with. The place was fine, but out of principle I don’t want to send business their way as they lied on the property description. Once I arrived I discovered that electricity was not included in the price, and after 19 miles of walking had to go find a pub to top it up, and then figure out how to actually top it up in the caravan as no instructions were left. They didn’t offer me my money back for it and I was too lazy to fight for it. But I kind of wish I did now out of principle.
Accommodation along the trail
If you would like to stay on the trail, here are some options for each of the stops in the 5, 6, and 7 day itineraries that you can stay for 1 night:
Brancaster: The Ship Hotel. This is a highly rated pub hotel. It boasts award winning chefs serving fresh local seafood (other meat and vegetarian options also). It also has dog friendly rooms. I walked past here and it did look nice.
Burnham-Overy-Staithe: The Hero bed and breakfast. Also highly rated, the rooms look really lovely in this bed and breakfast. There is a restaurant also serving lunch and dinner. It is dog friendly at an additional charge. Children are not allowed.
Wells-next-the-Sea: The Globe Inn. This is a pub bed and breakfast. Rooms are either above the pub or in the courtyard outbuilding if you would prefer to be away from pub noises. Dogs are allowed on request. The rooms also look very lovely in the photos.
Blakeney: The White Horse. This is a bed and breakfast with restaurant and bar. Again, really lovely looking rooms. This place isn’t dog friendly though. If you want to bring your dog, you could stay at The Manor Coastal Hotel. Also lovely looking, with a restaurant, lounge, and concierge service.
Clay-next-the-Sea: The Three Swallows Clay. This is a bed and breakfast style pub, also serving lunch and dinner. Dogs allowed on request. Children not allowed. Reviews are really good.
Cromer: The Sandcliff guest house is one of the cheaper options. It’s a bed and breakfast and dog friendly. From the photos, you can tell it’s cheaper. Reviews are good though. If you want something a bit nicer, I found this 1 bed apartment that is actually cheaper than most of the hotels in the area. It also has a washer dryer if you would like to wash your clothes. Means you can carry less for the whole trip. If I had stayed in Cromer, this is what I would have picked. Pets aren’t allowed at this one.
Mundesley: The Ship Inn, is one of the few budget options. It’s pub bed and breakfast, and is pet friendly for an extra fee. Mundesley is just a short bus ride from Cromer, if you can’t find anywhere to stay here.
Walcott: If you want cheap, you can stay in the Sundial Cottage which is a room in someone’s home. If you want a bit more privacy, a good budget option is the Poachers Pocket Seaview. These are chalets or a studio type room with a kitchenette.
Sea Palling: Most places here require more than one night stay, but you can get a room in someone’s house on Airbnb. I stayed in Lindy’s place (Long story, not part of my Norfolk Coast Path walking itinerary). Lindy was very lovely and welcoming. Nice room, with use of the kitchen.
Winterton-on-Sea: Limited options. In fact, I can only find one property that allows just 1 night stay. It’s an entire chalet called the Winterton Escapes Seascape. It’s with a super host on Airbnb, is dog friendly and has great ratings. It does look very nice in the photos. However, and this is big, it says that for short stays you need to bring your own bedding and towels which is completely useless. You could probably ask and see if this can be accommodated. Otherwise, Hemsby (the next village) is just down the road.
Hemsby: In Hemsby your options are a a static caravan. I’m still salty about the one I stayed in, but another option is this one. It’s actually half the price of the one I chose. Double check all costs are included in the price though! It’s not fancy, and a big downgrade from accommodation along the north coast. But it’s cheap and we like that.
Great Yarmouth: You can find some really cheap stuff here. I picked something for £40, and it was a bit grim. There are lots and lots of options, probably about 100, which you can find here. So I will leave it up to you to have a little browse and find something that takes your fancy.
Group Accommodation
If there is a bigger group of you walking the Norfolk Coast Path, there are some wonderful looking holiday cottages along the north coast (which do require more than 1 night stay). An idea would be to just do the section from Hunstanton to Cromer, and base yourself in Well-next-the-Sea, as it is where the two bus routes connect. Then you can catch a bus to each section from there.
You could get something like the Cobblers Cottage. It’s two rooms, so would be suitable for a two couples. Or the Fishermans Cottage which has three rooms. Both are dog friendly. Check for extra charges though.
Luggage transfers
If you are staying on the trail and don’t want to carry your stuff, you can arrange to have your luggage transferred along the route. They will pick it up from where you are staying and drop it to your next accommodation ready for when you get there.
I have only been able to find one company that does luggage transfers for the Norfolk Coast Path, Hike Help. At the time of writing it costs £14 per bag, and they charge a minimum of 2 bags. If you are just one person, then they might waive that 2 bag rule if they are doing other transfers for walkers on the same route that day. Bizarrely, they will charge you extra if you are walking the other direction from east to west.
A good thing about the company though, is they will drop off/pick up from AirBnBs (as long as it is confirmed by the property). A lot of luggage transfer companies for other trails don’t do this.
Most luggage transfer services have a season they run through, usually March to October. I can’t see any info on Hike Helps website about if they are seasonal, but you can contact them to find out.
Places to eat along the Norfolk Coast Path
You will have many options of places to eat along the whole trail, ranging from pubs to cafes, coffee shops, tea rooms, chippies, pop up stalls, shacks, fancy establishments. The best places with fresh seafood are all along the north coast.
Places of note are (from west to east):
- Thornham Deli: This place is highly rated, serving local produce, freshly made pastries and artisan coffees. They claim to have the best coffee along the Norfolk Coast.
- The Mussel Pod: Located in Brancaster Staithe, this is 5 star rated quirky stall selling freshly caught Mussels from Brancaster.
- The Crab Hut: Also in Brancaster, this is a hut selling fresh unpretentious seafood. Think crab rolls, and seafood pots.
- The Jolly Sailors Pub Brancaster: A highly rated pub with lots of fish and comfort food.
- Staithe Smokehouse: An artisan fishmonger’s smokehouse which is said to sell the best smoked fish ever. It’s located behind the White Horse Pub in Brancaster Staithe.
- Norfolk Coffee Pedlar: Basically a small coffee stand on a bike….Oh but it’s more. The freshly brewed coffee is served in pottery mugs, alongside homemade cakes, and local honey. Located in Burnham-Overy-Staithe.
- French’s Fish Shop: Located in Wells-Next-the-Sea. This family run fish and chips shop has been going since 1921. It’s very popular and highly rated.
- Wells Crab House Seafood Restaurant: Serving, you guessed it, lots of seafood. Here you will find good hearty seafood dishes and big seafood platters.
- Ground by Bringing the outside in: Located in Wells-Next-the-Sea, a coffee shop selling good coffee, cake, and sausage rolls.
- Folks Coffee Co at Blakeney: Selling good fresh coffee and homemade cakes.
- The Clay Smokehouse: A small place in Clay selling artisan smoked fish and meat.
- Picnic Fayre: A deli in Clay, where you can pick up local produce, freshly baked goods, fresh fruit and veg, and cheese.
- Whelk Coppers Tea Rooms: Located in Sherringham, this is a nice little tea shop also with coffees, hot chocolates, cakes, scones, traditional breakfasts, and light bites.
- Fat Teds Streat Food: Also in Sherringham, a shack type place selling fresh homemade hearty street food.
- J Lee Crabstall: If you just want some fresh unpretentious seafood and Cromer crab to go, come here. Known for their dressed crab served in the shell.
All these places I have put in the individual walking guides for each day so you know what section to find them in.
And finally
All in all, I really enjoyed walking the Norfolk Coastal Path. If I was to do it again, the main thing I would do differently is walk less distance each day.
Also, I’m hesitant to say it, but I would probably choose to stay on the trail. I do a lot of walking and have many more long distance trails planned this year, so the money I saved by not staying on the trail was worth it. However, if it was just a one off holiday type walk, I would have splashed out. Staying on the trail is a lot more immersive and adds to the whole long distance walking experience.
Other key things to remember:
- Start from Hunstanton and walk east.
- Avoid the summer holidays.
- If you want to walk on the beaches, check the tide times before starting the walk each day. Make sure it’s low/on it’s way out when you set off for the day.
- To see baby seals, walk it around the end of December.
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2 comments
Thanks so much, a brilliant website–and it covers all the questions I had!
ahh amazing. Im so glad!! 🙂