Walk from Blakeney to Cromer: Day 3 Norfolk Coast Path

This walk follows the coast, from the *Seal spotting hotspot of Blakeney, to the large seaside town of Cromer.

*I did not spot any seals

The walk is arguably easy ( I will explain more in a moment), and you do have options to shorten it, as it’s well connected by bus.

If you would like more info on planning the whole coastal walk, you can read my Norfolk Coast Path guide here.

In this guide, I’m first going to give you a little overview of the walk between Blakeney and Cromer. This will be followed by logistics, a map, and accommodation, parking, and public transport info, and tips. I will then go on to describe the route step by step with photos.

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What to expect on the walk from Blakeney to Cromer

Shingle. Lots of it. This is why I hesitate to call the walk easy. If you have ever walked on shingle, you will know. Apart from that, you have a little bit of marshland, some windmills, a golf course, and some cliffs.

Looking along a long shingle beach, where it meets the sea to the left, near the start of the walk from Blakeney to Cromer.

Looking across the tall peach coloured grass to the village of Cley in the distance, on the walk from Blakeney to Cromer.

Looking along the grass clifftop with the rugged cliffs down the left meeting the shingle beach on the walk between Blakeney and Cromer. The sea is over on the left, crashing onto the beach creating water spray mist.

Two boats sitting on the wooden water pier, filled with fishing gear, on the walk from Blakeney to Cromer. There is a concert walkway to the left, and terraced houses rising up the hill on the other side of the walkway. The houses have muted pastel coloured walls.

Yes, the cliffs. Now, Norfolk is known for being flat, but this bit of the coast would have you think otherwise. You do have to hike up to the top of them, but it’s not too bad (if you compare it to the South West Coast Path). Plus you get some great views from the top.

Looking along the snippy trail as it runs along the undulating grass covered clifftop, part way through the walk from Blakeney to Cromer. The shingle beach is below to the left, meeting the sea.

Despite the shingle, I did enjoy walking this section of the coast from Blakeney to Cromer.

Logistics

Start: Blakeney, Norfolk. NR25 7NQ.
Finish: Cromer, Norfolk. NR27 9AT.
Distance: 15 miles

Time: 5h10min
Difficulty: Let’s go with moderate
Terrain: Lots of shingle. Grass, dirt trail, concrete beachside walkway.

Elevation: Flat for the first half, then some cliffs to walk up, then back down again.
Dog friendly: Yes

Public Transport

Blakeney and Cromer are connected by the CH1 Coasthopper bus, which are hourly 7 days a week. Check the timetable here for up to date information. Journey time between the two is 45min. If at any point you want to shorten the walk, every so often there will be a trail leading you off the coast path to the main road where you can pick up a bus.

Comer is on a train line which goes to Norfolk. This train also goes to Sheringham (which is 11 miles into the walk between Blakeney and Cromer), if you want to stop the walk a bit earlier.

If you are coming from Hunstanton, or Kings Lynn (which is on a train line), you would first need to catch the 36 Coastliner bus to Wells next the Sea, then change onto the CH1 Coasthopper to reach Blakeney or Cromer.

Parking in Blakeney and Cromer

There is a free car park in Blakeney which is located conveniently next to the bus stop. Post code:NR25 7PG. It’s next to the Blakeney Parish Council.

If you want to pay for parking (why?), there is a car park next to the river right next to the trail (post code: NR25 7ND). It can flood though, so it’s risky. At least check the tide times. It’s National Trust, so free for members. If you are not a member, you have to pay.

In Cromer you have car parks or free street parking in places. Meadow Road car park, NR27 9DX. Cadogan Road car park, NR27 9HU. They are pay and display using cash, contactless, text message, or app. The cost is incremental up to 6h then 24h. As an example, at the time of writing it’s £6.30 for 5h.

Amenities

Blakeney has a number of places for refreshments. For good coffee you have the Folks Coffee Co. For baked goods you have the Two Magpies, and for more substantial pub food you have the White Horse Gastro Pub. There are also public toilets and a Spar.

In Cley, about 2.5 miles into the walk, there is a deli selling fresh local produce, and the Cley Smokehouse selling artisan smoked fish and meat.

11 miles in, you will reach Sheringham which is a bigger town with all the usuals. There is a nice little tea shop called the Whelk Copper Tea Rooms, and a food stall selling street food called Fat Teds Streat Food.

Then of course, you reach Cromer which is also a bigger town which also has lots of options, including a big Morrisons if you need more stuff. For some Cromer Crab to go, you could stop at the J Lee Crab Stall which is known for the dressed crab served in the shell.

Accommodation

If you are walking the whole coast path, and need somewhere to stay, both Blakeney and Cromer have numerous options. Cromer has more and you will find cheaper places to stay compared to Blakeney.

I actually stayed in Hunstanton, which has more budget friendly options than both.

Once I reached Cromer, I got the bus back to my car in Blakeney and actually drove down to spend the night in Great Yarmouth. Very long winded, but I had a good reason for it. I won’t go into the details here, but will explain why in by bigger guide on walking the coast path which I will write soon. If you are not doing the Blakeney to Cromer walk (or rather the whole coast) by car, then you don’t need to worry about it, and can ignore.

Map for the walk from Blakeney to Cromer

Tips for the walk between Blakeney and Cromer

If you can time it for when the tide is out, you can avoid the shingle. Check the tide times here.
Later on in the walk, after Sheringham, the official route goes along the clifftop. If the tide is out, you can walk along the beach all the way to Cromer. Make sure the tide is not on its way in though. You can get cut off along here. Check the tide times here.
Signposting wasn’t always obvious, and I missed it later on.

If you want to try to find some seals, there are various tours that take you from Blakeney. Alternatively, you might find some if you walk along the beach in the opposite direction to this route. I was told before heading out that they were there. I did not fancy the extra walking on shingle though.

Read about yesterday: Day 2 Burnham Overy Staithe to Blakeney

Route Description: Walk from Blakeney to Cromer

I set off early today to walk from Blakeney to Cromer. There was a lot of rain forecast from about midday, so I wanted to cover as much ground as possible before that happened.

I didn’t tape my toe, but the turmeric and volterol gel must have worked, because I was in no pain (yet). My feet were actually feeling pretty good, considering how much I had walked so far. I had been making sure to stretch at the end of each day, including foot stretches. It seems stretching really does work.

Start the walk from Blakeney to Cromer

From the main road in Blakeney, walk along Westgate Street (it’s near the bus stop) to reach the river.

A road lined with houses in Blakeney. The house on the right has a blue coloured wall. There are two people walking along the road ahead.

A wooden trail sign on a green, with the river just visible ahead, and a coat of arms sign on the left.

Turn right here and continue to follow the water line to reach the ridge.

A sailing boat on the clam river, moored to the side, at the start of the walk in Blakeney towards Cromer.

A wooden trail sign pointing back and left. There is a tall stone wall past the road and green behind the sign.

A long straight ridge type trail, with grass down the sides and moorland all around.

From here you do a big loop, surrounded by the marshes, all the way to *Cley-Next-the-Sea.

*pronounced Clie (or Cl-eye. Like eye ball).

Looking across the brown moorland towards the sea in the distance, near the start of the walk from Blakeney to Cromer.

A grass trail leading ahead, with a river to the left. There is a small boat riding across the river.

You will get a bit of a view to the beach from here. I had a strong look to see if I could see any seals. I had heard that right about here, there were so many baby seals that they had to close the beach off recently.

Looking across the moor to the shingle beach on the other side, when walking from Blakeney to Cromer. There are a group of boats sitting on the shingle.

I didn’t see any.

I managed about a mile before I started to feel my toe again. I cursed myself for not taping it, and hoped for the best. It was also around here that it started to rain. A few hours earlier than expected.

A ridge type trail curving ahead, with grass down the sides leading to the moorland. The village of Cley Next the Sea is ahead in the distance.

A wooden trail sign pointing right and back for the Norfolk Coast Path, on the walk from Blakeney to Cromer. There is a grass bank behind the sign, with a windmill and rooftops of Cley on the other side. — When you turn right here, there are two trails. I took the one up on the ridge.

Once you approach Cley-Next-the-Sea, the signs will direct you into the village, and then you turn left at the road junction.

Steps leading down to the road lined with terraced houses. There is a wooden fence railing on the right side of the steps, and grass bank on the left. There is a wooden trail sign on the grass.

A road curving to the left, lined with stone walled buildings. There are vegetable stalls outside a shop on the right, with two people next to the shop. — Turn left here

Some way along here, there will be a trail to reach the windmill (it’s signposted). I considered taking it, but there wasn’t a coast path sign, so I kept going along the road….Realising soon later that I should have gone that way. That’s the way. It’s just not signposted as the coast path.

Instead I found another trail to get me off the road to rejoin the coast path trail.

A small wooden gate in the middle of a hedge, leading onto a dirt trail through the grass on the other side.

Looking over the hedge to the rooftops of cley and windmill, on the walk from Blakeney to Cromer.

Once you are past the windmill, you should be on a ridge type trail again, which will lead you all the way to Cley beach.

A narrow trail curving ahead, lined with green grass and then tall light brown grass. There is a wooden trail sign on the right.

The shingle

It was raining pretty hard by this point. So once I reach the beach, I headed over to the shelter joining a few birdwatchers. I needed to regroup, and have a snack. Prepare myself for what was to come.

The shingle.

Looking along the undulating shingle beach, with a small hut to the right.

I had heard about the shingle from Cley. I didn’t yet know how far I would have to walk on it (and I’m glad I didn’t). If you don’t want to know, then skip the next section…

I ended up walking on the shingle for about 1.5h.

The birdwatchers asked me where I was heading. I said Cromer. They then asked me if I liked shingle. I said no. They said good luck.

And with that I headed off on the long arduous trek across arguably the worst walking terrain. If you look way into the distance, to that land you can barely see ahead. The shingle goes on until there.

Looking along the long stretch of shingle beach, with two people walking their dogs, and a war bunker to the right.

On a positive note, my toe stopped hurting. The shingle turned out to be good for it.

Reaching hard ground

Near the end of the beach, there will be an option to get onto some solid ground. I immediately took it.

Looking down along the trail on the right side of a large shingle beach, with cliffs ahead in the distance meeting the sea.

After 1.5h of walking on shingle, it was a strange sensation. I became very aware of the weight of my body. The shingle had been absorbing it.

The cliffs and golf course

Next you will have the cliffs to walk across, next to a golf course. It’s also a bit hilly. I chose to walk the Norfolk Coast Path because it wasn’t supposed to be hilly.

A grass trail in a field, leading towards terraced houses ahead on the clifftop.

A wooden acorn signpost sitting in the bush on the right side of a dirt road.

A trail leading along the undulating grassy clifftop, with the rigged cliffs dropping down on the right into the beach, on the walk from Blakeney to Cromer. There are two people walking along the trail. The sea is to the left of the beach below.

A Sheringham Park National Trust sign, with an undulating grass field on the other side. There is a grass trail leading straight across the field, with two people walking along it.

When you go up the hills, make sure to look back for a breathtaking view of where you came from.

Looking down along the trail, and all along the grass clifftop head, with the black shingle beach below the cliffs on the right, on the walk from Blakeney and Cromer. The shingle beach meets the sea on the right.

I saw a lot of smoke. Not your normal smoke. Then I realised it was steam train smoke. I couldn’t see the train though. It was hidden behind the bushes.

Messy grass leading to neatly cut green grass, and smoke billowing up from behind the bushes on the other side.

After some undulations along the cliff top, you will reach the coastguard lookout. Walk straight past it, and you will suddenly be presented with a view of Sheringham.

A trail junction with the coastguard lookout in the corner. There is a wooden bench on the trail. There is a flag flying above the lookout.

I needed a wee at this point. Except I had a problem. There were too many golfers about, and no where to hide without also being in view of the coastguard. I would have to wait until I passed Sheringham. I wasn’t in the mood for looking for a public toilet.

Sheringham

Continue along the coast, and you will be led passed Sheringham on beachside concrete type path.

Looking over the bushes to a type of pond with stone all around it, and a shelter on the left.

A walking path with green grass on the right, and houses on the other side, and the sea below to the left. There are a few benches on the path facing the sea.

A shingle beach, with concrete walls on the right, and the sea to the left. There is a walkway above the wall on the right, with houses ahead.

A concrete walkway, with a row of colourful beach huts on the right, on the walk between Blakeney and Cromer. There are two people walking ahead.

I noticed a few people taking dips in the water and was horrified.

Now, you must look out for a coast path sign along here, which directs you up….

Once I passed the beach huts and was on rocky beach, I realised that this bit of beach is definitely underwater for part of the day. This can’t be the coast path. I took a look at my map and saw that there is indeed a trail along the clifftop. Although, I could have sworn the coast path signs had directed me this way. Obviously not.

Rugged cliffs on the right, with rocks at the bottom, and the sea to the left.

Looking along the beach covered in rocks, with the rugged cliffs rising up on the right, on the walk towards Cromer from Blakeney.

Not wanting to turn back on myself, I decided the beach would do for now. Then I had a moment of panic. Despite walking along the coast for some hours now, I still wasn’t sure which way the tide was going. I didn’t want to risk getting trapped down here, which is a very real possibility if the tide is coming in. I got out my phone to look it up, and tripped over a rock in the process.

Lying on the ground, I quickly looked around to see who might have seen me. Luckily not many people come out in this type of weather, so I was good, and quickly got up to continue one. The tide was also on its way out. I was safe for now.

The long beach walk to Cromer

The rockiness soon gives way for nice firm sand….

Looking along a long stretch of sand beach, with some rocks and wooden poles on the right. There are rugged cliffs to the far right.

Then some horribly uncomfortable rocks to reach a junction.

A very rocky beach, with grass covered cliffs to the right.

Once I reached the road junction, I thought about whether to walk up to join the official coast path, or stay on the beach which continued on for forever ahead. I could see what looked like a pier, way into the misty distance. I figured that must be Cromer (it is).

Looking past the concert walkway to a long stretch of beach scattered with rocks, and rugged cliffs on the right, near the end of the walk from Blakeney to Cromer.

Looking on my map, it seemed the official coast path involves some road walking to reach Cromer. So I decided it was more sensible to stay down here on the beach.

Looking across a large area of neat sand, with a strip of rocks ahead, and rigged cliffs on the other side of the rocks.

If you do take the beach route, then make sure that as you approach Cromer, you are not on the wrong side of this strip of rocks. They become impossible to cross without getting your feet wet. I ended up having to walk back on myself to get across.

A stipe of rocks and water running across the big sandy beach, with rugged cliffs in the distance ahead, near the end of the walk from Blakeney to Cromer.

As I made it into Cromer, I was severely limping. Not my toe. This time is was my right ankle. I wasn’t sure what was wrong yet, but it felt like sever boot rub. But that’s problem for tomorrow…

A concrete walkway lined with colourful beach huts on the right in Cromer, at the end of the walk from Blakeney.

The Cromer pier jutting out into the grey sea.

Read next: Day 4 Cromer to Mundesley