Counties: Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Lincolnshire
The east and southeast coasts of England extend from the Thames estuary, by way of the Wash, to the south side of the River Humber, and have along their length many well-known and popular seaside resorts as well as a number of important ports.
The topographical pattern of this long stretch of coast is very varied - sometimes bounded by easily eroded cliffs, elsewhere fringed by sandy beaches, often by fertile fenland reclaimed from the sea. Many hundreds of miles of embankments and dikes protect this land, much of it lying only just above sea level. This part of the English coast is sinking all the time: over the last 2,000 years it has become lower by something in the order of 39-42ft/12-13m. In spite of the length of the coast there are only a few harbors deep enough to take tankers and other large vessels.
Blakeney Point, a narrow tongue of land covered with tussock grass and sand-dunes, is the nesting-place of countless water birds and a port of call for many migrants. It is now a nature reserve where wildlife and rare plants are protected. Salthouse Broad, to the east, is also a nature reserve. Permission for bird-watching can be obtained on application to Point House, Morston.
Saltmarshes of Blakeney Point.
Address
Blakeney Point Warden 35 The Cornfield Langham Holt NR25 7DQ England
Tips
Wheelchair users should contact the Warden in advance.
Open all year.
Parking
Pay
Facilities
Restaurant or food service
Transit
Bus: Sanders Coaches, First Eastern Coutneis Coastliner from Sheringham station.
Brigg is a fine little market town that hosts a variety of annual events. The centre of town has 150 specialist shops and is popular with shoppers and tourists.
Address
Brigg Tourist Office The Buttercross Market Place Brigg DN20 8ER England
Clacton-on-Sea (pop. 36,500), with a gently sloping beach 7mi/11km long, is particularly suitable for families with children. It has everything hoped for in a modern seaside resort - a pier (built in 1873), a splendid promenade, beautiful parks, a golf course and a wide range of annual entertainment.
Address
Clacton-on-Sea Tourist Office 23 Pier Avenue Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1QD England
Hadleigh (pop. 5,900) in Suffolk was once a noted center for wool. The town has some impressive historic buildings and a variety of specialty shops. The Guildhall in Hadleigh has a lovely walled garden. The Deanery Tower is from the 15th century while St Mary's Church is from the 13th century.
Address
Hadleigh Tourist Office Toppesfield Hall Hadleigh LP7 5DN England
North of the little coastal places of Caister, Winterton and Sea Palling, on the edge of the Norfolk Broads, Happisburgh is a picturesque village with a fine Perpendicular church. At Bacton, 3mi/4.8km northwest, are the ruins of Bromholm Priory (1113). Happisburgh has several notable landmarks for seamen - the tower of St Mary's Church, completed in the 15th century, and the red and white striped lighthouse.
Harwich (pop. including Dovercourt: 14,200) is a busy port which handles a large part of the ferry traffic to and from the Continent. The old town, situated at the mouths of the rivers Orwell and Stour, bears the marks of its long seafaring tradition. Nelson was a frequent visitor to the old Three Cups Inn. The town has many fine Georgian houses, including the red-brick Guildhall (1769).
Address
Harwich Tourist Office Essex County Council Parkeston Quay Harwich CO12 4SP England
Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea (combined pop. 5,500) are less crowded resorts. The poet Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-92) spent his childhood here, when Sutton was a mere village among lonely sand dunes.
Address
Mablethorpe Tourist Office The Dunes Theatre Central Promenade Mablethorpe LN12 1RG England
Melksham (pop. 9,600) is an agricultural town on the River Avon, near Chippenham. The area surrounding Melksham has a number of lovely villages and Melksham Forest.
Address
Melksham Tourist Office Church Street Melksham SN12 6LS England
Great Chalfield Manor is a 15th C moated manor house. It was restored in the 20th C by the Fuller family who live at, and manage the property.
Address
Great Chalfield Manor Melksham SN12 8NJ England
Hours
March 30 to November 2
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
Closed
11:30
11:30
11:30
Closed
Closed
Closed
Close
17:45
17:45
17:45
Cost
Family
16.30
Admission Cost
6.40
Grounds / gardens only around attraction
4.20
Child
3.20
All values are in local currency
Tips
Closed on all public holidays.
Admission by guided tours only, which take a maximum of 25 people and begin at 12:15, 2:15, 3:00, 3:45, 4:30.
No reduction for children or parties.
No toilet facilities.
Mundesley-on-Sea (pop. 1,600) is a small, rather select seaside resort with a beautiful clean beach. Inland lie several villages with interesting churches, including Knapton, Trunch and Paston. Mundesley-on-Sea has a variety of specialty shops and a maritime museum.
Address
Mundesley Tourist Office 2a Station Road Mundesley NR11 8JH England
Together, these two trails are 93 miles / 150 kilometers long. Peddars Way begins at the Suffolk border, along the north west Norfolk ridge, passing through woods and farmland before reaching the coast at Holme-next-the-Sea. The trail is continued by the Norfolk Coast Path, following marches, beaches, cliffs and numerous villages in North Norfolk, and finally ending in Cromer.
Address
Peddars Way Association 150 Armes Street Norwich NR2 4EG England
There is an interesting walk to Reculver, site of Regulbium, a Roman fort of the third century. It once protected the wide and important (because navigable) Wantsum channel which, joining up with the River Stour, separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland. Nearby there are also twin towers dating back to the 12th C.
With its charming old cottages, Southwold (pop. 2,230), situated on a hill overlooking the sea, surrounded by extensive areas of green, is a typical old-world English town. The church is a fine example of the flint and stone masonry frequently found in Suffolk. The town is a popular holiday resort with a working lighthouse, award-winning pier, cliff-top cannon and busy beach.
Address
Southwold Tourist Office Town Hall Market Place Southwold IP18 6EF England
Thornton Abbey in Thornton Curtis is an English Heritage property. The site includes the ruins of an Augustinian priory from the 12th century, with a magnificent brick gatehouse standing three stories high.
Address
Thornton Abbey Thornton Curtis England
Hours
March 21 to June 30
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
Closed
Closed
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
Close
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
July 1 to August 31
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
Close
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
September 1 to September 30
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
Closed
Closed
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
Close
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
October 1 to March 31
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed
10:00
10:00
10:00
Close
16:00
16:00
16:00
Cost
Adult
4.00
Concession or reduced rate
3.20
Child
3.00
All values are in local currency
Tips
Gatehouse open first and third Sundays of each month April through September, and third Sunday of the month October through March. Abbey grounds open any reasonable time.
Tilbury Fort is an English Heritage property in Tilbury. It was built by Henry VIII in 1539 and it was here that Elizabeth I made her famous speech in anticipation on the Armada in 1588. She said 'I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too.' The present structure was built for Charles II between 1670 and 1683.
Address
Tilbury Fort Fort Road Tilbury RM18 7NR England
Hours
April 1 to October 31
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
Close
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
17:00
November 1 to March 20
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Open
10:00
Closed
Closed
10:00
10:00
10:00
10:00
Close
16:00
16:00
16:00
16:00
16:00
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1) Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24) Christmas - Christian (December 25) Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
Cost
Family
9.30
Adult
3.70
Concession or reduced rate
3.00
Child
1.90
Child 4 & under
FREE
All values are in local currency
Tips
Extra cost to fire anti-aircraft gun.
15% discount for groups of 11 or more.
This 56-mile / 90-kilometer trail links the Norfolk Coast Path at Cromer with Great Yarmouth, passing through the Norfolk Broads as well as through a number of towns and villages, including Felbrigg, Blickling, Aylsham, and Stalham.
Wells-Next-the-Sea (pop. 2,400) is a nice little port town with its long sweeping beach, gentle harbour, Georgian houses, and specialty shops on Staithe Street. Wells-Next-the-Sea provides sightseeing, birdwatching, and countryside walking opportunities.
Address
Wells-next-the-Sea Tourist Office Staithe Street Wells-next-the-Sea NR23 1AN England
Whitstable (pop. 26,200) is known to gourmets the world over on account of its excellent oysters. There is evidence of the existence of oyster-beds here for at least 2,000 years. The town is popular with tourists and hosts an annual Oyster Festival in July. The Whitstable to Canterbury railroad line, built by George Stephenson in 1830, was the first passenger line in the world. The town has some attractive old houses, a shingle beach and a small yacht harbor.
Fishing boat at Whitstable.
Boats docked at Whitstable.
Address
Whitstable Tourist Office 7 Oxford Street Whitstable CT5 1DB England
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Sheringham Hall
