Oh we do love to be beside the seaside – especially at Cromer on the north Norfolk coast.
This traditional seaside resort became fashionable during Victorian times and its appeal as a holiday destination endures today.
It’s got glorious sandy beaches, a photogenic pier, boasts a world-famous delicacy, it’s one of Norfolk’s best surf spots, it’s steeped in history and it’s a great base for walking holidays to enjoy the area’s spectacular scenery.
Where to stay
Nestled in four acres of gardens about 10 minutes’ walk from Cromer town centre and in easy reach of the beach, The Grove offers a range of accommodation from its Georgian guest house, to holiday cottages to glamping.
The six homely cottages sleep between two and six people and five of them are dog friendly too.
Guests can take full advantage of the Grove’s facilities, which include an indoor heated pool, and there’s a lovely woodland walk down to the beach.
If it’s a push the boat out occasion, then book the guest house’s Number 11 Suite.
Spread across most of the top floor of the west wing, it has a large bedroom with a superking bed for sweet dreams, a dressing room and bathroom with added extras like a smart TV and coffee machine.
The award-winning Orchard Rooms are five easily accessible ground floor bedrooms in a quiet corner of the garden.
Fancy getting back to nature? In 2015, the Grove launched its glamping site and offers a range of Mongolian Yurts which sleep from four to eight people.
Taking camping to the next level, they come equipped with all the creature comforts you could ask for – including proper mattresses and duvets, electricity, wood burning stove and an undercover cooking and eating area with gas hobs, a fridge and charcoal barbecue.
New for this year is The Grove’s luxury Shepherd’s Lodge.
And when they say luxury they mean it – how does underfloor heating and your own hot tub sound?
As for the food, you’re also spoiled for choice.
The Grove Restaurant has won a host of accolades, including two AA Rosettes.
There is also a seasonal restaurant, Sundown, in a giant tipi which serves up Norfolk tapas, pizza, seafood and ice cream.
What to do
A peerless pier
Stretching out into the North Sea, Cromer’s Victorian pier is one of Norfolk’s most famous and photographed landmarks.
It is home to the Pavilion Theatre, which presents the only full season end of the pier show in the world.
A variety show in its truest sense, the fun family show is a lively mixture of comedy, magic, song and dance – with plenty of glitz for good measure.
And the Cromer Pier Christmas Show, which runs for a month during November and December, is guaranteed to fill the audience with festive cheer.
Crabbing
Cromer Pier is also a hugely popular spot for crabbing – or gillying as it’s called in the vernacular.
The World Pier Crabbing Championships has traditionally been held there over the August bank holiday weekend.
If you fancy having a go at catching your own, you’ll find all the tackle you need for sale in the local gift shops.
The beauty of it is that you don’t need much gear at all – just a string or line, a weight, bait and a bucket. A bit of patience is handy too.
Make sure that your bucket is weighted down with stones and filled with sea water to keep your crabs in – there will need to be enough room for them to move about.
The weight needs to be fixed at the bottom of the line and the bait – bacon or mackerel are typical choices – needs to be tied a bit higher up.
Then it’s a case of lowering the line into the water and waiting until you feel a bite.
Be careful when you bring up the line and make sure that you hold the crab from the back to avoid its claws!
When you release the crabs back into the sea, take them down to the edge of the water and carefully tip the bucket on to its side and let the crabs scuttle out.
Surf’s up
Think of surf hotspots and Cornwall with most likely spring to mind.
But Cromer is one of the best places in East Anglia to catch a wave.
The reason for that is because it’s north facing and has sandbanks near the pier, which creates good waves – or ‘swirl’.
Glide Surf School, on the promenade, was founded by Ben Kewell, who was keen to help people discover the benefits that the outdoor lifestyle can have for physical and mental wellbeing.
Here from March to Christmas you can learn all the basics you need to enjoy the sea safely, and equipment is available to hire too.
No waves? No problem. Paddleboarding lessons and equipment are available too.
A history lesson
Immerse yourself in Cromer’s fascinating maritime history at the town’s museums.
Cromer Lifeboat Station, at the very end of the pier, is open to the public.
And on the seafront, the Henry Blogg Museum pays tribute to a local hero and the most decorated person in RNLI history.
During his 38 years as Cromer Lifeboat coxswain, Henry Blogg carried out 387 rescues and helped to save 873 lives.
His honours include three Gold and four Silver Medals from the RNLI, the George Cross and a British Empire Medal.
At Cromer Museum you can marvel at the amazing collection of fossils, which were all found in Norfolk, step inside a Victorian fisherman’s cottage and discover the work of pioneering Norfolk portrait photographer Olive Edis in two galleries dedicated to her.
Edis was one of the most important photographers of the early 20th century, photographing everyone from members of the upper echelons of society to north Norfolk fishermen and their families.
She pioneered new photographic techniques, including colour photography, and was the first British woman to be appointed as an official war photographer.
Cromer Museum’s exhibition, Fishermen and Kings, is the largest collection of her work in the world.
Search for Banksy
Last summer legendary street artist Banksy stopped off at Cromer as part of his Great British Spraycation along the east coast.
In his inimitable style, the mural shines a light on housing issues in second home hotspots, depicting a group of hermit crabs holding up a sign which reads ‘luxury rentals only.’
It will eventually be washed away by the tides, but North Norfolk District Council has applied a weatherproof coating so that it lasts as long as possible.
To find it, head east along the seafront, past the beach huts and down the ramp – then turn round and you’ll see it on the sea wall in front of you.
Goat spotting
No we’re not kidding.
During the summer months you’ll spot a herd of Bagot goats grazing on Cromer’s vertiginous cliffs.
They’re actually carrying out an important habitat management role, keeping the vegetation on the slopes under control.
Their seaside summer job lasts for four months, and for the rest of the year they put their landscaping skills to use in other parts of north Norfolk.
Where to eat
Fish and chips
No visit to Cromer would be complete without fish and chips. You can eat in or take away from both Mary Jane’s and acclaimed chef Galton Blackiston’s No 1 – the latter of which has spectacular sea views.
We love bagsying ourselves one of the shelters on the pier, enjoying the scenery and filling our bellies.
Crab
And, of course, you must try the delicacy which really put Cromer on the map – its crabs.
The reason that crab is particularly flavoursome in this part of the world is because they feed off a huge chalk reef a few metres from the shore.
Crabbing season is from March to October – pick up a dressed crab from the fishmongers to enjoy at home or you’ll find crab salad and sandwiches on the menu at many cafes and tea rooms.
A few miles along the coast at West Runton, Rocky Bottoms showcases the best local seafood in laid back surroundings and it’s well loved by foodies.
Book yourself a table when they open for the season in March.
In the area
Go fossil hunting at West Runton
The stretch of coastline from Weybourne to Cart Gap is known as the Deep History Coast, with numerous fascinating finds giving a glimpse into what life was like hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Happisburgh was the site of the discovery of a 500,000 years old flint hand axe. And at West Runton, between Cromer and Sheringham, the UK’s largest mammoth skeleton remains were found.
West Runton’s rockpools and the shingly beach, which are revealed at low tide, are a rich hunting ground for searching for fossils – look out for amber and even mammoth teeth.
Homes and gardens
Cromer is within easy distance of two of Norfolk’s grandest halls – Felbrigg and Blickling.
Both in the care of the National Trust, their gardens are a must-see for anyone with green fingers and both have large expanses of park and woodland to explore.
Building work on Felbrigg Hall started in Tudor times and continued over the centuries.
The last squire of Felbrigg, Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer inherited the hall in 1933 and it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1969.
The Blickling estate is famed as the birthplace of Anne Boleyn and has a rich history – it is mentioned in the Domesday Book and during the Second World War it housed aircrew from RAF Oulton.
Step out
Cromer makes the perfect base to explore both coast and countryside on foot.
It’s on the Norfolk Coast Path National Trail, which runs for 63 miles from Hunstanton in the west to Sea Palling in the east – lace up your hiking boots to enjoy spectacular views of the windswept salt marshes, endless beaches and those famous big Norfolk skies.
The 22-mile Paston Way towards North Walsham is a great way to enjoy north Norfolk’s medieval churches.
And the Weavers’ Way, named after North Walsham’s long association with cloth making, runs for 61 miles between Cromer and Great Yarmouth.
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