Parts of the Holkham Estate are set to reopen later this month as lockdown rules ease, but most sites will remain closed.
The main beach car parks at Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea should reopen at the end of May, and Holkham Park potentially in mid to late June.
The estate does not expect its cafés at Beach Road in Wells, the Lookout and at Holkham Hall stables courtyard to reopen before mid to late June, even as takeaway operations.
And Holkham Hall, the walled garden, Holkham Stories Experience, cycle and boat hire, ropes course, the Victoria Inn and Pinewoods Holiday Park won’t reopen before July 4.
The 25,000-acre estate closed its car parks, hall, cafés and shops to follow government guidelines in March.
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An estate spokesman said: “We understand how eager many of you are to visit the beaches again. We ask for your patience to wait a little while longer to allow us to make all necessary preparations for a sensible, gradual and phased approach to reopening.
“There are many aspects to organise to allow us to operate safely at intentionally-reduced levels of activity.
“The team are working to organise risk assessments, personal protective equipment (PPE), staffing plans and briefings, advance ticket purchasing, safe routes, all the signs needed to explain how the new arrangements work for visitors, and the communications needed to deter too many from arriving.
“There are unusually high numbers of breeding birds nesting this year in places which would usually have high footfall – and our team are creating signs for areas to steer clear of when we are back on the beaches and pathways.
“During these final weeks of closure of the car parks, we must stress the importance of not parking cars on Holkham private land, which includes the mile of Beach Road heading out to the beach car park in Wells, as well as all areas within Holkham village and the entrance to Lady Anne’s Drive and around the Victoria Inn. The emergency services have asked us to do all we can to enforce no parking in the areas reserved for the lifeboat and coastguard teams.”
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