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Cool Place of the Day: Winterton-on-Sea
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Near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29
Mention Norfolk to anyone these days and they will assume you’re talking about its undeniably beautiful yet increasingly well-developed north coast. But the fact is the sandiest beaches in Norfolk face east – and the best of these is without question is the one at Winterton-on-Sea, a few miles north of the somewhat faded resort of Great Yarmouth. This is definitely not Chelsea-tractor territory – which if we’re honest is one of the things we love about it – and the beach itself is particularly glorious: a large sandy strand that’s open to dogs year-round and is backed by a wild expanse of dunes that stretches all the way north to Horsey, famous for its grey seal colony (at its busiest in December/January, when the pups are born and the beach is off-limits).
You’re likely to see seals basking in the waves at Winterton too, and the beach is home to an outpost of the RSPB, which oversees the nesting in summer of one of the country’s biggest populations of Little Terns. There’s a (pay) car park and as with all the best beaches an excellent café (Dunes Café) that is open all year. Plus the village has a good chippy and a great pub, the Fisherman’s Return, which serves food and has a handful of rooms upstairs if you’re really taken with the place. Energetic folk will also want to do the lovely circular walk north through the dunes and then back across fields and woodland to Winterton’s over-sized church – about three hours in all. Otherwise just laze on the beach and frolic in the dunes to your heart's content.
Martin Dunford is Publisher of Cool Places, a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)
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