North Norfolk

Where to stay

Blowout
Windmills are emblems of North Norfolk's coast, so what could be more romantic than staying in one of these sail-topped beauties? Cley Windmill's rooms have names that hint at their original functions, but the ones to go for (Stone Room and Wheel Room) are in the tower itself. Doubles from £189, B&B. 

Boutique
No less special is The Victoria Inn, a former hunting lodge on the Holkham Estate. Set at the top of Lady Anne's Drive, a mile from Holkham Beach, this lovely place has 10 good-sized rooms spread across two buildings and a restaurant that celebrates estate-grown ingredients. Doubles from £150, B&B.

Budget
Cute and comfortable, 8-room The Quay is a great value option in Wells-next-the-Sea. A guest kitchen gives the option of self-catering if required, and the rooms (all individually styled) are delightful. For greater dimensions and character, Room 3 and Room 8 are the ones to request. Doubles from £100, B&B.

Don't miss

Shifting sands
Arguably North Norfolk's most visited attraction, Holkham Beach's glorious, sandy swathe stretches as far as the eye can see. Backed by a dynamic dune ecosystem and a 200-year-old plantation of pines, it's great for invigorating walks and spotting interesting wildlife such as orchids and nesting shorebirds in spring, or snow buntings in winter. 

To the manor born
Holkham Hall, set amid landscaped parkland at the heart of a 25,000 acre estate, is one of Britain's finest examples of neo-Palladian architecture. Pop into the visitor centre to uncover the estate's history, then hit the main house to ogle its alabaster-lined Marble Hall and artworks by Gainsborough, Reubens and van Dyck.  

Go wild
A  string of nature reserves protects North Norfolk's characteristic wild spaces. Cley Marshes and Blakeney National Nature Reserve are important habitats, but the best of the bunch is surely Holkham National Nature Reserve. Walk down Lady Anne's Drive for close encounters with wintering wildfowl or visit the hides to see spoonbills nesting in summer.

Seal of approval
There's no need to schlep to the Serengeti to see large mammals up close. Beans Boats operates seal-spotting trips to Blakeney Point, which has breeding common seals in summer and England's largest grey seal colony in winter. Seeing them from the sea presents minimal disturbance, resulting in some insanely good views. 

Peddle power
You can cover a lot more ground on two wheels than you can on your own two feet. Keep things simple by exploring the paths within Holkham Estate via its on-site cycle hire, or pick up a bike from Huff and Puff Cycles to explore country lanes or woodland trails.

Puffing Billy 
Although the coast lost its rail service in 1959, some sections survive as heritage railways plied by original steam trains. The North Norfolk Railway operates between Sheringham and Holt, pulling in at historic stations en route. Ride it, or visit the viewpoint in Sheringham Park to see the trains puff past Weybourne windmill. 

Cultural fix

As well as housing a fun exhibition on how smuggling, shipbuilding trading and fishing have shaped today's Wells-next-the-Sea, Wells Maltings is a cultural centre and arts hub housed in a historic, flint building. A vibrant schedule of film and theatre spans monologues, movies and music recitals, plus pantomime screenings at Christmas

Bottoms up

For the best cup of coffee on the coast, seek out tiny Stiffkey Stores. This cute village shop sells quality groceries as well as cards, books and gifts with a strong focus on design. Pimp out your caffeine kick with the likes of home-made banana bread or peanut butter blondies. 

Almost every village on this stretch of coast has at least one pub that's worth visiting.  The White Horse at Blakeney stands out for its full showing from Adnams, the biggest name in brewing in East Anglia. Sip yours at the cosy bar, in the airy conservatory or outside in the courtyard. 

More characterful still is The Globe in Wells-next-the-Sea. Set back from the seafront on a Georgian square, it has lagers and ales on tap from mainstream brands as well as more local breweries in Norfolk and Suffolk, plus a good selection of flavoured gins from Bullards Spirits distillery in Norwich. 

The vibe gets even more artisan at The Jolly Sailors in Brancaster, where the smart choice is any of the ales produced at the pub's own microbrewery (which itself uses barley grown just down the coast). Even the soft drinks are from local company Norfolk Cordial, and the seafood on the menu couldn't be fresher. 

Feed me

With Cromer crab and Brancaster oysters among its choicer products, North Norfolk is synonymous with seafood. Get your fix at Wells Crab House in Wells-next-the-Sea, where the seafood platters are a particular treat. Alternatively, upgrade to The White Horse in Brancaster Staithe. Renowned for its fishy fine-dining, the large conservatory restaurant and terrace overlook the tidal marshes where oysters, mussels, crabs and lobsters are harvested. Keeping to the local theme are salmon, kippers and cod sourced from the smokehouse all the way down at the bottom of the garden.

Seafood also features at No. TWENTY9 in Burnham Market, though meat dishes - cooked on the show kitchen's asado grill - are the real stars of the show. Locally-reared beef and venison are among the menu highlights, as are exceptional Sunday roasts. There's a decent drinks list too, including a good selection of wines and rums, plus cocktails using the restaurant's own-infused gin. 

Even lunches on the go come with considerable flair. Picnic Fayre, the village shop in Cley-next-the-Sea, is brilliant for its pies, deli counter, filled rolls and generous slices of cake: the perfect takeaway feast for eating on the sea wall or beach. The choice at Blakeney Delicatessen is equally delicious. 

LGBT+

There's no need to dwell on the nature of the "inappropriate behaviour" that saw naked bathing banned on Holkham Beach in 2013. Since then, the rules have been relaxed and naturism has returned to the western end of the beach (though it's discouraged in the sand dunes: we all know what goes on there).

Best foot forward

Starting at the crossroads in Holkham village, head towards the coast along the paved track, Lady Anne's Drive. The grazing marsh along both sides attracts wild birds, and the standing water brings them into close proximity. Look for lapwings in spring and flocks of wigeon and Brent geese in winter, often as unperturbed by people as if this were a city park. 

The paved road ends at The Lookout, a café with displays about the reserve's varied wildlife. From here, take the boardwalk dead ahead that leads to the beach, then veer right beside the dunes to the shore. At low tide, the vast expanse of sand is rippled by the receding sea and littered with the shells of razor clams. A two-mile slog will bring you to the colourful huts on Wells Beach, then it's another mile or so along the elevated sea wall to Wells-next-the-Sea for the bus ride back to Holkham.

Take me home

Staithe Street in Wells-next-the-Sea has a scattering of decent shops (notably Nomad & The Bowerbird and its sister store, Bringing the Outside In) for home décor, unusual gifts and capsule fashion collections. Burnham Market has a couple of posh chains (think Joules and Jack Wills) as well as some quality independents including Gun Hill for clothes, Norfolk Living for homewares and charming Brazen Head Bookshop.

If you've got time to kill before catching the train at Sheringham, pop down the high street to pick up some locally-roasted beans from Grey Seal Coffee (their signature Two Bean Espresso is worth the detour).