The Wells to Holkham Beach Walk
When you go to Wells-Next-The-Sea, One of the best activities at your doorstep are the beautiful walks. In this post, I will run you through a simple but fantastic starter walk which is versatile and absolutely beautiful!
Distance – 10.5km; Time – 2hrs 15mins
The Wells to Holkham is an absolutely beautiful walk.. And it is versatile too!
You start off by walking down through the Main Street past the wonderful independent shops in its pedestrian only street. look out for our blog on our favourite shops to visit!
Once you get to the bottom of the hill, you come out to the Quay.
Cross the road onto the Quay Car Park. From here, make your way towards the Harbour Office, and onto the Norfolk Coast Path. This will take you up to the beach!
Once you get to the end of the Coastal path, you will see the Life Boat Station up infant of you, and to the left, is Wells Beach Car Park (yes you can drive up here… but the walk/train ride is well worth a go!) and the beach cafe! You can read up about the beloved beach cafe in our other posts.
You will also find some public toilets that are free to use, and pretty clean by public toilet standards!
Now at this point you have two options you can take:
- You can walk up towards the life boat station, where you can take a wooden bridge to the left, past the look out station and down to the beach. However DOG OWNERS BEWARE! This area is the only part of the beach where our furry friends are not allowed, so we recommend you don’t take this option..
- Walk down to the end of the carpark, where you will find a large path leading into the woodlands. from there, you can take any of the paths to the right up onto the beach
Once you get to the beach… just head west! take whichever route you like across the sand, and always keep an eye out for the tide. There are some wonderful sand dunes close to the woodlands, and is a great place to stop for a picnic (if weather permits!).
As you continue west, you will start to see that the sand is going further inland.. This is Holkham!
When you make your way in towards Holkham, watch out for the protected spaces.. these spaces are no-walk-no-dog zones set out for wildlife and conservation of protected wildlife species. The areas are clearly cordoned off with information posters, so don’t worry about stumbling onto a protected area, but we would advise that if you have dogs with you, to either pop them on the lead or keep them close as to not upset the wildlife!
Once you get through the sand dunes and into the woodland at Holkham, you will come through to a clearing with “Lady Anne’s Driveway” infant of you, and off to the left, the Lookout. The look out is a beautiful cafe/information centre for the area, and is a great place to stop, refuel and read about the beautiful surroundings.
Handy Tip! The Lookout uses 100% plant-based, compostable packaging for their items, as well as offering a 10% discount on beverages for those who bring their own reusable cups!
Now from here you again have a choice:
You can walk down Lady Anne’s drive to the bottom, where you will find a bus stop (plus the Victoria Inn, which is a MUST TRY on your trip.. read more in our other posts). The Bus can take you back to wells next the sea and is also dog friendly.
Or you can walk along the side of the lookout onto Peddars Way. This path tends to be much quieter than the beach walk and takes you along the edge of the pine woodlands and the salt marsh. It is beautiful, protected from the sea winds, and the path is well maintained for those who struggle with uneven surfaces.
Peddars way will take you back to the Wells Beach carpark.
From here, once again take the coastal path all the way back into Wells-Next-The-Sea!
Handy Tip! There is a path in-between Frenchs Fish and Chips and Wells Deli that takes you up the back way to the cottage. You can also get to two of the main car parks from this path very easily! Just go up the alleyway and keep walking straight up, and you will get to Newgates Lane!
This is a great walk to try as it gives you a bit of everything! walking by the quay, beach walking and woodland walking.. Give it a go, and you won’t be disappointed!