Wells-next-the-Sea

For many, the very centre of this incredibly beautiful region, just a short picturesque hop to the likes of Walsingham, Sandringham, Thursford and Holkham, all extraordinary places to visit... if you manage to spare the time that is from the most incredible local walks, taking you across field, marsh and sand... through ancient villages... with some truly great Houses of refreshment en route...such a pleasure.

Holkham

( 1 mile from Wells -next-the-Sea) has been the home of the Earls of Leicester for nearly 400 years. Situated in a Deer park, this palladian style mansion is a living treaure of artistic and architectural history. See the stunning grandeur of the marble hall, the magnificence of the state rooms and the sheer size of the old kitchens.

Holkham Beach is one of the most unspoilt and beautiful stretches of sand in the country. Gwyneth Paltrow walked across it at low tide in the closing scenes of the film Shakespeare in Love.

Attractions include:

The Hall

Bygones Museum

The Deer Park

Nature Trail and Walks in the Park

The Lake

The Pottery Yard and Shop

Stables Cafe

Holkham Village

The Victoria Hotel

Gift Shops and Adnams Wine Cellar

Holkham Beach

The Thursford Collection

Thursford museum in the tranquil setting of a small Norfolk village 20 minutes from Wells next the Sea, takes you back to a traditional old-fashioned fairground where majestic engines sit next to carousel rides..

The collection of mechanical organs, from the smaller street organ to the enormous dance organs and fairground organs all play jaunty tunes to both entertain and demonstrate the different styles and sounds of each one.

The daily musical shows with Robert Wolfe at the Wurlitzer Cinema organ not only brings you music from today but also takes you back to the days of the silent movie using today's technology.

Traditional Norfolk farm buildings have been transformed into Dickensian style gift shops, ice cream parlour, coffee-tea shop and our famous Christmas gift shop.

November and December sees the transformation of the exhibition hall into a theatre to house the largest Christmas Spectacular Show in England.

Sandringham

Sandringham, half an hours drive from Wells-next-the-Sea, is the much-loved country retreat of Her Majesty the Queen, and has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs.  The house is perhaps the most famous stately home in Norfolk - and certainly one of the most beautiful.  Set in the 60-acre gardens which have been called "the finest of the Royal gardens", with a fascinating museum of Royal vehicles and mementoes, the principal ground floor apartments with their collections of porcelain, jade, furniture and family portraits are open to the public from Easter to October.

Poppy Line

The North Norfolk Railway9 20 mins from Wells-next-the-Sea) offers a 10.5 mile round trip by steam train (vintage diesel trains on some journeys) through a delightful area of North Norfolk designated as being of outstanding natural beauty. (Sheringham- Weybourne- Holt)

To the south are wooded hills and the Norfolk beauty spots of Kelling Heath and Sheringham Park. To the north, the sea. All within easy walking distance from the various stations.

Walsingham (3 miles from Wells-next-the-Sea)

Walsingham,( Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady) has been a place of pilgrimage since medieval times, when travel to Rome and Compostella was virtually impossible. The original Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, founded in 1061, was destroyed at the Reformation.

Many barren years passed until the Slipper Chapel, a 14th century wayside pilgrim chapel, was restored and pilgrimage to Walsingham began once more.

 

In 1934, the English Bishops named the Slipper Chapel the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady.

Many thousands of people have visited the Shrine - some come out of a spiritual need for the atmosphere of peace that seems to emanate from the Chapels, some for aesthetic reasons, whilst others merely stumble across it, nestled away in this secluded Norfolk valley.

Felbrigg Hall( National Trust)

One of the finest 17th-century country houses in East Anglia, just 35 minutes from Wells-next-the-Sea.

  • Remarkable Stuart architecture and fine Georgian interior
  • Prolific library and Grand Tour collection
  • Stunning walled garden, orangery and orchards
  • Many lakeside, parkland and woodland trails to explore

Blakeney National Nature Reserve (National Trust)

One of the largest expanses of undeveloped coastal habitats of its type in Europe

  • Dynamic undeveloped coastal habitat
  • Long sand and shingle spit, fine sea views and wide open skies
  • Significant breeding area for tern colonies
  • Important haul-out site for Common and Grey seals

Brancaster (National Trust)

Large area of coastal habitat, particularly noted for birdlife


  • Extensive area of saltmarsh, intertidal mud and sandflats
  • Site of the Roman fort of Branodunum and Scolt Head Island
  • Activity centre offering residential and day courses for adults and children

Blickling Hall ( National Trust)

Magnificent Jacobean house with garden and park

  • Famed for its long gallery, fine tapestries, paintings and rare books
  • Parkland and lakeside walks, with a sunken garden to discover
  • Excellent wedding and conference venue
  • Reputedly home to the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second queen


Sheringham Park ( National Trust)

Landscape park and woodland garden
  • One of the finest examples of Humphry Repton's garden design
  • Fabulous displays of rhododendrons and azaleas
  • Mature woodlands, with rare trees and shrubs
  • Gazebos and viewing towers with fantastic coastal vistas
  • Miles of scenic countryside paths

Titchwell

RSPB Nature Reserve

Peddars Way & The Norfolk Coast Path

The coast path runs between Hunstanton and Cromer passing through Wells-next-the-Sea.

Seal trips

From Blakeney and Morston ( a 10 minute drive from Wells-next-the-Sea)

 

Holt( 10 miles Wells-next-the-Sea)

Popular Georgian town with an interesting range of independent shops.