The North Norfolk Coastal Walk
at Holkham Bay

The North Norfolk Coastal Walk connects Hunstanton to Sea Palling, having been extended in December 2014 from its former end point in Cromer.  The section close to Holkam Bay meanders through groves of various types of pine and evergreen, with glimpses of contour-hugging farm buildings, freshwater ponds. It is a small cameo of an effective symbiosis of man and the elements.

There are many circular or shorter walks than the whole 19 hour stretch of about 92km or 57 ¼ miles, and according to all the guide booklets, the views are varied depending whether you walk the beach, the marshlands, or the cliff tops.

The Holkham Bay section of the North Norfolk Footpath and its tree groves

It was on one shorter trail that I ventured on a blustery November day, heading for Holkham Bay, long reported as the best beach in England.

The area where I was exploring is a part of the Holkham Estate, of which 145 hectares (360 acres) of the total 827 hectares (2,044 acres) of woodland  is within the Holkham National Nature Reserve (NNR).

The woodlands are carefully managed by a team of foresters employed by the estate and the varieties of trees include native oak pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) beach (Fagus sylvatica)and ash (Fraxinus excelsior).

Ancient trees divided the trail of the Coastal Walk offering a variety of stunning habitats in the various salt marches it passes. These were formed in the shelter of tides when sea sediment built up over many years and are a a welcome first landing point for the migratory winter visiting birds.

There are non-native exotic species to be found as well:  Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa, and sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus with its stunning autumn red leaves.

I was delighted with the way the colours of this Acer brightened the landscape.

Apparently,  the Estate provides branches of the rare Holm Oak Quercus ilex for the giraffe at London Zoo. 

Giraffe prefer acacia leaves but they forage on a variety of species and I imagine the London Zoo giraffe find the Ilex to be a welcome bit of variety.

Giraffe require a low-starch, low-sugar, complex fibre diet and the right mix is a challenge for all those caring for them out of the wild. Strange to have a variation provided from a wild coast thousands of miles from their native habitat, and for that we thank early explorers and botanists who brought them to England.

Along the trail where I walked, the vegetation was constantly changing.  

Puddles and fungi

The breaks of open trail give a preview of the open skies you are approaching when you get to the beach itself – and for me, who has the habit of looking up, down, and around – the autumn puddles were small moving kaleidoscopes of forest greenery.

In the undergrowth there are mushrooms.

According to The Woodland Trust, there are records of more than 15,000 fungi species in Britain – and of these, about 3,500 are found in Norfolk.

The woods along the Coastal Walk are an ideal place for their growth – but the usual cautions apply: edible and poisonous fungi can be easily mistaken.

If you want to explore the fungi of Norfolk there are organised Fungi Forays organised throughout the year. Here is the link to the Fungo Forays.

The Trust even produces a swatch book of the mushrooms along the pathway. You can download the Fungi Swatch Book here.

Farm buildings and chimney curiosities

The Coastal Path gives glimpses into the agricultural activities of the region.

These farm building hug the terrain as if intent upon avoiding the fate of the shifting dunes.

Within the Holkham Estate of approx. 6,100 hectares (15.073 acres) there are 22 tenanted farms – and the additional 1,850 hectares (4,571 acres) are farmed by the estate itself through the Holkham Farming Company.



Along the trail where I walked there was a rather extensive slate roofed farmhouse with Tudor-style elaborate chimneys.

It piqued my interest as to the chimney origins and I discovered that the bricks used were probably initially designed for the building of a new mansion at Costessey Hall, just west of Norwich. Sadly, it was eventually demolished after falling into decay over several generations.

The costs of the new build of Costessey Hall proved prohibitive and the demise of the project impacted the specialty brickworks of the Gunton Brothers who had developed a thriving Norwich brickworks.

Photo of Costessey Hall courtesy of Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Costessey_Hall.jpg

My research into these chimney designs brought me information I hadn’t previously known.

I was aware that there had been a window tax in Britain introduced in 1696 by King William II to impose a tax relative to wealth without actually making it an Income Tax. Buildings were taxed at variable rates depending upon the number of windows above 10 – and at a flat rate of two shillings per house. The tax lasted 155 years and is why many heritage buildings to this day have windows bricked up.

However, I was unaware of the later Brick Tax introduced in the reign of King George III in 1784, to recover from the cost of the American War of Independence. Bricks were taxed at 2 shillings and 6 pence per thousand.  

The oversized Tudor-style Costesseyware bricks had incurred an even higher tax, and with repeal of the tax in 1850 the specialty bricks of the Gunton Brickyard in Norwich became more widely sought after.

These certainly seem to be of the same style.

Duneside pine groves

I realised that I was getting close to the shore when I emerged onto this fragrant pine grove.

Three pine varieties were planted by the 2nd Earl of Leicester, specifically to protect the dunes from further erosion: Corsican (grey trunk, small cones), Scots (orange upper trunk), and maritime (large cones in tree-top clusters).

Coastal boardwalks protecting habitat

You can see how the roots of the plantation pines have extended along the sandy banks.

I emerged onto the beginnings of the boardwalk sections that have been constructed all along the coastline to protect the fragile habitat.

The boardwalks announced that I was close to Holkham Beach and a coast I had heard so much about, but never before seen.

The boardwalks are extensive and there is a great guide that shows access and where the bird hide near Holkham Beach can be found.

Here it is:
Norfolk Coast Area of Natural Beauty Boardwalk Guide

And finally...we arrive at the beach that may seem familiar if we remember when Gwyneth Paltrow was apparently landed in Virginia in the final scenes of ‘Shakespeare in Love’.

I had been told you can actually see the curvature of the earth from this beach.

It's true - and wonderful to see - but can we see the Netherlands, Norway, or Denmark? They are next landfall depending upon your direction.

The Household Cavalry at Holkham Bay

Female Household Cavalry Officer

We are most familiar with the Household Cavalry through the pagentry which marks state occasions in Britain, but even horses need a holiday, and the beautiful horses of the Household Cavalry spend their vacations here at Holkham beach. 

Thanks to Sergeant Rob Kane © Crown copyright (2023) for the photo above and to

Cpl Danny Houghton RLC) © Crown copyright (2021) for the photo below

Household Cavalry at Holkham Beach

At low tide the beach is around 500m (0.3mi) wide, so lots of room to gallop on the sands,  and to swim in the sea.

Marcus Aurelius said:

Just as the sand-dunes,

heaped one upon another,

hide each the first,

so in life the former deeds

are quickly hidden by those that follow after.

Walking the coastal path and emerging onto the north Norfolk coast at Holkham Bay, I was reminded that places like this cleanse our soul and set us again on our path refreshed.