Holkham Bay
Holkham Bay
4.5
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- Terry ALondon, United Kingdom29 contributionsA fantastic scenic walkHolkham bay offers miles of unspoilt beach which is accessed by walking through a small forest. Our trip coincided with storm Barbet so it was hardly sun bathing weather. We walked along the path which leads to Wells Next the Sea (just over 3 miles) which was very pleasant and has a tea room at the end. We walked back along the beach and the diverted off through the forest. It was a great for a short walk with lots of interest scenery. The only downside was the fee for the carpark which cost £6.50 for about four hours which I consider a rip off.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten October 26, 2023
- Lobsterlover99Lincolnshire, United Kingdom1,490 contributionsReally well maintainedCar park here is easy to find. £3.50 for a couple of hours, just don’t mind the parking fee when it’s so well maintained. Short walk through the woods to the beach. Dog had a fabulous time running about with other pups! Great timeVisited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten February 17, 2024
- Debbie NYorkshire, United Kingdom606 contributionsOutstanding Beach For Walking and WildlifeA fabulous place to walk, especially at low tide. We walked from Pinewoods beach car park to The Lookout then back past the nature reserve and into the beach. It’s a very remote and picturesque beach, the tide goes out a long way and comes in quickly. Bird life in this area is exceptional and we saw seals at Wells. Lovely dunes for a picnic, photogenic beach huts. Great car park at Pinewoods with beach cafe.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten February 29, 2024
- Marie NEarl Shilton, United Kingdom326 contributionsBeautiful clean beachFabulous beach with miles of beautiful golden sand. Unfortunately we weren’t very lucky with the weather when we visited, but it meant the beach was very quiet and we walked for around 3 miles and only met other people when returning to the car park. We could hear lots of jets circling overhead, but the cloud base was too low to see any of the action. We’ll definitely return on a sunny day.Visited July 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten July 13, 2024
- Joh51 contributionsLong, wide sandy beach, loved itGorgeous wide and long sandy beach perched in between a forest with lovely walks around the reserve. Flat beach so when we were there at high tide the kids were in up to their knees for a ways out. Tons of places to play and build castles. Lots of families and people walking with dogs. A cafe and toilets available back at the parking lot. There is a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the beach, but for us with a lighter load, it was well worth it. Well taken care of. And two EV charging spots which was nice for a quick top charge up if you can nab one of them. Definitely coming back.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten August 27, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
603 reviews
Excellent
461
Very good
90
Average
28
Poor
13
Terrible
11
bob2512
Huntingdon, UK56 contributions
Jun 2020
Last year, and in previous years, I'm sure I've only had to pay £3 to park for the day when parking on Lady Anne Drive or by the Wells Beach Cafe. Yesterday I visited today to find the price has gone up to £9 a day.
I would normally walk a clockwise route starting at Lady Anne Drive, out to the sea, along the beach as far as the Wells lifeboat station, have a coffee in the cafe, before walking back along the North Norfolk Coast footpath.
Today on exiting the beach at Wells I was chastised for having my dog with me. Apparently I should have turned off the beach and up over some steps a few hundred yards before the lifeboat station. Were there any signs that indicated this? None that myself or other dog walkers could see, particularly as we'd walked along the shore, not across the front of the beach huts.
In an effort to harden the coastal footpath between Wells and Holkham, thousands of tons of hardcore have been laid. This has made for very uncomfortable walking where ankles are turned and the stones hurt the soles of the feet. I was wearing stout boots, how people in lighter footwear get on I do not know. Many walkers have evidently taken to walking either side of the hardcore creating unnecessary verges/paths which are damaging the undergrowth. After about 3/4 of the way back to Holkham I got fed up with the painful path and followed a rough track through the trees and over the dunes back to Holkham Beach. I met others coming through the trees doing likewise, all agreeing that they'd done so because the new path was so uncomfortable.
On the way home I stopped off at Brancaster, Thornham and Holme. Less commercialised, and a lot cheaper to park. The Holkham area has been spoilt through commercialisation and sterilisation, it is no longer 'Natural'. I won't be returning to Holkham/Wells for some time.
I would normally walk a clockwise route starting at Lady Anne Drive, out to the sea, along the beach as far as the Wells lifeboat station, have a coffee in the cafe, before walking back along the North Norfolk Coast footpath.
Today on exiting the beach at Wells I was chastised for having my dog with me. Apparently I should have turned off the beach and up over some steps a few hundred yards before the lifeboat station. Were there any signs that indicated this? None that myself or other dog walkers could see, particularly as we'd walked along the shore, not across the front of the beach huts.
In an effort to harden the coastal footpath between Wells and Holkham, thousands of tons of hardcore have been laid. This has made for very uncomfortable walking where ankles are turned and the stones hurt the soles of the feet. I was wearing stout boots, how people in lighter footwear get on I do not know. Many walkers have evidently taken to walking either side of the hardcore creating unnecessary verges/paths which are damaging the undergrowth. After about 3/4 of the way back to Holkham I got fed up with the painful path and followed a rough track through the trees and over the dunes back to Holkham Beach. I met others coming through the trees doing likewise, all agreeing that they'd done so because the new path was so uncomfortable.
On the way home I stopped off at Brancaster, Thornham and Holme. Less commercialised, and a lot cheaper to park. The Holkham area has been spoilt through commercialisation and sterilisation, it is no longer 'Natural'. I won't be returning to Holkham/Wells for some time.
Written June 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel H
Northampton, UK28 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
The beach is lovely but it’s not easy to social distance getting on to the beach. Our experience today was that people weren’t prepared to try either. Ice cream - money was being taken with same u covered hands dishing out the ice creams . Once on the beach you can social distance.
Written July 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adam S
17 contributions
Oct 2019 • Couples
One of my favourite beaches in the UK to take the dogs to. A huge expanse of sand, shallow slope into the sea, lots of space for everyone, and walking options in the woods behind too. A nice circular walk along the beach and back through the woods, or you can continue on to Wells to get some food, drinks, transport etc.
The large dunes make great spots for a picnic and view. Sometimes you can see seals. If you are looking for a quieter spot, you generally only need to go a few hundred metres from the entrance and the number of people drops loads (and it’s mainly dog walkers too)
A few things worth being aware of:
- Although the car park is quite big, it’s linear so the entrance is quite a long way from the beach
- they have built some toilets and a cafe by the car park, but there are no facilities on the beach itself
-if the tide is in or has recently gone out you might need to walk across some shallow water to get to the front of the beach
The large dunes make great spots for a picnic and view. Sometimes you can see seals. If you are looking for a quieter spot, you generally only need to go a few hundred metres from the entrance and the number of people drops loads (and it’s mainly dog walkers too)
A few things worth being aware of:
- Although the car park is quite big, it’s linear so the entrance is quite a long way from the beach
- they have built some toilets and a cafe by the car park, but there are no facilities on the beach itself
-if the tide is in or has recently gone out you might need to walk across some shallow water to get to the front of the beach
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polartrek
Buckinghamshire, UK339 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
Hiked from Wells next the sea to Holkham bay. Well worth the visit , venturing through pine woodland and clearly marked trails. Resting in the dunes before witnessing the expanse of soft sand at Holkham . Enjoyed by many , in a variety of ways - swimmers, hikers, kite flyers, motorised gang gliders, dog walkers even nudists!
A real halcyon day at Holkham Bay .
A real halcyon day at Holkham Bay .
Written September 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
machinmad
Yaxley, UK2,655 contributions
Jan 2020
We parked down the Queen Anne drive and took the westerly path round the wooded area. The bird hide at the edge of the marshes was full of twitchers. The walk back along the beach gave magnificent views of this expansive run of sand.
The visitors centre is cleverly designed to provide people with shelter while using the restaurant and bird watching, but it blends nicely into the landscape.
Note, parking charges apply all year round.
The visitors centre is cleverly designed to provide people with shelter while using the restaurant and bird watching, but it blends nicely into the landscape.
Note, parking charges apply all year round.
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob H
Kegworth, UK251 contributions
Sept 2020
We did this walk 6 months ago, a week before lockdown. Excellent. We started this time (as last) after parking on Lady Anne's Drive (opposite the North road entrance to Holkham Hall). Take the walk to Holkham beach, then go left. Depending on the tide, you can walk close to the sea's edge, the dunes near the middle of the beach or more inland and better sheltered along the tree line, north of the woods. Eventually, you end up at the Wells end of Holkham Bay and the amazing row of beach huts - well over 150 of them. You can can come back on the coastal path with is south of the tree line.
Written September 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
muggleUk_
UK.120 contributions
Sept 2020
We had a wonderful day at Holkham Beach in early September. It didn’t disappoint, what a stunning location. Vast beach backed by sand dunes and pine trees, space for everyone. We parked on Queen Anne’s drive, and despite being mid week with the schools back was already half full by 10:30am. There weren’t many pay machines so you could have a bit of a trek to find one, but they were east to use and hand sanitiser to use next to each one. £9 for the day or £6.50 for 4 hours. Cards accepted (not contactless). Free toilets at the Lookout cafe (no purchase required) or at Adnams shop across the road from the entrance to Queen Anne’s Drive. We spent a few hours walking and picnicking and our crazy Cocker Spaniel had a fabulous time too. The beach was really clean and never at any point felt crowded. We want to go back but will book a weekend away in the area so we can explore the beach even more.
Written September 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dencroft
Hertfordshire, UK1,796 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We parked the car at Lady Anne’s drive opposite the Victors Inn and Holkham hall. £9 for the whole day.
Fantastic dog friendly beach, nice walk along the beach to the beach huts at Wells where you have to cut up into the pine woods (as beach by life boat station is DOG FREE) towards the car park and beach cafe.
Toilets and water for the dog provided next to the car park.
You can either walk back to the car via the North Norfolk path through the woods or return back to the beach through the pines and down the steps back onto the beach.
Lovely few hours of walking and taking in the beautiful views and see air!
Fantastic dog friendly beach, nice walk along the beach to the beach huts at Wells where you have to cut up into the pine woods (as beach by life boat station is DOG FREE) towards the car park and beach cafe.
Toilets and water for the dog provided next to the car park.
You can either walk back to the car via the North Norfolk path through the woods or return back to the beach through the pines and down the steps back onto the beach.
Lovely few hours of walking and taking in the beautiful views and see air!
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony G
Cricklade, UK843 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Previous reviews have said it all however salient points -
1. Expensive parking with no internet facility to pay.
2. Unless you get to the top of the linear car park there is a good trek to the beach.
3. Wear decent shoes as the area of beach nearest the boardwalk can be muddy and slippery.
4. If the tide is out be aware there are a number of small creeks between you and the sea’s edge.
Some can be stepped across but some need to paddled/waded. They get deep as the tide comes back in.
5. The main beach is vast - don’t forget anything if you’re on the beach for some time as its too far to go back to the car.
Otherwise in good weather the whole area is beautiful and worth a day’s excursion. When less pleasant still worth going even if only for a couple of hours.
1. Expensive parking with no internet facility to pay.
2. Unless you get to the top of the linear car park there is a good trek to the beach.
3. Wear decent shoes as the area of beach nearest the boardwalk can be muddy and slippery.
4. If the tide is out be aware there are a number of small creeks between you and the sea’s edge.
Some can be stepped across but some need to paddled/waded. They get deep as the tide comes back in.
5. The main beach is vast - don’t forget anything if you’re on the beach for some time as its too far to go back to the car.
Otherwise in good weather the whole area is beautiful and worth a day’s excursion. When less pleasant still worth going even if only for a couple of hours.
Written October 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew R
Market Harborough, UK651 contributions
Jun 2021 • Friends
Lovely sandy beach but quite a walk from the car park if you can find a space near the beach. Get there early otherwise expect a long walk. Dogs on lead because of birds nesting on the ground. Dogs allowed off the lead on the actual beach beyond the dunes . Good long walk on the beach to wells, can also go into woods if too warm.
Written June 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does anyone know a good hotel Holkham?
Written June 8, 2021
just a lovely beach about 3 miles long but a jewel of of place to go
Written September 27, 2019
Does anyone know if there are any stables which offer riding on Holkham beach for an experienced rider coming there on holiday in Oct ? .Would love the opportunity to ride there.
Written August 21, 2018
When I was there, there were horses that could be rented out. Two of them at least. It seemed kind of on an ad hoc basis. They were trailered in to the parking area. I don’t know how you actually arrange it, how much it costs, or if they are there everyday or just on summer weekends. Certainly on the beach there were hoof prints. And the two horses I saw looked in good condition, with a Thoroughbred look about them.
Written August 21, 2018
Anyone know what time the Army horses are on Holkham beach?
Thank you
Written July 16, 2018
Their website says that they haven't made a decision on dates this year due to other commitments. Worth keep checking the Household Cavalry website for updates.
Written July 17, 2018
Sorry, just posted a question and autotext changed Holkham to Hologram. My question is about Holkham Beach.
Written June 28, 2018
Hi, I have heard that Hologram Beach is naturist. Is this so and, if so, isn't here a designated area? I would like to visit but do not want to cause embarrassment or offence.
Written June 28, 2018
Holkham *is* naturist... well, a clearly signed part of it is. See my review. Ignore the answers above that suggest otherwise. Have fun.
Written August 8, 2018
Got a trip planned soon to walk up the sand dunes and along the beach. Does anyone know if there is any toilets close by? If so where and how would i find them? Thanks.
Written May 24, 2018
think the nearest ones are at victoria pub
Written May 27, 2018
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