• England Guide

  • Introduction to England
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Getting around
  • Entry requirements
  • Money
  • Public holidays

• Explore England

  • Kent and Sussex
  • Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
  • Oxfordshire, the Chilterns and the Cotswolds
  • Bristol, Bath and Somerset
  • Devon and Cornwall
  • East Anglia
  • The West Midlands and the Peak District
  • The East Midlands
  • The Northwest
  • Cumbria and the Lakes
  • Yorkshire
  • The Northeast

• Cities

  • Bath
    
  • Birmingham
    
  • Bradford
    
  • Brighton
    
  • Bristol
    
  • Cambridge
    
  • Canterbury
    
  • Carlisle
    
  • Chester
    
  • Chichester
    
  • Durham
    
  • Ely
    
  • Exeter
    
  • Hereford
    
  • Lancaster
    
  • Leeds
    
  • Lincoln
    
  • Liverpool
    
  • London
    
  • Manchester
    
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
    
  • Norwich
    
  • Nottingham
    
  • Oxford
    
  • Portsmouth
    
  • Salisbury
    
  • Sheffield
    
  • Wells
    
  • Winchester
    
  • York
    

England Guide

East Anglia

Blakeney

Delightful BLAKENEY on the north Norfolk coast was once a busy port exporting fish, corn and salt, and is now a lovely little place of pebble-covered cottages sloping up from a narrow harbour. Crab sandwiches are sold from stalls at the quayside, the meandering high street is flanked by family-run shops, and footpaths stretch out along the sea wall to east and west, allowing long, lingering looks over the salt marshes.

Blakeney harbour is linked to the sea by a narrow channel, which wriggles its way through the salt marshes. The channel is, however, only navigable for a few hours at high tide – at low tide the harbour is no more than a muddy creek (ideal for a bit of quayside crabbing and mud sliding). Depending on the tides, there are boat trips from either Blakeney or Morston quay, a mile or two to the west, to Blakeney Point, a National Nature Reserve famed for its colonies of terns and several hundred common and grey seals. Operators include Beans Boats ( 01263/740 505, www.beansboattrips.co.uk ) and Bishop's Boats ( 01263/740 753, www.norfolksealtrips.co.uk ).

Practicalities

For accommodation, the quayside Blakeney Hotel ( 01263/740 797, www.blakeney-hotel.co.uk ; Price: ₤151-200) is one of the most charming seaside hotels in Norfolk, a rambling building with high-pitched gables and pebble-covered walls. The hotel has a heated indoor swimming pool, a secluded garden, and cosy lounges with exquisite sea views; it also serves outstanding food. Less expensive options include the Manor Hotel ( 01263/740 376, www.blakeneymanor.co.uk ; Price: ₤91-110), which occupies a low-lying courtyard complex just east of the harbour; the King's Arms ( 01263/740 341, www.blakeneykingsarms.co.uk ; Price: ₤61-70), a traditional pub with low, beamed ceilings and seven, modest, modern en-suite bedrooms just back from the quay on Westgate; and the White Horse ( 01263/740 574, www.blakeneywhitehorse.co.uk ; Price: ₤71-90), an old pub in the centre of the village just up from the quay with nine bright and cheerful guest rooms.