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Cromer Beach

Cromer beach and pier are part of the quintessentially Victorian seaside resort of Cromer, on the popular North Norfolk coast. 

And with so many attractions, it’s no surprise that this Norfolk coastal town is the first choice of holiday destination for many families, and Cromer beach is definitely one of the main reasons why this Norfolk town gets picked for holidays time and time again.

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And you can find details of the best car parks for Cromer beach here.

Cromer Beach

Just along the road from Sheringham and West Runton, and just around the corner from Overstrand, Cromer beach, just like many other Norfolk beaches, has so much to offer, from the little fun fair on the promenade to a museum on the beach front, to the wonderful iconic Pier with its Pavilion Theatre and lifeboat station at the end.  Never a dull moment.

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Time seems to stand still in Cromer.  Even though it’s very popular in the summer, you still get huge pleasure from this lovely and very unspoilt beach.  It manages to keep its original charm, and continues to feel like an old seaside resort, a real lure to those wanting something a little bit special.  Hunstanton beach is the other Norfolk beach that has attractions right on the seafront.

But if you do feel like something a bit quieter, you can easily pop along to the adjacent beach of Overstrand, a short drive away.  This is a lovely long stretch of beach without any attractions at all.

Cromer beach amusements
Cromer beach RNLI museum and cafe

Cromer Tides

When the tide is out at Cromer beach, you’re left with amazing stretches of beautiful sand, plenty of room to play, walk and build sandcastles.  The beach is patrolled by lifeguards in the summer months, so it’s a nice safe Norfolk beach for families.   You can actually walk for a long way on this beach, going east or west. 

If you want to get away from the crowds, all you have to do is simply walk east or west away from the Pier, and  enjoy the open beaches to yourself.

If you go east, you can take the path from the gangway which leads through Happy Valley and up to Cromer Lighthouse or continue along the beach until you reach the steep steps up through the cliffs which also take you up to the Lighthouse.

 If you go west, you can walk all the way to East Runton beach.

There are, as usual, dog restrictions in the summer months which you can find out more about on the dog friendly beaches page here.

Cromer beach is one of the few Blue Flag beaches along the Norfolk Coast, along with Sheringham beachSea PallingHunstanton and Mundesley, so they should be beautifully clean and well maintained.  You can read about the Norfolk Blue Flag beaches and what it means here.

Cromer beach towards East Runton

When the tide is high,  the beach becomes shingle and pebbles, quite similar to Sheringham, but there is so much to see and do around Cromer that it never seems to matter at what stage the tide is at!

The walk down to reach the promenade and beach is quite steep.  There is a tarmac incline or steps, so if you're not terribly fit, you may struggle a little.  There is, however, some disabled parking for blue badge holders on the promenade.

Dogs on Cromer Beach

As with many of the popular beaches, Cromer beach has summer restrictions which go from May to September every year.   There are, however, quite a few Norfolk dog friendly beaches during the summer months, but it's usually the less crowded ones.

Cromer Lifeguards

The Lifeguard station on Cromer beach

As already mentioned, Cromer beach has Blue Flag status which means that the water is of good quality and the beaches are safe.  Therefore, the beach is patrolled by lifeguards during the summer months, which is great for you, particularly if you have children. 

Cromer Beach Huts To Rent

Cromer beach has quite a few beach huts (and chalets) along the promenade on the east side of the beach.  Some are municipal concrete ones whilst others are traditionally wooden.

Renting one of these beach huts makes your holiday a whole lot easier!  The North Norfolk District Council offer weekly rentals for their beach huts, details of which you can find here.

Cromer Beach Attractions

If you don’t actually want to go onto the beach, there’s still plenty for you to do.

You can enjoy a walk along the bustling promenade which is very easy walking, and take in the scenery of Cromer town from the Pier, visit the RNLI Henry Blogg museum on the beach front (which also has a café) or  Cromer Museum by the church, or take a cliff walk along the top of Cromer overlooking the beach, or maybe just relax in one of the many independent cafés, tea rooms or restaurants in and amongst the town. 

There is so much to do for everyone.

The Norfolk Coast Path walk used to stop here at Cromer, but in December 2014 it was extended to Sea Palling, and then in 2016 it was extended further to go right around to Hopto-on-Sea to form part of the England Coast Path.   It makes for a most fantastic walking holiday from Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea, the scenery is stunning and the wildlife second to none.. 

Cromer Pier and Pavilion Theatre

If you’re lucky with the tide times, you may even catch the fishermen returning with their crab catch of the day, a vital source of income for the fishermen.  This is still a very traditional business here and extremely important to the local community and it's a great way to spend some time just watching them haul their boats in.

If you continue to walk east along the promenade, you'll get the wonderful sight of old rusty tractors that they use to bring in their boats.  And continuing along this stretch of promenade, you'll also come across the colourful beach huts.

The fishermen coming onto Cromer beach

It’s such a scenic beach, you won’t be disappointed that you visited this one.  The lovely wet sand as the tide goes out is so pretty, just come and see for yourself.

Cromer beach East

Car Parking For Cromer Beach

There are numerous car parks in Cromer which will all require a short walk to reach the beach.  You can't park right by the beach unless you have a Blue Badge. 

  • The largest and probably the best car park is the Runton Road car park which is a huge expanse of grass.  It's easy to walk down the slight tarmac incline which takes you to the steps or path down to the promenade.   The postcode for this is  NR27 9AU
  • There is also another much smaller car park a bit closer to the beach, just off Beach Road
  •  Codagan Road car park is another fairly large car park with a 5 minute walk to the beach.  Postcode NR27 9HT