Mundesley Beach, Museum and Memorial

Mundesley beach is an incredibly long and lovely stretched out beach on the east corner of the North Norfolk coast, and geographically sits midway between Cromer and Happisburgh. 

You can walk a long way on this delightfully sandy beach and really get away from everyone if you so wish.  Or you can just pop down to the promenade and still breath in that wonderful fresh sea air - one of the many Norfolk beaches of choice.

If you walk down from the promenade and turn left, past the beach huts (in the summer months), you'll find a very long stretch of sand, backed by cliffs, which take you all the way along the coast as far as Trimingham and beyond - BUT do be VERY careful about tide times as you won't be able to get up to the top of the cliffs if the tide comes in - and then you really will be stuck!  This stretch is lovely for taking the dogs for a walk and it gets you away from the main part of the beach.  There are summer dog restrictions on this beach.

Map of the Norfolk Beaches

View Norfolk UK Beaches in a larger map

The beaches on this side of the Norfolk coast vary hugely from the ones on the North Norfolk coast.

These east coast beaches seem narrower because the tide doesn't go out quite as far, and very often they backed by promenades, cliffs or concrete sea defences.    Coastal erosion on this side of Norfolk is a big problem.  However, the hard sand that is left at low tide is fantastic.

Mundesley is one of the natural stops along the Norfolk Coast Path.  It's about 8 miles from Cromer, so can easily be done in one day, but you can also walk from here all the way to Sea Palling on the beach, depending on tide times.  You can see all the incredible scenery and wildlife I experienced in my Norfolk Coast Blog which I noted as I walked this trail.

If you feel you want to get away from the crowds, all you need to do is walk west behind the wooden groins and you'll pretty much have the beach to yourself!

Child Friendly Beach

The great thing about these beaches on this side of Norfolk is that the sea is always more easily accessible than the ones on the North coast.  If the tide is out here, it doesn’t matter, as you can still swim and paddle in the sea, unlike somewhere like Holkham or Brancaster where it almost goes out too far to contemplate walking to the water!

Mundesley Beach is a perfect child friendly beach with lovely soft sand and plenty of space to run around and fly a kite or build endless sandcastles.  It’s also patrolled by the Lifeguards during the summer months, which is always an added bonus for parents and slightly puts your mind at ease.

It's been awarded Blue Flag Status for a couple of years on the trot which means it's clean and has lifeguards.

This is another Norfolk beach with a promenade, lovely for strolling along at any time of year, but does have a slight incline to get to the top of the cliff, but is definitely wheelchair friendly.  Promenade beaches always make it easier if you’ve got a pushchair too.

It’s also dog friendly but with restrictions in the summer months.

Parking is easily accessible at the top of the beach, being just across the road from the green, which gives beautiful views down to the beach.

Mundesley Beach Huts

There are numerous beach huts along the promenade at Mundesley which can be hired out on a weekly let.  You can find out more about how to do this on the North Norfolk District Council website here.

Dogs On Mundesley Beach

Although there are summer restrictions for dogs on Mundesley beach, once you head east or west of the promenade, there is plenty of space for them to run around and enjoy themselves out of this restricted zone.  You can find out which other beaches are dog friendly here. 

Parking For Mundesley Beach

There is no designated car park for this beach because it's at the bottom of the cliffs.  However, just opposite the ramp which takes you down to the beach there is quite a large car park (at Gold Park) with a pay and display machine.

Mundesley Beach Accommodation

If you are staying in and around Cromer and want to get away to a slightly quieter beach, then this is only a short drive away, and worth coming along too.  It remains uncommercial which means spending less (!),and very unlike its near neighbour Hemsby, which is a totally different kettle of fish altogether full of arcades, cafes and fish and chip shops galore.

Mundesley Maritime Museum and Memorial

At the top of the beach on the green is Mundesley Maritime Museum
which is believed to the be smallest museum in the UK.   It also acts as a Coastguard Watch, and is a visual lookout which is manned by volunteers to this very day.

If you want to see something interesting other than the sandy beach, then why not pop into the museum.  It is open everyday from 1st May to 30th September but closed on Saturdays.

Right next door to the museum, and overlooking the sea, you’ll also see the very poignant monument set up in memory of the Royal Engineer Bomb Disposal Personnel who were killed clearing British landmines along the Norfolk coast between 1944 and 1953.

Mundesley beach is another of the Victorian seaside town beaches in Norfolk that is definitely worth visiting, easy to get to, clean and manned by the lifeguards.