Old Hunstanton Beach
Old Hunstanton Beach
4.5
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- CAMLondon, United KingdomGood for beachcombing & fossil huntingWe visited on a cold, windy day when it was pouring with rain. Pros: Great beach for hunting for fossils & interesting shells. Shipwreck! Interesting geology - stripy cliffs. Dog-friendly. Advice: Keep your dogs away from the abundance of whelk egg cases which some dogs like to eat! May make dogs sick.Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 1 April 2024
- Interesting Beach.Busy beach. Windy on our visits. Lots of Kite surfers. Bathing good at high tide, hard work once the tide reaches the flat sand. Some pools to play in for a while. Parking at Le Strange car park has good toilets and leads down to an excellent cafe and the RNLI inshore life boat station. Not cheap to park, but close to amenities and short wall to the beach.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 12 August 2024
- Gamer127Stevenage, United KingdomOne of the best beaches I ever went to.Great beach. RNLI station here so we aren’t worried of going into the sea, but we keep an eye out for jellyfish as there can be a lot of them if you go knee deep or deeper. The beach is really clean, lots of friendly people. This is the perfect place to fly kites if you choose to. There isn’t anything bad I could say about this beach, except the fact that really dumb and stupid people think they can litter. Thank god for the kind litter pickers that volunteer their time to clean up after the selfish people. But be aware; in the women’s toilets, my 8-year old son got trapped in the toilets because the lock was so old and hadn’t been oiled for a while. So if your child wants the toilet go with them and stand outside the door so no one gets in and your child doesn’t have to lock the door. This has always and will be our go to beach whenever we go to Deepdale Backpackers and Camping, which is also a nice campsite. Don’t think twice if you want to go here for a day out. We go here in the morning at around 10:00 am and go back to the campsite at about 5:00 pm. Or we just go when everyone else is going.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 2 November 2024
- Louis FAltus, OklahomaNice beachReally nice beach with cool cliffs. I did not have an issue with the dogs there and I did not see any poop bags left around. There is a cool shipwreck down the beach about 10 minutes walk that is worth checking out during low tide.Visited January 2025Travelled with familyWritten 1 February 2025
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Blueprints of Britain
Bury St. Edmunds, UK
Apr 2023 • Couples
This is one of the best beaches in Norfolk, a gem on the Norfolk coast! A walk on the beach with its magnificent cliffs is stunning. We enjoyed exploring the wreck of the ship as well as looking for small marine creatures in the tiny pools created by the tide. This is definitely a perfect place for a day out. The beach is busy during weekends, but because it's quite long, you will not find it disturbing. We recommend to come when it's sunny as that's when the cliffs are the most beautiful. There is paid parking at the top of the cliffs and a little cafe where you can buy snacks or sandwiches. Make sure to check out the tides before arriving and visit when it's low tide. Otherwise, you won't be able to access the beaches. Our tip: this beach is a great place for watching the sunset! :)
Written 13 January 2024
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.
Chris
Hinckley, UK
Aug 2023
We were in the area and went here. We managed to find a parking spot on the main road which is free and unrestricted during the day. There is a 'pay and display' car park here which can get busy at times which is just a field and not marked tarmac bays. There are some toilets near the car park entrance along with a shop and cafe on the other side of the entrance road. The path down to the beach is a bit steep.
When we visited the tide was out so the beach was larger, the sea was a couple of miles out I would say and it was quite shallow in the water and the water was warm. The beach was reasonably busy but the beach seemed clean, there were shells on parts of the beach but it was mainly sand. This seems to be a dog friendly beach so there were quite a few dog about.
Overall if you are in the area this is a good place to visit either by parking in the car park or walking here along the coastal path from the town centre.
When we visited the tide was out so the beach was larger, the sea was a couple of miles out I would say and it was quite shallow in the water and the water was warm. The beach was reasonably busy but the beach seemed clean, there were shells on parts of the beach but it was mainly sand. This seems to be a dog friendly beach so there were quite a few dog about.
Overall if you are in the area this is a good place to visit either by parking in the car park or walking here along the coastal path from the town centre.
Written 21 August 2023
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.
sallyann300
Higham Ferrers, UK
Jun 2020 • Family
Visited here with my family and 2 year old son on Tuesday 23rd June and got to the beach about 0930am. The beach was very clean and it is very big so plenty of space for social distancing. We come here 2-4 times a year and this was our first visit this year. The old town beach cafe is open for takeaway only and we got some ice creams from there (no seating allowed outdoors currently at the Cafe but obviously that may change). The toilets near the RNLI were open and clean. We parked in The Ancient Mariner Inn car park - £5 to park all day though it is cash payment. The Ancient Mariner is closed completely presently so no takeaway food or drink. Though they did have a sign saying drinks and snacks were being served from their summerhouse. When we arrived the car park was quite empty and the beach was quiet. By 12pm it was busier. When we left at 330pm the car park was full. The photo attached to this review was taken at 210pm. A lovely day out as always and we look forward to our next visit.
Written 24 June 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.
honest-reviewer68
London, UK
Jul 2021 • Couples
Have visited Old Hunstanton beach a few times, at varying times of year, and it never disappoints. Sand is expansive. Dog friendly all year round. Everyone seems to respect this and I've never seen dogs mess on the beach. Sheltered spots available amongst the sand dunes. Quaint beach huts available to hire. Large car park (£7 for day in peak season Bring change, machine doesn't take cards) or you might get lucky and find a roadside space. There's also a small shop, cafe and toilets nearby. Sea warm and inviting during our July holiday. Well worth a visit.
Written 23 July 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.
JTJD
United Kingdom
Sept 2022 • Couples
We walked along the lovely clean beach that’s another huge & beautiful one in the area. Look out for the amazing striated rock colours in the cliff wall & also the ship wreck that you can get close to at low tide. There is a nice cafe that sells delicious coffee & cakes, as well as hot food, ice cream etc. Do call into the RNLI shop where you can buy lovely gifts & cards.
When we were sitting at the cafe we saw a tractor load of mussels being transported fresh from the sea…fab! (see photo)
When we were sitting at the cafe we saw a tractor load of mussels being transported fresh from the sea…fab! (see photo)
Written 25 January 2023
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.
T R
United Kingdom
Jul 2022
Went on a Monday, so was pretty quiet. Very beautiful beach. Lovely sand, with quite a bit of pebble, rocks, and wild grass too. Sea water was warm (it was 31 degrees outside). Tide does come in very quickly, but still never gets too deep. Would highly recommend! Parking is £9 for the full day. There are public toilets, a cafe, and a shop that sells seaside bits. 1 mile down the way is Hunstanton beach, which has the arcades, funfair, the town centre, plenty of food shops etc.
Written 11 July 2022
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.
Jun 2021
We love this beach at any time of day - sunrise is very special and sunset is different every time. The beach is clean and there are enough bins to ensure minimal litter. There is also litter picking facilities available .
Written 28 June 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.
The_Fitzpatricks
Thetford, UK
Sept 2021 • Family
Excellent clean beach (unlike the main Hunstanton beach). Car park immediately available, £6 all day, have to use an app though to pay and can be a bit of a nightmare if you don't have signal. I think it affects coins, but no card option. 10 minute walk into the main tourist part. Can't fault it. Had a lovely day out with my husband and baby boy ❤
Written 13 September 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.
Jasmine F
Nottingham, UK
Jul 2020 • Couples
This beach was lovely and clean. When the tide is in, there’s not that much sand/beach to relax on but when the tide is out it goes out so far, there’s miles of beach to walk on. The further away from the car park you walk (turning right as you get onto the beach) the less people you come across and the quieter it gets.
We walked from old Hunstanton to new Hunstanton at high tide by scrambling over falls rocks from the cliffs and would not recommend it. It was fun to start with but it’s quite dangerous once you’re about half way as the tide is in very close to the rocks and there are falling rocks from the cliffs and nothing stopping people from accidentally getting hurt. Wait until the tide is out and walk on the sand for sure!
We walked from old Hunstanton to new Hunstanton at high tide by scrambling over falls rocks from the cliffs and would not recommend it. It was fun to start with but it’s quite dangerous once you’re about half way as the tide is in very close to the rocks and there are falling rocks from the cliffs and nothing stopping people from accidentally getting hurt. Wait until the tide is out and walk on the sand for sure!
Written 25 July 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.
JimH
Lichfield, UK
Dec 2024 • Friends
The entire beach is over run with out of control dogs and dog owners that don’t care at all about wildlife. Birds don’t stand a chance here, constantly harassed and unable to feed and rest for most of the day. Disturbance is often laughed at and encouraged by ignorant dog owners (an ever increasing share of total dog owners as this behaviour is just normalised through this kind of land use/ management). This beach is just used and abused as a free dog exercise/ instagram photography area, and capitalised on by ice cream/ coffee sales. Avoid if you have any concern for wild birds, as more ice cream sales improves the profitability of this land use and will encourage this on other beaches, and we’ll have to wave yet more species goodbye forever.
Written 26 December 2024
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.
Gamer127
Stevenage, United Kingdom
I’m not to sure you can. I have been going here for 5 years straight ever summer and I have never seen a metal detector probably because this beach is quite busy. When the sun starts to lower people start to go, but still no metal detector. I wouldn’t recommend using your one, just to be safe.
Written 3 November 2024
Which beach is best Old Hunstanton or Hunstanton? I’m not bothered about facilities so much.
Written 21 August 2024
Can you get down to the beach from cliff parade old Hunstanton. I want to park my motorhome and see the sea. Is there a way down near the gardens area?
Written 24 May 2023
Family Marmite
United Kingdom
Yes there are access points from top of cliffs in Hunstanton and there is an access point just past the old lighthouse there is also access from the car park adjacent to Le Strange Hotel, also access to beach from Sea Lane past RNLI station
Written 25 May 2023
Hi im thinking of visiting hunstanton on the 17th july.Just wondered which is the nearest carpark to beach and is it cashless done over the phone or coins pay/ display please.
Written 13 July 2020
sallyann300
Higham Ferrers, United Kingdom
The Ancient Mariners Inn has a car park very close to the beach. It’s cash only £5 for all day parking but is normally full by lunchtime. Other alternatives are the cliff top car park which you can pay by phone or cash.
Written 13 July 2020
Zofia18
Bedford, United Kingdom
Im planning on going to old Hunstanton beach this wednesday with my dog as we can now, i was just wondering if anyone knows if the car park is open and if the toilets are open?
Written 17 May 2020
sallyann300
Higham Ferrers, United Kingdom
I know this might be a late reply but car parks are open, toilets are open and the beach cafe is open (takeaway only). There is all day parking available at The Ancient Mariners Inn Pub for £5 all day.
Written 23 June 2020
If we come over from the states and take the train to King’s Lynn station and tour Sandringham, is there a way to get to the beach without a car? I would hate to get so close to the North Sea and not be able to see or dip a toe in it! Thanks for any help. No dates, just planning
Written 19 October 2019
You can catch 36 to Heacham and Hunstanton. Hunstanton busier of two resorts and has plenty of shops and places to get a hot drink. Cliff side with coloured rocks makes a good photo backdrop.
Written 19 October 2019
Duncan60
Clacton-on-Sea, United Kingdom
If you park down by the hotel in the car park you can access the cafe and life boat station easily enough but the sand down onto the beach might be tricky for your rollator. Cost at the car park is £3 per day.
Written 24 August 2019
Preceptsgirl
Newtownards, United Kingdom
Hi what is the accessibility like, I use a rollator
Written 24 August 2019
Ian Y
Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
I would connect with the hotel directly. We used stairs and I cannot comment on if a lift is available, all I would say is the staff were excellent, so give them a call and talk to them
Written 10 September 2019
Chloë Calver
Foxhall, United Kingdom
When are dogs allowed on the beach in the summer?
Written 11 August 2018
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