I took my kids to the UK beaches loved by Prince William and Kate

Feet sinking into golden sands and clear blue sea lapping alongside, it’s a scene of near holiday paradise we’ve found in North Norfolk. It’s a sunny day in the school summer holidays, yet my kids and I seem to have this glorious stretch of beach seemingly all to ourselves. Such is the near endless stretch of gorgeous beaches along this coast, that if you’re willing to walk far enough, you really will find your own stretch of private beach to frolic about in.

It’s probably one of the reasons this stretch of English coastline is also such a favourite with the Royal Family. Sandringham, the Royal Family’s ‘holiday home’ for centuries, is just a couple of miles away from the coast here. And Anmer Hall, the country residence of Prince William[2], Princess Catherine and their three children, sits alongside it too.

The Royals are known to love the wild, wonderful stretches of beach here.

Prince William and his children Charlotte, Louis and George, pictured on the beach in Norfolk in this image shared by the Royals in June (Image: The Princess of Wales)

So much so, the official account of the Prince and Princess of Wales shared two stunning family photos captured on the beaches here earlier this year to celebrate Father’s Day and the Prince’s birthday. The first showed Prince William on the dunes looking out to sea with his three young children hugging him. The second shared the animated moment that the Prince and young George, Charlotte and Louis leapt over the dunes in a magical family photo.

Those dunes will be familiar to the many families[3] who flock to this coastline, and are a distinctive backdrop to the beaches at the huge Holkham beach and neighbouring Brancaster. Holkham is a beach that stretches for three miles – boasting the most glorious soft sand, a ridge of dunes to hide and play within, and the crystal clear sea to swim in too. It is regularly named among the best beaches in the world, although you have to be fairly dedicated to get to it – there’s a half an hour walk through a woodland and then across a sandy marsh until you reach the dunes and the beach.

For kids though, it’s like one giant natural playground – mine loved to dip in and out of the muddy little streams that run through the marshes, finding crabs, shrimps and tadpoles. My four-year-old, full of mischief, also decided the dunes were his own personal hidey-holes, which meant something of a workout for me going up and down the sandy ridges trying to find him.

The beaches are like a giant playground for kids – as Dianne’s children demonstrate (Image: MEN)

For me, the joy of this beach was seeing the glorious ripple of sea lavender as I walked through the soft sand and on towards the waves that made it all just so perfect. Walking this breathtaking stretch makes you feel like you’re in a movie.

And indeed, it has been famously used for movies, including the climatic final scene of Shakespeare in Love when Gwyneth Paltrow is seen strutting barefoot across the wide expanse of Holkham sand. The first section of beach you reach after the walk here does undoubtedly get fairly busy in the peak holiday season. But if you walk to either side it’s not long before you’ll find yourself in splendid isolation.

When the tide is in, it makes for perfect swimming conditions as the water is so shallow it stays lovely and warm for kids. There’s also a visitor centre and cafe next to the large car park at Holkham for when you trudge your weary legs back from the beach.

Having a swim at Holkham beach (Image: MEN)

Holkham village has also become a visitor attraction in itself, this grand country estate now boasting a shopping village with quirky independent gift shops and cafes, while you can also walk through the manicured gardens here and visit the 18th century Holkham Hall too. I’d never known much about this part of Norfolk, or had cause to visit, until recent years, when my father chose to retire to this beautiful part of the world.

Since then, we have enjoyed regular family trips to the seaside villages all along here, discovering new hidden beaches and brilliant little coastal experiences. For this particular trip, Brancaster was the base for our stay. It’s one of the gorgeous coastal villages along this stretch of North Norfolk coast, with excellent foodie pubs and a village shop.

And, of course, that gorgeous sandy beach to visit. We walked down from our holiday cottage, but there’s also a National Trust car park right next to the beach and a little beach hut serving ice creams and hot and cold drinks as well as a raft of beach supplies.

Dianne and eight-year-old son George on Brancaster beach (Image: MEN)

We stayed in a gorgeous holiday let in the distinctive stone-clad style that you will see along the coast, booked through Norfolk Hideaways[4], who have an array of holiday properties across North Norfolk. It’s a brilliant base for discovering all of the different beaches along this part of the coast.

Holkham is great for those not afraid of a long walk, while we’d also recommend Brancaster and Holme-next-the-Sea if you want to literally park up, walk over a dune and be right by the sea. For those with young kids, the seaside town of Hunstanton is also a must visit, with old-school attractions like a large funfair, amusements arcades and you’re spoilt for choice for award-winning fish and chip shops (our favourite is Henry’s). Venture a little further from the town centre to Old Hunstanton to find a glorious stretch of beach with an old shipwreck to discover.

And keep your eyes peeled on the sands – we even found a small lump of amber on our visit here.

Where we stayed

We stayed at The Little House in Brancaster (Image: MEN)

The base for our stay was a simply stunning self-catering rental in Brancaster which was just a 15 minute walk to the beach. It was booked through Norfolk Hideaways[5] which has over 550 properties across Norfolk, from cosy cottages for two to larger properties to suit big groups and multigenerational families. The Little House may look little when you walk up to its pretty stone-clad facade, but it stretches back, Tardis-like, with huge living and dining spaces, a truly spectacular garden looking out across fields where wild deer roam.

There’s also a table tennis table which my kids loved, while inside there’s a full cupboard of games, with my eldest discovering a passion for Monopoly during our stay. This property can be booked to sleep 6 or 8 guests[6], with the 8 guest option adding on an additional en-suite bedroom in the annexe. We had the 6 guest option (across three bedrooms) with prices starting from GBP1,125 for a short stay, or GBP1,390 for 7 nights.

If you take the annexe then the property can sleep up to eight guests across 4 bedrooms, with prices starting from GBP1,660 for a short stay or GBP2,059 for seven nights. Norfolk Hideaways have properties suitable for romantic breaks for two for a holiday with the whole family or groups of friends. Prices start from one bed cottages for GBP196.

There are also special offers across August and September with up to 25% off select properties which you can find here[7].

A boat trip to remember

Sailing out from Wells-next-the-sea with the Coastal Exploration Co. (Image: MEN)

As part of our family stay, we also took part in one of the new sailing trips launched by the Coastal Exploration Co. in the seaside village of Wells-next-the-Sea which was around a 20 minute drive from our cottage in Brancaster. This is a popular spot for its stretch of beach to the West, while along the East Steer you’ll find the busy boating quay where a host of boat trips can be booked and chartered from as well as lots of independent shops, cafes, cake shops and ice cream vendors. The Coastal Exploration Co. have recently launched a new one-of-a-kind family sailing adventure, inspired by Arthur Ransome’s children’s classic book Swallows and Amazons, suitable for younger and new sailers to get involved in.

We got to sail out through the wilderness of the Norfolk salt marshes in a vintage mussel flat boat, with our expert sailor Colin on board, who encouraged us to leap off onto tiny islands and to even go wild swimming if we fancied it. It was a real adventure that will live long in the memory banks. When we reached the far edge of the salt marshes, looking out to sea, Colin dropped anchor and we had a beautiful picnic in total isolation, where he even cooked us up a full English breakfast.

A picnic on the salt marshes (Image: MEN)

It was a magical experience, particularly for my eight-year-old, who got to steer the boat for himself back into the Quay, with Colin showing him how to use the mast and sail with the wind.

These are bespoke trips that can be booked from GBP395 for 4 people[8] with the trip lasting up to four hours, including the picnic.

For the royal fans…

For those wanting to walk in the footsteps of the royals in North Norfolk beyond the beaches, you can spend a day out at Sandringham, the royal country residence of King Charles and Queen Camilla. It’s currently in the spotlight on a Channel 5 series hosted by Nigel Havers, and for those interested, the good news is you can actually go and wander around this historic space for yourself. The house itself is open to the public on selected days, and you can book tickets to visit[9] the house and royal gardens from GBP24 per person.

However the wider royal parklands here are open daily to enjoy a walk through without booking a ticket.

The free woodland play area at Sandringham (Image: MEN)

It’s also particularly good for families, as there’s a huge FREE woodland adventure play area here. Kids will love the huge fortress adventure play section, slides and zip lines too. There’s also a sand pit for younger kids.

The play area is close to the Sandringham royal gift shop with plenty of goodies in store. Next to this you’ll also find a large cafe where you can sit in or also get cakes, sandwiches and coffees for take out. There’s also an ice cream shop and toilets.

You need to pay to use the car park inside Sandringham, which is done by number plate recognition so you pay at the end of your stay. But access to the play area is totally free and you can stay as long as you like (during daylight hours). We always head here on the drive back from the coast, as it’s a great stop off for the kids to let loose and burn up some energy ready for the long drive back home.

How to get there

Stunning beaches in North Norfolk – pictured is Brancaster (Image: MEN)

The only bad thing I have to say about Norfolk is the fact the journey there is a right pain.

It’s almost as if the good folk of Norfolk don’t want us northerners getting to their beautiful county very easily. Norfolk is one of the only counties in England with no motorway, and having driven there from the north many times over the years, I have to say sat-nav has sent me a different cross-country route almost every single time. The fastest route in terms of miles (and usually time) is via the A50 through Stoke, Derby and then Nottingham, and then across Lincolnshire towards Kings Lynn in Norfolk and then on to the coast.

You’re looking at a drive of around 3 and half to 4 and a half hours from Manchester to North Norfolk depending on the day and time you go, and depending on what sort of vehicle you get stuck behind on the single lane roads.

In terms of public transport, there’s a mainline train station in Kings Lynn, although from Manchester you’re looking at a four hour trip with a change at Ely.

But there is a decent Coastliner bus (the 36) that stops in all of the villages mentioned during our stay above.

References

1. ^ We stayed in a delightful cottage in one of the UK’s best loved seaside towns (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ Prince William (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ families (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^ Norfolk Hideaways (go.skimresources.com)
5. ^ Norfolk Hideaways (go.skimresources.com)
6. ^ booked to sleep 6 or 8 guests (go.skimresources.com)
7. ^ which you can find here (go.skimresources.com)
8. ^ be booked from GBP395 for 4 people (coastalexplorationcompany.co.uk)
9. ^ book tickets to visit (sandringhamestate.co.uk)