A Surprise Trip to Cromer – Norfolk Coast 1

Cromer on the Norfolk coast is the destination for many holidaymakers, and its locally caught crab is said to be delicious. The Pier at Cromer is one of only a handful remaining on the UK’s coast now and still boasts award winning shows, a restaurant and not to mention a lovely relaxing place to stroll. Cromer has some outstanding walking areas including the Norfolk coastal path.

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From personal experience I recommend the local fish and chips, and there are some charming, friendly tea rooms, perfect for warming up on a cold autumn day beside the sea.    

A Surprise Trip to Cromer – Norfolk Coast 3

BaldHiker Retreats

Our day out was totally unplanned, I’d been chatting online to our eldest son who’s currently living in Norwich while he’s studying for a PhD at the University of East Anglia. As I sipped my Sunday morning coffee I asked the usual parent questions, so what are you planning to do today? How’s Uni life? He was still settling into his accommodation at the time and finding his way around. He’d been checking out the local climbing centre and finding interesting cycle routes.

A Surprise Trip to Cromer – Norfolk Coast 4

He had a free Sunday on his hands so had decided to cycle to Cromer from Norwich for the fun of it. He was about to set out for the ride on that Sunday morning, so I told my husband, and we just gave each other a nod. It was decided, we’d go on a spontaneous drive out to Cromer to surprise him! We drank down our coffee, grabbed our coats and car keys, on the road to Norfolk we went.

A Surprise Trip to Cromer – Norfolk Coast 5

The route to Cromer took us through some lovely countryside and past a few favorite locations, Sutton Bridge is one of those places at the Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse, and on the Norfolk coast one of my most loved beaches is at Burnham Overy Staithe. Norfolk is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, fascinating seaside towns and unspoiled countryside. I kept in touch with our son online the whole time, while my husband drove. I had regular updates as he took snap shots of his cycle journey and I asked about the progress he was making as we drove ever closer, unbeknown to him. 

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As we approached Cromer by car, our son had already arrived and was sat on the promenade eating his lunch. Of course, we had to pry out of him his exact location, so I asked for a couple of hints. What’s the view like from where your sitting? How’s the weather in Norfolk? Knowing full well it was cold and trying to drizzle as it spotted against the car windscreen. 

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We found parking quite easily close to the sea front and that helped no end, it made sneaking up quickly much more doable. The sky was beginning to clear, blue skies were showing through between the clouds. As we walked along the sea front the pier was coming into sight and the sound of seagulls and crashing waves was so good to hear, the wind was bighting at my fingertips and blowing my hair about my face, note to self, bring a hair tie back when visiting the beach. Still trying to figure our sons location I ask for snap shots of his view. Ah spotted him! We began a phone chat with him to distract him as we gained on him and then came into view in front of him near the pier. “Hey fancy bumping into you here!” 

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We took a wander down one of the little lanes leading from the sea front and popped into a lovely friendly tea shop called Buttercups. We ordered a pot of English Breakfast Tea for 3 and ham sandwiches for the hungry driver. The tea shop is a relaxed place to catch up and relax, it’s also dog friendly which I felt was a nice touch, there are some tasty options on the menu and the cake selection looked absolutely tempting, maybe next time. 😉 

A Surprise Trip to Cromer – Norfolk Coast 9

There was still time to take a nice steady wander through the little streets and past the impressive church before walking down to the beach. With the little time we had left, a small stroll on the beach and a paddle in the sea had to be fitted in, it was fun and bracing, no matter what the weather I love to go barefoot on the beach.

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Cromer beach is rather flat and as the tide was going out looked mirror like and seemed to stretch for eternity, in parts it is sandy and higher near the beach huts there’s a mix of pebbles and shale.

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One of the delights of visiting the seaside is eating fish and chips while looking out to sea, and that is just what we did as we walked back to our car. Fresh sea air was whipping around us as we savored the last views of the coast and enjoyed our fish and chips. It was then time to load our son’s bike into the back of the car.

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The least we could do was drop him back off at his uni digs in Norwich before the drive back home to Nottinghamshire. I think Cromer is a place I’d like to explore more of, I’ve found it so much fun, next time I’m hoping to walk along the pier too and hopefully bring the whole family along when they are all free to join in.  Spur-of-the-moment trips are such fun and Norfolk is always beautiful! 😊

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