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Country house
Holkham Hall
Neo-Palladian house built for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, to designs by William Kent.
A mini guide to
Wells, Holkham & Blakeney
Salt marsh, dunes and seals between a harbour town, a Palladian house and flint villages
Photos
1 / 8Welcome to the area
Salt marsh, dunes and seals between a harbour town, a Palladian house and flint villages
Wells-next-the-Sea is a small harbour town on the north Norfolk coast, with a quay on the north side of the A149 coast road. To the west, the Holkham estate holds Holkham Hall, built in the Neo-Palladian style for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, and Holkham National Nature Reserve, with grazing marsh, pine woods, dunes and beach.
East of Wells, Blakeney and Cley next the Sea face the salt marsh. Blakeney Point, a shingle and dune spit cared for by the National Trust since 1912, has a mixed colony of harbour and grey seals, and seal-watching boat trips leave from Blakeney and Morston. Inland, Walsingham has been a pilgrimage centre since the Middle Ages.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Nature reserve and beach
Holkham National Nature Reserve
One of the largest national nature reserves in England: grazing marsh, pine woods, salt marsh, dunes and foreshore.
Directions Report a problem with Holkham National Nature Reserve
Harbour
Wells Harbour
Working harbour and quay of Wells-next-the-Sea, on the north side of the A149 coast road.
Heritage railway
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
Small-gauge railway running four miles from Wells to Walsingham on the trackbed of a branch line closed in the 1960s.
Directions Website Report a problem with Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
Nature reserve
Blakeney Point
National Trust reserve on a shingle and dune spit about 6.4 km long, with a colony of harbour and grey seals.
Historic building
Blakeney Guildhall
Medieval undercroft in an alley off Blakeney quay, an English Heritage scheduled monument.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Wells, Holkham & Blakeney and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Go by bus
There is no station at Wells. The Coastliner 36 from King's Lynn and the Coasthopper from Cromer meet at Wells.
2
See the seals by boat
Seal-watching boat trips run from Blakeney and Morston harbours to Blakeney Point; book with an operator and check the tides.
3
Time a winter visit
Grey seals breed at Blakeney Point between November and January, and the pups stay on the beach for their first weeks.
4
Walk the marsh paths
The Norfolk Coast Path follows this stretch of coast, passing Burnham Overy Staithe, Wells, Morston, Blakeney and Cley next the Sea.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Wells, Holkham & Blakeney (area photo): Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Holkham Hall: Rev Stan, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wells and Walsingham Light Railway: Timothy Titus, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blakeney Point: Andrew Norman at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Blakeney Guildhall: Nicola J Patron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St Nicholas' Church, Blakeney: David from Colorado Springs, United States, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cley Windmill: Stavros1, CC BY 3.0, source
- St Margaret's Church, Cley: Cruccone, CC BY 3.0, source
- Binham Priory: Mik Peach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Walsingham Abbey and priory ruins: David P Orman, CC BY 2.5, source
- Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham: Stephen McKay, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- The Shell Museum: Oliver Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Warham Camp: Kim Fyson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- King's Lynn & Sandringham: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Norwich: Sumit Surai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wroxham, Hoveton & the northern Broads: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cromer & Sheringham: Scribwik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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