The coast of North Norfolk near Wells next-the-sea.

March 2000

GEOGRAPH

The Crown at Wells Next The Sea ...

is a pleasant pub and has recently upgraded itself to a posh restaurant. Maybe not our kind of thing any more. The link above is to the current refurbished hotel, while we visited in an earlier life.

This was a bleak day to start with, a biting wind blowing across us as we headed for the sea, but soon it became calmer and warmer as we made our way towards Blakeney. Freshly cooked fish and good Adnams bitter everywhere.

Wells itself is nothing to write home about but it's a good centre for a walk - just up the coast from Holkham ( known as the scene in Shakespeare in Love and also where the Queen had a summer house until it was burned down in 2003)

Good enough in fact for us to visit in both March 2000 and April 2003. And we hope to return for a tenth anniversary visit after walking the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coastal Path. Go here for the Good Pub Guide entry for The Crown.

North Norfolk Coastline

Marram grass, reeds, salt marshes and wading birds, alongside the hulks of discarded boats.

This is a wonderful, sometimes bleak, always exhilarating walking area. The wind clears the brain - and can even scour your head with blown sand.

Go here for the Google Map picture of Wells and its coastline. Plan your walks to Stiffkey (pronounced "stookey"), Blakeney and Cley (as in "eye"").