High Sand Creek

UK England East Anglia Norfolk Wells-next-the-Sea

Romantic and picturesque marshes, and beyond that the sea; just outside your tent

Holidays straight out of Swallows and Amazons spring to mind at High Sand Creek campsite in Stiffkey on the north Norfolk coast. With miles of marshes just outside your tent, the potential for a real-live adventure is huge. The site itself is very pared-down, but that doesn’t mean that your opportunities for a top family holiday are limited. Plus the flat, slightly melancholic, beauty of the marshes, shimmering with dusky purple marsh heather, is magnetic. The site has been in the same family for 40 years, and is much loved by families, who return year after year with multiple generations tacked on to augment their numbers. This stretch of the Norfolk coast is heaving with things for kids and grannies to do together. Families love the fact that there are so many opportunities for swimming and picnicking, and there’s also crabbing, sailing, fishing and seal-watching to keep everyone fully occupied. To top it off, at the end of the day, with salt in your hair, you can go to sleep safe in the knowledge that there’s nothing at all between you and the North Sea.

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Details

Facilities

Part of the site is given over to ball games, and toys, tennis racquets, footballs and such like are available in reception. You can also borrow crabbing nets and buy bags of bait. The thick hedge that separates the site from the marshes is a favourite spot for children to explore. 80 marked pitches spread over about 5 acres. Just four hook-ups available, as the aim is to keep the site as old-fashioned as possible. There’s a laundry for sink-washing clothes (but no washing machines), and 12 clean showers and 12 toilets divided into male and female blocks. Gas is available for sale, and there’s a freeze-pack service.

Nearby

The coastal marsh is a haven for migrating birds, so expect to see a few twitchers twitching on the horizon. The Norfolk Coastal Path passes through Stiffkey, so the site’s popular with walkers. A bridge across a creek, just beyond the site, is a prime spot for crabbing. The creeks onto the marsh are muddy, so this is great for mudlarking. Further afield is Bressingham Steam and Gardens (01379 686900) near Diss, with a great selection of vintage engines and 3 narrow-gauge railway rides around the gardens there. Go Ape! High Wire Forest Adventure (08456 439162) is brilliant for the over-10s, with swings, zip wires and rope bridges to test your mettle. Hunstanton, on the West coast, is a classic Victorian resort with stripy cliffs and a good beach for rock pools and exploring.

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Food & Drink

The village shop stocks basic groceries. The Red Lion Pub is within walking distance and does good food; there’s also a playground near by (01328 830552). There’s often a fish stand at Morston for local cockles, and there are excellent dressed crabs for sale in Blakeney. Wiveton Hall Café, just beyond Blakeney, does exceptionally good food, almost all grown locally; the artichoke bruschetta and raspberry pannacotta are particularly good.

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Opening Times

March/April–Oct.

Family Friendly

There are muddy creeks across the marshes that could be dangerous for smaller children. Also beware the marsh tides – check the tide table displayed in the warden’s kiosk.

Location

High Sand Creek, Vale Farm, The Greenway, Stiffkey, Norfolk NR23 1QF

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Getting There

Take the A149 into Stiffkey village. Go through the village, with the sea on your right. The site is just after the Red Lion pub on the right. Very limited. Take the train to Sheringham then hop into a taxi. The site is happy to provide details of local taxi firms if you phone ahead.