Hunstanton to Gore Point and return
Walked by Sally, Richard and Helen, Saturday 1st July 2006
Approx 7 miles - 3.5 miles along the Norfolk Coast Path and back
Click here for all our photos from this walk.
We hadn't intended to go walking today as we were leaving for the Offa's Dyke Path on Monday, but Helen had finished her exams yesterday and we wanted to do something 'fun' to celebrate, so we decided to walk the 'Hunstanton Spur' of the North Norfolk Coast (linking to the Peddars Way at Holme next the Sea). It was a glorious day, so Helen and I walked in sundresses and sandals - not quite our usual walking attire!
The Cliff Carpark at Old Hunstanton was 'pay and display' and we didn't have any change, so we parked at the side of the road by the old lighthouse and the ruins of St Edmund's Chapel (dating back to 1272) - easier and cheaper!
We walked across the car park and, rather than going down onto the beach beneath the red chalk, white chalk and carstone cliffs, we followed a sandy path through the dunes behind the beach huts. We passed the lifeboat station and then followed a private road (with some very nice houses) to the golf course. Here we were amused by the reserved parking by the club house for various 'important people', in a very definite pecking order: president, captain, vice-captain, lady president etc. etc. We continued along a path at the side of the golf course (now being amused by the people actually playing golf) almost all the way to Holme. The small River Hun was on the other side of the path and we saw several families of ducks.
At Holme we turned left towards the coast (past a sign indicating that the Peddars Way path ends here) then right, continuing past the golf course for a while. From this point we followed the boardwalk through the Holme Dunes Nature Reserve, with lovely views to the coast.
We went down onto the beach at Gore Point and had a huge expanse of sand almost to ourselves. We had lunch and a paddle. Then we retraced our steps and had an ice-cream at the shop at the Cliff Carpark in Old Hunstanton. What a delightful way to spend a summer Saturday!
