Great Yarmouth Beach North

The beach sprawls north from Great Yarmouth town centre in a long, wide sweep of sand and shingle that feels properly spacious even when busy. On a decent day, the sea's that steely blue-grey Norfolk coast colour, and you've got donkeys, deckchairs, and the sort of traditional seaside vibe that hasn't been entirely swallowed by modernisation.

It's a working beach - fishing boats still launch from here, which gives it character you won't find at the glossier resorts further along the coast. Families do well here. Kids can paddle, hunt for shells, and generally wear themselves out on the sand. There's enough space that you're not cramped cheek-by-jowl with hundreds of other visitors, even mid-summer. The beach is free, naturally, and you can stay as long as you fancy.

The promenade has the usual facilities - cafes, ice cream stands, places to rent those pedalo things - but it's not relentlessly commercialised. Great Yarmouth itself has its tacky attractions if that's your thing, but the beach is genuinely the draw here.

If you're staying at Richardson's Hemsby Beach Holiday Park down the coast, North Beach is easily reachable, though Hemsby's own beach is nearer. Allow a couple of hours minimum, longer if you're settling in for the day. Summer weekends get rammed with day-trippers from inland Norfolk, so weekdays and shoulder seasons feel considerably more pleasant. The walk along the sand north towards Caister is decent exercise.