Happisburgh Beach

The striped lighthouse at Happisburgh is one of those Norfolk sights that stops you in your tracks. Red and white bands, standing about 85 feet tall on a patch of cliff edge, it's been guiding ships away from the shallow waters since 1791. You can't climb it these days, but the beach itself is the real draw - a proper wild stretch of sand and shingle where the cliffs are slowly collapsing into the sea, which sounds dramatic but actually gives the place an honest, unstable energy that most manicured beaches lack.

Walkers and photographers will find plenty to occupy an hour or two. The cliffs reveal fossils if you know where to look, and at low tide the beach opens up considerably. Families with younger kids might get restless quickly unless they're keen on geology or just want to paddle and build castles, but it's absolutely worth a visit if you're based at Manor Caravan Park just down the road - barely a twenty-minute walk away.

Norwich is about half an hour inland, but Happisburgh feels properly remote. Go when the light's decent, preferably early morning or late afternoon when you might have the place to yourself. The erosion is ongoing, so the landscape changes year to year - it's one of those destinations that won't be quite the same next time you visit. Pack a windproof jacket regardless of the forecast.