Hunstanton

The cliffs at Hunstanton are rather striking when you first spot them - bands of red and orange rock striped against the Norfolk coastline, nothing like the white cliffs you'd expect down south. You get proper views across the Wash from up top, and on a clear day the walk along the cliff edge is genuinely pleasant, especially if you time it for low tide when the beach opens up below.

It's the sort of place that rewards a good hour's exploring rather than a quick snap and move on. Families with young kids do fine here - the beach is accessible, there's a traditional fairground nearby if they need entertaining, and the rock pools are decent for poking about in. Walkers get more from it, frankly. The clifftop path stretches both directions and the geology alone keeps you interested if you're that way inclined.

Free to visit, obviously - it's a public beach and clifftop. No paid attractions that I'm aware of, though the town itself has the usual seaside amenities. Summer weekends get rammed, so go midweek if you can. The beach and cliffs are accessible year-round, though winter storms can shift things about.

Stay at Manor Park Holiday Park or Searles Leisure Resort and you're barely ten minutes' walk from the cliffs. Both are proper family spots with decent facilities. Heacham Beach is a touch further but still workable as a base. It's not the most dramatic coastline in Britain, but it's honest, free, and beats being stuck on the holiday park all day.