Lighthouse

The lighthouse at Cromer is actually a church - which tells you something about Norfolk's relationship with the sea. It's a proper working lighthouse attached to the parish church, standing sentinel over the Norfolk coast just east of Cromer town centre. The tower does exactly what it says on the tin: it guides ships away from the treacherous shallows that have claimed vessels for centuries.

You can see it from the seafront and the surrounding clifftop walks, though access inside depends on opening hours and whether the church is conducting services. The real value here isn't a long indoor visit - it's the walk around the building and the dramatic coastal views. The lighthouse itself is modest in scale compared to the great towers you'll find elsewhere, but that's rather the point. It's functional, undramatic, and utterly characteristic of this stretch of Norfolk.

History types will appreciate the engineering; photographers will want to catch it against a sunset. Kids might find it interesting for five minutes, then want to head down to Cromer's beach or the pier. The clifftop path near Beeston Regis Holiday Park offers decent walking both directions, and it's genuinely worth combining with a proper coastal ramble rather than treating it as a standalone stop.

If you're based at any of the nearby parks - Beeston Regis is literally a ten-minute walk away - it costs nothing to stroll past and absorb the atmosphere. Go in decent weather for the views; there's not much reason to linger in a downpour.