Peddars Way and the Norfolk Coast Path: The Basics
WHERE: The Peddars Way marches purposefully north through the heart of Norfolk, finishing at Holme Next the Sea on the county’s northern coastline, where the coastal path then takes you east and south back to the county border with Suffolk.
HOW LONG IS PEDDARS WAY AND THE NORFOLK COAST PATH? Peddars Way is only 46 miles/74km, the Coast Path is almost twice as long at 85.5 miles/137km. In total, that’s 131.5 miles or 211km.
WHERE DOES THE PEDDARS WAY & NORFOLK COAST PATH BEGIN? The Peddars Way begins its march through Norfolk on the border with Suffolk, at Knettishall Heath, handing the baton over to the Coast Path at Holme Next the Sea.
AND WHERE DOES IT END? From Hunstanton, near Holme Next the Sea, the Coast Path follows the shoreline all the way east and down to Hopton-on-Sea, a couple of hundred metres from the Suffolk border.
HOW HARD IS IT? Actually fairly easy. The walking itself is straightforward and it’s hard to lose your way. The main difficulty is the lack of services (accommodation, food & transport) actually on the Peddars Way. Overcome that and you’ll find the Norfolk Coast a breeze, with services galore.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO WALK PEDDARS WAY AND THE NORFOLK COAST PATH? 7-12 days
IS IT A NATIONAL TRAIL: Yes
Introduction
If anybody knows anything about the topography of Norfolk, it’s that it’s famously flat. It was, perhaps, for that reason that I didn’t approach this National Trail with my usual enthusiasm. It’s not that I love struggling uphill, feeling my calf muscles pop and my buttocks burn. I know people like that exist, but that’s not me.
But there are two things that hills usually provide you with that I do love; expansive views is one of them, of course; but also peace and quiet. Because if you’ve huffed and puffed your way to top of a steep hill, you can be pretty sure that few other people will have bothered to do the same.
So I wasn’t my usual excitable self as the trek approached. This was the 14th different National Trail that Daisy had tackled, and it was one that, in all honesty, we did because we had finally decide that we needed to complete the set, rather than because I was looking forward to the walk itself. With the OS map free of contours, I just assumed I would be trudging past mile after mile of charmless, fenced-off holiday camps and, in North Norfolk at least, well-heeled residents luxuriating in the million-pound homes, while the rest of us trudge wearily alongside the fence at the bottom of their gardens. I thought it would lack any drama, any sense of the epic, and any adventure.
Which is why, I guess, when I did finally set foot on the trail, that I found the entire hike to be such a wonderful surprise – even if I was right about the holiday camps and million-pound homes.
The National Trail itself is actually two very different walks that just happen to be united by their proximity to each other. Both start close to the border with Suffolk and end within a couple of miles of each other on the North Norfolk shoreline. But in almost every other way, they are very different animals. Those lovely people who look after the National Trails seem to admit as much, by keeping the names of the two paths rather than trying to come up with a new one such as the the Norfolk Circuit or the Norfolk Explorer.
So perhaps I should follow suit and look at each path in turn, starting with the coast…
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Norfolk Coast Path While the entire national trail can be divided into two paths, so the Norfolk Coast Path can, in turn itself be divided into two (almost equal) sections: the east coast, and the northern shore. The eastern section from Hopton-on-Sea, just south of Great Yarmouth, up to Cromer, is perhaps the hardest section on the entire national trail. Though the path is flat, it also has a habit of disappearing. So while it’s difficult to lose your way – as long as you keep the sea to the same side of you, you’ll be going in the right direction – it is also difficult at times to stay on the actual trail. Sometimes the path just meanders into the dunes which, with the shifting sands, causes the path to simply vanish. While at other times the coastal erosion has caused the path to simply collapse onto the beach. However closely you manage to follow the path, you’ll find that this is undoubtedly the National Trail with the most beach walking – and I include in that the South-West Coast Path, a trail that’s almost five times bigger! As anyone who’s ever hiked on a beach before, particularly with a full rucksack, it’s the most difficult of terrain on which to walk. Sand becomes your biggest enemy on Norfolk’s eastern shore as every step becomes a trudge, every stroll a schlep, the sand simultaneously draining your energy and sapping morale. Indeed, sand will probably occupy your thoughts and attention for a great deal of this eastern coast as you zigzag up and down the beach to find, where the sand is damp, but not too wet, enabling you to have some firm ground underfoot. It is true that this eastern coast is probably the least attractive part of the entire national trail, but that’s because the north coast is so absolutely gorgeous. And there’s no shortage of lovely, lonely sandy beaches, and the dunes themselves are really interesting places where seals, deer and various species of birds can all be seen. But it’s also true that there are a lot of holiday camps stretching for miles abutting the beach on this eastern coast. And there are several places where erosion is bringing buildings toppling onto the sand; devastating for the owners, of course, and an eyesore for the rest of us. And speaking of eyesores, the biggest town on the entire national trail, Yarmouth, is nobody’s idea of beauty. It’s enough to make you wonder, at times, why they’ve chosen this county for a national trail. But then, if you’re tackling the trail anti-clockwise, you come to Cromer and the start of the north coast, and it all makes sense. The north coast is just a joy. After the lovely tourists towns of Cromer and Sheringham, the path embarks on a long meandering stretch through mile after mile of lonely marshland, which is just so peaceful and atmospheric. Often the only sounds you can here are the cry of the gulls, and the metallic clanking of rigging on mast. The walking is easy, the villages en-route – Wells-Next-the-Sea, Blakeney, Cley-Next-the-Sea, charming, and the scenery so, so pretty. And if that’s not enough, there is also the mighty sweep of sand at Holkham Beach, and some wonderfully beyond-your-budget houses, and fancy pubs-cum-bistros to spoil yourself. If you can’t enjoy walking here, I wonder if there’s a place in the world where you would? Peddar’s Way In contrast to the wide open spaces of the coast, Peddars Way is an overgrown, sheltered path that passes pretty much ruler straight for its entire 46-mile length through the centre of Norfolk. The trail is a Roman one which joins up with the even more ancient Icknield Way, which in turn meets with the Ridgeway, supposedly Britain’s oldest road, and which in turn hooks up with the Wessex Ridgeway, thereby creating one 360-mile route from England’s southern coast at Lyme Regis to Holme-Next-the-Sea at the northern end of Peddars Way. It’s a lovely walk, no doubt. There are very few people around, a lot of gorgeous countryside with wild-flower meadows and verges edging the trail for much of its length. But it does lack the drama of the coast, and, to be honest, can be a little monotonous. There are a lot of cereal fields, and you can while away an elevating few minutes learning about the differences between wheat, barley, rye, oats etc. And there are a lot of pig farms, too, and a pleasant moment can be spent indulging in hiking/porcine puns (‘Chop Chop! Let’s get crackling! We need to get bacon the trail, so off we trotter!’ etc etc.) But once all that piggery-jokery has faded – it doesn’t take long – you’re still left starting at mile after mile of similar scenery. It can make you wonder whether all the planning you’ve done to get this part of the trek organised is actually worth the reward. And with the very sparse supply of facilities and accommodation along the way, you will undoubtedly have done a lot of organising. Rest assured, it is worth it. Just about. Castle Acre, one of only two proper settlements along the way, is a lovely old place, and the view of the village and its castle from the neighbouring wetlands are just beautiful. And there’s so much wildlife about too. For our own part, we saw stoats, foxes, deer, partridges, slow worms, a rat and plenty of birdlife that add much to the charm of the path. (The rat, by the way, was near a MacDonalds, of all places – one of the most incongruous and surprising buildings to be found near a National Trail. I’m no fan, but it was welcome, and to be fair they do do good tea.) Thoughts on the trail overall My fears that this national trail would be a bit tame and humdrum were entirely unfounded. Each individual part has its faults – what trail doesn’t – but each is so different from the other that, together, make for a really diverse trail that, at times, is exceptional. The north coast in particular is blissful – one of my favourite stretches of any walk. The scenery may lack the might and majesty of a more mountainous trail, but what it lacks in gradients it makes up for in the variety of landscapes you pass through. You’ll need to put in some effort to plan your hike, particularly on the Peddars Way where services are few; but trust us, it’s worth it.
Is the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path for you?
Windmill at Cley next the Sea
One of many amusement arcades on the seafront at Great Yarmouth
Useful info for those walking Peddars Way & the Norfolk Coast Path
Transport to and from the path
It’s not too difficult getting to Norfolk, despite the lack, famously, of a motorway. For trains, you may well have to head into London before aiming for Yarmouth (for Hopton-on-Sea, a £20-25 taxi ride away), King’s Lynn (for the other end of the Coast Path at Hunstanton and one end of Peddars Way at Holme Next the Sea), or Thetford (a couple of miles from one end of Peddars Way at Knettishall Heath). The coach service National Express also serves each of these places, though if you’re coming from London you’ll have to change at Stansted Airport for either Yarmouth or Thetford, or Norwich for King’s Lynn.
Of course, getting to Norfolk is only half the battle. Once you’ve alighted the train you still need to catch a bus to get to Hopton (bus 1A from Yarmouth) or Hunstanton (bus 34, 35 & 36 from King’s Lynn), while for Knettishall Heath it’s either a fifteen-mile walk along the Iceni Way or a £20-25 taxi ride.
Transport along the Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast Path
As for Peddars Way? Well you can pretty much forget about using public transport along this remote trail. Trains are non-existent, and those buses that do serve the villages along the way tend to link them to Kings Lynn rather than to each other. So if you want to get from point A on the trail to Point B, you usually have to use two buses, one going into Kings Lynn and one coming back out again to your destination. And that’s assuming Points A and B are actually served by buses, which they probably aren’t. And even if they are, the buses are usually so infrequent as to make the task of synchronising them together virtually impossible.
Walking Norfolk with a dog
However, it’s fair to say that Daisy did suffer more on this trip than on almost any other – and it was wholly my fault. We happened to walk the Norfolk Coast Path during a heatwave and were caught out by it on three occasions. Thankfully no lasting harm was done, but at Holkham Beach, Salthouse Beach and the Winterton Dunes we had to severely ration our water and give most of it to the dog to ensure she made it through. Water was similarly hard come by on Peddars Way but the heatwave had thankfully dissipated by this time so the sense of panic was not quite so great.
Just take care and follow the usual rules about walking a dog along the trail.
So where might I get lost? The Romans built Peddars Way, and as you can probably imagine they built it to be broad, clearly defined, and, for large stretches, very straight too. The National Trail people do a good job of providing signposts on Peddars Way at places where you might need them, without swamping the path with so many that they blight the path itself.
As for the Coast Path, well, as contradictory as it may seem, it is both difficult to get lost but very easy to lose the path. Signposts are much less frequent here, and it’s difficult to keep to the ‘official’ path the whole time. But of course that doesn’t matter too much; as long as you keep the sea to the same side of you, it doesn’t really matter whether you choose to walk along the beach, through the dunes or even on the cliffs above. You’re still walking the Coast Path, in my opinion, and you shouldn’t feel too bad if you find out, on reaching your destination, that you actually took an ‘unauthorised’ path to get there.
Camping and accommodation along Peddars Way & the Norfolk Coast Path
One of the hardest parts of tackling this National Trail is actually staying on it. There is a thriving accommodation scene in Norfolk, particularly along the coast – it’s just not designed to cater for walkers who probably only want to spend one night at a place, will probably be on a tight-ish budget, might turn up at an odd hour and want to leave early in the morning, and may have a dog in tow too. That’s not how the vast majority of visitors to the county behave – and sensible accommodation owners will, of course, want to cater to the holidaymaking masses rather than the walking minority, no matter how loveable we are. The picture for Peddars Way is no better, with accommodation usually a mile or two from the path and in very scarce supply.
Our advice: be prepared to use a mix of accommodation – camping for some nights, hostel or B&B for others – and do look everywhere for accommodation. Airbnb may be vital in some places too; indeed, in some villages along the north Norfolk coast in particular it feels like every second house is a holiday let and while most won’t want someone for staying just one night, some will and it could be vital for the continuing success of your trek.
Camping Peddars Way is ill-served by campsites. There’s one at Knettishall Heath, at the very start of the trail (and thus, for most people, pointless), and two glamping sites (which are entirely different to campsites, of course, and probably more of interest to hotel-patrons than campers). But there’s nothing else.
The Coast Path is slightly more camper friendly. You can make you way around the entire north coast without needing to darken the doors and towels of a B&B. But the east coast is a different proposition, with only a glamping site at Winterton-on-Sea and a campsite at Waxham, near Sea Palling. Which all seems rather odd, when the trail is lined by holiday parks for much of its length along this stretch (parks that, alas, don’t want campers).
The hostel situation along both paths is pretty hopeless too. On the Coast Path there’s a YHA at Sheringham on the north coast and an independent hostel-cum-campsite on an organic farm at Burnham Deepdale. But with the Red Lion at Castle Acre currently not taking bookings, there are currently no hostels or bunkhouses on the Peddars Way.
Even the B&B/hotel situation is rather dire. Sure there are hundreds of B&Bs and hotels on the Coast Path. But once you take away those that don’t accept one-night stays, or dogs, and that have availability when you want to stay, and are within your budget – well, you’ll probably find yourself with very slim pickings indeed. And Peddars Way is even worse: as we highlight below, there are so few facilities along the actual path that you’ll probably find yourself walking a mile or two off the trail if you need anything, and that includes a bed for the night. And again, even if you are lucky enough to find something it almost definitely won’t be cheap.
Facilities along the Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast Path
Food and drink One of the undoubted joys of walking in Norfolk is in the eating. The seafood on the coast is fabulous and famous – with Cromer crab a particularly scrumptious local delicacy. But it’s not just the local ingredients but the way they’re prepared that is so great. The North Norfolk coast is one of the most affluent parts of the country and, as a result, the food is a little more fancy. It does make the whole trip more expensive – but can make each meal a culinary adventure too. The Peddars Way is a little more mundane; indeed, often on this part of the National Trail it’s rare that you have a choice of places to eat, and you’ll usually find yourself buying food whether you’re hungry or not, just in case you can’t find any more that day.
Shops, banks and ATMs The north Norfolk coast has plenty of shops, banks and ATMs; the east coast less so, but with careful planning you shouldn’t go short of anything. Peddars Way is a different kettle of fish, however, and outside of Little Cressingham, Castle Acre and Ringstead there are no shops on the trail, though you can find other alternatives if you’re prepared to take a detour or two. The shop at Castle Acre is the only source of readies as well, as they offer a cashback service to customers.
Trekking companies and baggage carriers Hikehelp are the only specialist baggage carrier we know of for this trail. A few big companies, including Contours and Mickledore – offer a luggage-carrying service and the whole self-guided tour package.
Dangers and annoyances
For seemingly such a straightforward trail, the Norfolk Coast Path and Peddars Way are potentially more hazardous than most routes. For one thing, the marshes and mudflats that you walk through on the north coast are particularly treacherous – don’t stray from the path (which usually follows the top of a sea defence) or you could be sucked in, never to return. There’s a reason why you occasionally see one set of footprints heading into the marshes – but none coming out again. Don’t go wandering off, even if you do see something of interest, and if you see a sheep or cow in distress, try to find the farmer rather than attempt to rescue it yourself.
There are also the cliffs, particularly on the eastern coast, that are crumbling into the sea. Walking either on top of them or at their base is, of course, foolhardy.
Tides can also come in very fast around here – make sure you know what the tide is doing and have an escape plan if you get stuck.
The sea can be so inviting on a hot day but again, swimming off the Norfolk coast is not an entirely risk-free activity. There are dangerous undertows and riptides along many of the shores, so make sure you find out from locals where it’s safe to swim. If you can find a beach with a lifeguard, so much the better.
Finally, there are surprisingly long stretches, particularly on Peddars Way but also on the long empty coastal stretches, where it’s impossible to get supplies. Usually this just means you’ll feel a bit hungry. But if it’s a hot day or you’re ill-prepared, you may not have brought enough water for the hike, which can far more problematic and life-threatening. Bring plenty of water.
Tips and hints
1) Bring binoculars. They’re invaluable for birdwatching – and you’ll be seeing species of birds that you’ve never seen before, and may not even know existed. But they’re also useful for spotting seals in the sea, and seeing if that round black lump bobbing in the water is just a buoy, or something more interesting.
2) Don’t ever set off each day without water, and make sure you replenish it whenever you get the chance. This trail is characterised by stretches where water – other than unpotable sea and marsh water – is unavailable. Add in the lack of shade for much of the coastline and it’s a recipe for disaster. I know this seems like a cosy, twee little trail compared to the mighty Pennine Way or Coast to Coast. But does have its dangers, and dehydration is definitely one of them.
3) We’ve already spoken about the lack of facilities on the Peddars Way, so do pack a few energy bars and other snacks in your rucksack – you’ll be so glad you did.
4) Trying to take a good photo of the marshes? They’re extraordinary places, but capturing this essence of ‘atmospheric emptiness’ is tricky. Indeed, most people just end up with lots of photos of, well, blank spaces. While it might sound counter-intuitive, in order to highlight the lonely tranquillity of the salt marshes, put something in the foreground, such as a bird, or a boat, or a fellow hiker. This has the advantage of drawing the eye into the picture, and adds interest to it. More imprtantly, it also helps to emphasise the emptiness that lies all around.
5) At Hopton-on-Sea, before you start or finish your walk, head south along the coast from the start sign for just a couple of hundred metres; do so and you’ll reach the border with Suffolk – just as you do at the other end of the trail.
Peddars Way & the Norfolk Coast Path: Further info
- The first place to go would be the official website of the Peddars Way and the Norfolk Coast Path
- A thorough look at the Coast Path can be found on this eponymous page
- Wikipedia have a page on the Norfolk Coast Path and the Peddars Way
- The local tourist office also have their own site dedicated to the Norfolk Coast Path
- Explore Norfolk have their own site on the Peddars Way
The Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast Path Guide!
‘Trailblazer really have got it right with their route maps. They rival Wainwright’s mapping for accuracy and detail and if anything are actually easier on the eye to read.’ Backpack magazine, winter 2016
‘Hikers will be delighted’ Evergreen Magazine
Practical, all-in-one guide to the Norfolk Coast Path and Peddars Way, a relatively easy but beguiling walk that runs for 85.5 miles (137km) along almost the entire Norfolk Coast, before heading across the county on the ancient Peddars Way all the way to the Suffolk border.
* 77 large-scale walking maps at 1:20,000 (8cm or 31/8 inches to 1 mile) and 45 guides to towns and villages.
* Accommodation for all budgets – campsites, hostels, B&Bs, guesthouses, pubs and hotels with reviews.
* Places to eat – cafes, tearooms, pubs, takeaways and restaurants with reviews.
* Detailed public transport information for all access points on the path.
* Itineraries for all walkers – for the entire route or weekend and day walks.
* Downloadable GPS waypoints also available on the Trailblazer website.
* Colour overview and stage maps (one stage per page) with trail profiles (showing ascents and descents).
* Walking with a dog: Henry Stedman, the author of this website, was accompanied along the Norfolk Coast Path and Peddars Way by his dog, Daisy.
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