Local Area Information
Why visit this part of the world? The answer is different for everyone; for me, I love and need the peace and quiet and fresh air. I love waking up to hear nothing but silence, the sea wind and the sound of bird-calls, to sit in the garden and watch the sea change colour and the sun rise over the horizon. The bungalows provide a good base for exploring the east coast of Norfolk, there is something here for everyone. Locally the beach is obviously the main attraction with its gorgeous golden sand and the Norfolk Coastal Path for serious hikers. The beach is dog-friendly all year round and stretches for miles in either direction.
Just a few miles away Thrigby Hall has a collection of tigers, as well as many other animals. Hirsty's Fun Farm is a short drive, great fun for little people. Further afield is Great Yarmouth with the Pleasurebeach, Joyland and a Sealife Centre and Wroxham Barns with animals and specialist local shops - this is a great place for getting unusual Christmas gifts. For nature lovers, Horsey Seal Colony has to be top on the "things to do" list. Seals hang out on the beach doing their thing all year round; in the winter months thousands migrate to the beach to deliver their pups which is an amazing spectacle. Horsey is eight miles north of Scratby, four miles from Hemsby. I would recommend parking at the Nelson Head pub and having lunch there - the seals are a short walk along the footpath. Fleggburgh has a huge, peaceful lake to walk around with all sorts of birds to spot and a tea room - this is just a few miles away.
Hemsby is great for small scale amusements, slot machines, cafes and seaside food - some are open all year, some seasonal.
Great Yarmouth has a leisure centre with a good sized pool and fun inflatables (check website to find times etc), nearer to home the Oasis swimming pool on the nearby holiday park is open to the public, but the times/availability varies on this so needs to be telephoned in advance.
There are so many restaurants/pubs to try you would need to go to a different one every day of your holiday to try them. We have a list of ones we have tried and liked at the bungalow in an information folder, with postcodes. Always telephone and book ahead as many kitchens close at 8pm in this part of the world and so get heavily booked up. If you fancy an exotic ice cream sundae, some salted caramel cheesecake or a good value Sunday carvery, head out to one of the local restaurants such as The Smokehouse, The Bell at Hemsby, The Centurion at Caister, the Californian Tavern or the Lacon Arms at Hemsby.