If you’re looking for a memorable day out, taking in a handful of pubs along some of the most beautiful and peaceful coastline in the country, look no further than the North Norfolk Coast, using the bus to hop between pubs!
The Sanders CH1 Coasthopper bus runs between Cromer and Wells-next-the-Sea, stopping at various villages along the wonderful wide-skied North Norfolk coast. Day and multi-day tickets are valid for as many journeys as you like, which makes the service an ideal way to visit the pubs along the way, hopping on and off the buses, which run every hour in the winter and every half hour in the summer, between about 9.30am and 6pm – be careful not to miss the last bus!
We use the bustimes.org website to track buses – it uses the buses’ geolocators so you know exactly where they are, usually to within the last minute or so – if you have signal, which can’t always be guaranteed in this part of the world!
You can also walk between a lot of the pubs along the beautiful North Norfolk Coastal Path, or just walking along quiet country lanes, but don’t forget you only have about 6 hours in total, so careful planning is needed to make the best of your visit – and you will need to return several times to do the whole trail!
From Norwich, you can get to Cromer in about 40 minutes by rail, or an hour by bus. We usually leave early enough to get to the furthest pub – usually the Anchor at Morston, as Stiffkey and Wells are a little too far away for a day trip – around lunchtime, to give us plenty of time to ‘hop’ back.
The CH1 route starts in the west at Wells-next-the-Sea, famous for its harbour, beach huts and fish & chips – for details of its pubs, check out our Wells trail.
The first village to the east is Stiffkey, which you’ll often hear (mis?) pronounced as ‘Stookey’. The Red Lion is a 4-minute walk from the Stores stop, but the bus may stop on request at the pub if you’re lucky!
The Anchor at Morston (left) is the next pub, with a pleasant garden facing the road.
From the Anchor, we head to Blakeney, either by bus or walking along the coastal path, which takes about 30-40 minutes and brings you out on the picturesque harbour. The village has two pubs and two hotel bars, all serving real ales: the Blakeney Hotel and the Manor Hotel are both on the front, the White Horse and the Kings Arms a short walk away.
The next village to the east is Cley Next the Sea, which can be reached on foot (taking about an hour!) along the coastal path from in front of the Manor Hotel, or (in about 5 minutes!) by bus – the stop is reached walking from the western end of the harbour, inland past the Kings Arms back to the coast road.
There’s also a third option, which is to get the bus, but get off before you reach Cley, at Wiveton Hall (request stop) and walk down Hall Lane to the Wiveton Bell, opposite the imposing St Mary the Virgin church, and from there across the Glaven Valley to Cley, via the Three Swallows.
Cley has two pubs, both with lovely beer gardens, the George & Dragon (above right) on the main street, and the Three Swallows (left) a ten-minute walk south from the tight corner by the deli (unless you’ve come via the Bell of course!). From the garden of the George & Dragon it’s a short walk to the Grade II listed Cley Windmill.
The next stop is the Dun Cow at Salthouse (right), with its huge saltmarsh-facing garden, and ‘secret’ enclosed rear garden through the courtyard, followed by Weybourne, with the delightful Ship opposite All Saints Church. The dramatic stone beach with cliffs is a 5-10 minute walk from the pub.
Sheringham is a lively tourist town, with several pubs and clubs and the terminal for the train line to Norwich, as well as one end of the North Norfolk Railway, which runs steam trains via Weybourne (about a mile inland from Weybourne itself) to Holt. There are two clubs near the station(s), the Tyneside and the Morley, two new micros, the Lines’ End and the Gangway opposite the NNR station, with the pubs a short walk towards the beach: the Robin Hood, the Windham Arms, the Lobster and the Crown Inn on the sea front.
Towards West Runton is the Fishmonger’s Tavern (left), owned by a local fishing family, but with a good selection of real ales, and in West Runton itself is the Village Inn (below right), with its large garden and plaque commemorating the West Runton Pavilion, a long-gone music venue behind the pub, which featured acts like the Clash, Sex Pistols, Iron Maiden and Motorhead back in the 1970s and early 80s, despite being little more than a village hall!
On leaving the pub, you can turn left to the beach, about 5 minutes walk away, pick up the bus to East Runton from the stop 50m east, or cross the coast road and head inland to the railway station for trains via Cromer to Norwich.
East Runton has two pubs, the White Horse (left) and the Fishing Boat, and Harry’s Bar, officially a club.
The last stop on the route is Cromer, which has a whole separate trail to itself!