Sheringham, on the north Norfolk coast, is a seaside town which has, over many years, grown up around its original old fishing village. Centred on a traditional high street the town itself has a wide range of privately owned shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, a good selection of specialist shops and a Tesco supermarket, and a popular twice-weekly market is held on the car park next to the railway station. An annual crab and lobster festival is held in May and a colourful carnival is held at the beginning of August. The town is also the home of the North Norfolk Railway, known as The Poppy Line, which operates steam train rides inland to the town of Holt.
Sheringham promenade, with its rows of colourful beach huts and fishing boats pulled up on the slipway, is a pleasant place to take a stroll, and there's a small cafe and refreshment hut where you can get drinks, snacks and ice cream. Towards the eastern end of the promenade is a museum with a viewing gallery set high above the building, giving fantastic views over the town, sea and countryside. To the west of the slipway steps and winding slopes lead from the promenade up the cliff to gardens at the top, where there are lawned areas, a play area, fishpond, rockeries with an ornamental stream running through, an abundance of colourful flower beds and plenty of places where you can sit and watch the world go by.
In Upper Sheringham, just outside the main town, you find Sheringham Park which is managed by the National Trust and has a visitors centre, shop and cafe. There are miles of scenic countryside paths to explore, and gazebos and observation towers with far-reaching views over the coast. The park can be enjoyed at any time of year but visit in late spring and you'll see the fabulously colourful rhododendrons and azaleas in full bloom. Best of all, dogs are allowed and in certain parts of the park they can even be let off the lead.
There's much more to Sheringham than I can possibly write here; it's a lovely place without the commercial feel of much larger seaside resorts, and for anyone holidaying in the Norfolk area it's well worth paying a visit. Photos of Sheringham can be found in my post from Friday September 12th 2014.
