The whole Norfolk coast, from Sutton Bridge on the Lincolnshire border to Hopton-on-Sea at the Suffolk border, in the Norfolk Coast Partnership's nine stages: the banks of the Wash, the north coast by Wells and Blakeney, the cliffs by Cromer and the dunes and beaches of the east.
Best season: All year. The path is open all year, and National Trails names no best time: summer weather is generally better and the hedgerows flower, spring and autumn bring the bird migrations, and winter walking can be very good. The England Coast Path stretches may have restrictions and diversions at any time of year for wildlife, land management or safety. Before you go
Loading your plan…
Checking the seasons, closures and current conditions for today…
Nine stages, the Norfolk Coast Partnership's own, of about 15 to 28 km on flat ground. Every stage ends in a town or village; beds are few at Burnham Overy Staithe and Sea Palling and at Hopton-on-Sea, the finish. Wells-next-the-Sea and Great Yarmouth, on the way, split the longer days. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From the Crosskeys Bridge at Sutton Bridge along the sea banks of the Wash and the Peter Scott Walk by the Great Ouse to King's Lynn: 25.6 km by the partnership's line. This stretch opened in March 2024. It is remote: Natural England says there are no facilities or connecting paths for several miles, so carry food and water for the day.
King's Lynn Town or village
A town with services and a station: trains from London take just under two hours, National Trails says. The stage ends by the bus station.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 2: Along the banks of the Wash by Snettisham to Hunstanton: 27.7 km, the longest stage. At Ken Hill, Snettisham, the path has run on top of the flood bank since a change approved in November 2025.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
A seaside town with guest houses and a bus station, where the path turns east along the north coast.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 3: From Hunstanton by Holme, where the Peddars Way meets the coast, to Burnham Overy Staithe: 25.9 km. Deepdale Camping & Rooms at Burnham Deepdale is on the path about 6 km before the end, for a shorter day.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
Few beds: the partnership names The Hero, which has rooms and serves food, and says Burnham Market, about 2 km inland, has more. Deepdale Camping & Rooms is on the path about 6 km before.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 4: By Wells-next-the-Sea, Stiffkey and Morston to Blakeney: 23.2 km. From August to October 2026 the Environment Agency is repairing the Morston East Bank, and National Trails signs a short diversion about 1.5 km before Blakeney.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
A village with a range of accommodation, the partnership says, on the Coasthopper CH1 bus.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 5: By Cley and Weybourne to Sheringham: 17.7 km. The shingle bank from Cley to Weybourne is slow going: National Trails says to allow extra time. At Skelding Hill, just before Sheringham, a signed diversion goes inland while the path is repaired; our line keeps the cliff path.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A town with a good range of accommodation, the partnership says, the Coasthopper CH1 and Bittern Line trains to Norwich.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Cromer to Overstrand beach (stage 6, km 7.9): The beach from Cromer to Overstrand is passable in all but the highest tides, National Trails says; it is best walked between mid and low tide. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 6: By Cromer and Overstrand to Mundesley: 19.3 km on our line, about 4.4 km shorter than the partnership's 23.7 km, whose line leaves the path and comes back. Diversions at Beeston Bump and along the closed sea wall at Overstrand. The beach from Cromer to Overstrand is passable in all but the highest tides; it is best between mid and low tide.
Mundesley Town or village
A village on the cliffs, on the Coasthopper CH2 bus to Cromer and North Walsham.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Mundesley to Bacton beach (stage 7, km 1.1): The beach between Mundesley and Bacton cannot be passed at high tide, National Trails says: check the tides before you set off. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 7: By Bacton and Happisburgh to Sea Palling: 16.8 km. The beach between Mundesley and Bacton cannot be passed at high tide: check the tides first. At Eccles-on-Sea little terns and ringed plovers nest on the beach: from early April until the chicks fledge in August the colony is fenced, and RSPB signs lead walkers round it.
Sea Palling Town or village
A small village with a couple of places to stay and to eat, the partnership says. No bus was confirmed here.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Hemsby beach (stage 8, km 13.8): The cliff-top route for high tide has been lost to erosion, so the path keeps to the beach, which depends on the tide. From where it joins the beach it is 2.3 miles (3.7 km) to clear the erosion site, National Trails says: check the tides and allow time not to be cut off. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 8: By Winterton, Hemsby and Scratby to Caister-on-Sea: 18.9 km on our line, about 7.3 km shorter than the partnership's 26.2 km, whose line leaves the path and comes back. At Hemsby the cliff-top route for high tide has been lost to erosion and Footpath 2 (The Marrams) is closed: the beach depends on the tide, and it is 2.3 miles (3.7 km) to clear the erosion site. Grey seals come ashore to breed near Horsey and Winterton each winter.
Caister-on-Sea Town or village
The path keeps to the shore; the village centre is about 600 m inland, with the Coastal Clipper 1/1A bus to Great Yarmouth.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Gorleston to Hopton shore (stage 9, km 12.9): At high tide, use the alternative route National Trails signs on the ground between Gorleston and Hopton-on-Sea. Otherwise: the signed high-tide route. Check a tide table for the day and cross in the hours around low water.
Stage 9: Through Great Yarmouth and Gorleston to Hopton-on-Sea at the Suffolk border: 15.5 km. Little terns nest on the dunes of the North Denes, south of Caister. Between Gorleston and Hopton a signed route avoids the shore at high tide.
Longest day: day 2, 6 h 58.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are measured on each stage's mapped line by our route analysis (terrain heights and our hiking-time model, moving time only): no time is published for these stages.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sutton Bridge to King's Lynn | King's Lynn · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 2. King's Lynn to Hunstanton | Gate Lodge | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 3. Hunstanton to Burnham Overy Staithe | Tower Windmill | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 4. Burnham Overy Staithe to Blakeney | Admirals Hill | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 5. Blakeney to Sheringham | Whelk Coppers | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 6. Sheringham to Mundesley | Mundesley · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 7. Mundesley to Sea Palling | Sea Palling · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 8. Sea Palling to Caister-on-Sea | Caister-on-Sea · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 9. Caister-on-Sea to Hopton-on-Sea | Hopton-on-Sea · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
Loading the forecast for on the trail (32 m)…
Typical weather on this trail, around -6–70 m. Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/9 | 1/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 0/9 |
| Day / night | 7°/2° | 7°/2° | 9°/3° | 12°/5° | 15°/8° | 18°/11° | 20°/13° | 21°/13° | 18°/11° | 14°/8° | 10°/5° | 8°/3° |
| Rain, mm | 59 | 54 | 42 | 38 | 50 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 63 | 79 | 71 | 58 |
| Snow at high point | – | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 8 h 06 | 9 h 50 | 11 h 45 | 13 h 54 | 15 h 46 | 16 h 53 | 16 h 28 | 14 h 50 | 12 h 47 | 10 h 43 | 8 h 45 | 7 h 38 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Accommodation on the coast fills up quickly in summer, National Trails says, so book ahead; some places have refused single-night stays. There is no right to wild camp: camp only with the landowner's permission. Beds are few at Burnham Overy Staithe and Sea Palling, and the partnership says there is little at Hopton-on-Sea: go back to one of the towns. Campsites close for winter: West Runton's Camping and Caravanning Club site is open from 27 March to 26 October 2026 and from 22 March 2027.
On 13 October 2026 National Trails lists diversions at Morston (stage 4, the Environment Agency's bank repairs, August to October 2026), at Skelding Hill (stage 5) and Beeston Bump (stage 6) by Sheringham, and at Overstrand (stage 6), where the sea wall is closed and the path goes inland along the Paston Way. At Hemsby (stage 8) Footpath 2, The Marrams, is closed after erosion. Each stage says where our line meets them. Follow the signs on the ground.
National Trails: trail information and mapNorfolk County Council keeps the official list of closures and temporary route changes on the path. It refused our request on 13 October 2026, so we could not read it: check it before you go.
Norfolk County Council: notices, closures and route changesFour stretches depend on the tide. The beach from Cromer to Overstrand is passable in all but the highest tides. The beach from Mundesley to Bacton cannot be passed at high tide. At Hemsby the path keeps to the beach, with 2.3 miles (3.7 km) to clear the erosion site and no high-tide route. Between Gorleston and Hopton a signed route avoids the shore at high tide. Check the tides before these stages.
National Trails: route descriptionLittle terns and ringed plovers nest on the beach at Eccles-on-Sea from early April to August, behind fences, and little terns on the dunes of the North Denes at Great Yarmouth; grey seals breed near Horsey and Winterton in winter. Keep dogs under effective control, on a short lead near livestock, and follow the seasonal restrictions signed on the ground.
National Trails: England Coast Path East Anglia, top tipsFrom Sutton Bridge to King's Lynn the path follows the sea banks of the Wash and the Great Ouse with no facilities for several miles, Natural England says. Services and transport are in the centres of Sutton Bridge and King's Lynn: carry food and water for the day.
Natural England: the path opens up the Norfolk coastlineClosures and notices last checked 13 October 2026: National Trails: England Coast Path East Anglia notices (map, part 1) · National Trails: England Coast Path East Anglia notices (map, part 2) · National Trails: Hemsby route closure · National Trails: Morston diversion · National Trails: Norfolk Coast Path notices (map, part 1) · National Trails: Norfolk Coast Path notices (map, part 2). Check them again before you set out.
Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Trains from London reach King's Lynn in just under two hours, National Trails says. From King's Lynn the 505 bus towards Spalding stops at Sutton Bridge, the partnership says.
Norfolk Coast Partnership: stage lines and travelThe Coasthopper CH1 (Sanders Coaches) runs every day all year from Wells-next-the-Sea by Stiffkey, Morston, Blakeney, Cley, Weybourne and Sheringham to Cromer; extra journeys run from 1 May to 31 October only, and the winter Sunday timetable starts on 1 November. The CH2 runs from Cromer by Overstrand to Mundesley and North Walsham. Greater Anglia's Bittern Line links Sheringham, West Runton, Cromer and North Walsham with Norwich. Buses also serve Hunstanton.
Sanders Coaches: Coasthopper CH1 timetable (PDF)First's Coastal Clipper 1/1A runs all year from Martham by Winterton, Hemsby, Scratby and Caister to Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Lowestoft. Trains run often between Great Yarmouth and Norwich.
First Norfolk & Suffolk: timetablesAt the finish, take the 1/1A bus to Great Yarmouth, the partnership says; the nearest stop in First's timetable is Corton, Waterside Holiday Village, just past Hopton. Traveline plans journeys across the whole coast.
Traveline: journey plannerTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: on the banks of the Wash and the marshes the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
National Trails gives 112 miles (180 km) from Sutton Bridge to Hopton-on-Sea, about 9 days; the Norfolk Coast Partnership's nine stage lines add up to about 202 km, in 9 sections on our map. The guide's day planner offers a 9-day plan on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
All year. The path is open all year, and National Trails names no best time: summer weather is generally better and the hedgerows flower, spring and autumn bring the bird migrations, and winter walking can be very good.
Trains from London reach King's Lynn in just under two hours, National Trails says. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 3 more travel notes.
Accommodation on the coast fills up quickly in summer, National Trails says, so book ahead; some places have refused single-night stays.
Yes: the whole route and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch 6 official notice pages (National Trails: England Coast Path East Anglia notices (map, part 1); National Trails: England Coast Path East Anglia notices (map, part 2); National Trails: Hemsby route closure; National Trails: Morston diversion; National Trails: Norfolk Coast Path notices (map, part 1); National Trails: Norfolk Coast Path notices (map, part 2)); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
National Trails gives the Norfolk Coast Path as 112 miles (180 km), from Sutton Bridge on the Lincolnshire border to Hopton-on-Sea at the Suffolk border, about 9 days; it was extended west from Hunstanton and east from Cromer as stretches of the King Charles III England Coast Path. National Trails publishes no stage times and no stage list, so the times here are measured on our line. The nine stages, west to east, are the Norfolk Coast Partnership's: its stage lines add up to about 202 km, because some leave the path into a town and come back. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 77959, "Norfolk Coast Path", and from Sutton Bridge to the Peter Scott Walk the England Coast Path, relation 17320572, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 190.1 km, cut at the nine stage ends. Stages 1 to 5 agree with the partnership's lengths within about 1.5%. Stage 6 is about 4.4 km and stage 8 about 7.3 km shorter than the partnership's, whose lines include detours off the path and back. Our climb is measured on terrain heights; the path is gentle and mostly flat.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
National Trails: Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast PathMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation