With its award-winning sandy beach, the Norfolk resort of Wells-next-the-sea offers the perfect balance between vibrant town life and coastal wilderness. WORDS: LIZ HOLLIS

Wells-next-the-Sea isn’t actually next to the sea at all – but a mile-long walk away along the flood-defence bank. It takes longer than you expect as you brace against the sea wind and stop to admire the view across the harbour.

But it’s worth the effort. Your reward is a vast sandy beach, arguably the finest in Britain – as The Sunday Times has crowned it. At the very least, according to The Telegraph, it’s up there in the top 20.

As the sea retreats it leaves vast sandbanks and water rivulets that invite you to build dams and sandcastles. But as the infamous Wells tide comes in the whole area is rapidly engulfed by the sea.

Watching the power and pace of the tide as it rolls in, is one of the highlights of your beach day when you’re safely behind the high-water foam lines. The benign trickling stream widens into a deep, swirling channel within minutes and the lifeboat regularly collects hapless visitors who walk on to the sand and salt marshes and are stranded by the incoming tide.

Beachgoers have two options – a noisy, bucket and spade version lined by the town’s iconic beach huts (many for hire) and ice-cream sellers. Or take a short walk along the shoreline and the crowds utterly disappear, replaced by miles of coastal wilderness.

The shoreline is backed by sand-dunes and fragrant pinewoods – an incredible three-mile nature reserve stretching from Wells through to neighbouring Holkham. The canopy of trees dampens the beach sounds and in the summer the hush is punctuated by the birdsong of thrushes, finches and warblers.

With its pinecone-strewn sandy floor, fallen tree trunks and tiny hills to run up and down, this magical location will pep up even the most recalcitrant child on a family walk.

Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Wells-next-the-Sea was a significant fishing port in the 16th century, sending ships to Iceland, exporting grain and later importing coal.

In the eighteenth century it was a manufacturing town, once supplying huge quantities of malt to Holland and London breweries. The impressive granary buildings still line the harbour and have been transformed into cafes, flats, shops and restaurants.

The town’s heyday was in the 19th century when huge wooden sailing vessels were built in the two shipyards and the iconic stone quay was built. The arrival of the railway in 1857 marked the beginning of the end for the town’s sea-going trade – but cargo vessels docked at the quayside as recently as the 1980s, until ships became too large to use the port.

The town is at its energetic best as the day ends and the beach empties. The lights from houses and shops twinkle over the quayside and the queues grow for the legendary French’s fish and chips – best eaten sitting on the flood barrier wall watching the boats and children crabbing over the edge of the quay.

It’s the perfect location if you can’t decide whether you prefer vibrant town life or wild natural coastal landscapes. Wells has both. It’s a busy town, big enough to keep you occupied with exhibitions, films, cafes, sports, pubs, independent shops and an annual carnival. It’s vibrant but manageable and if it all gets too much there is endless isolated and stunning coastline just a short walk away.

The second homeowners and holiday lets are moving in, and the locals would rather they didn’t. But they haven’t taken over yet as they have at nearby Brancaster or Burnham Market – dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea. Locals in the know head to Wells for a beach day, avoiding the overly gentrified and well-heeled resorts further along the north Norfolk coast.

Then there are the houses in Wells. They are the stuff of every dream of living by the sea  – flint fishermen’s cottages, higgledy piggledy terraces, converted maltings flats and grand Georgian seaside mansions.

This is one of the most appealing coastal towns in East Anglia. It hits that sweet spot between a kiss-me-quick resort, a working fishing port and gentrification. It doesn’t get much better.

Where to buy

There are distinct areas of the town. Buttlands, a rectangular green lined with lime trees, boasts some fine Georgian and Victorian houses. The picturesque narrow lanes in the town centre, such as Staithe Street, offer sought-after terraced houses. Then there’s the quay, harbour and outer town where you can find maltings converted into modern flats, bungalows and more recently-built houses.

Consider villages to the south or south east for the best value – especially if you’re after one of the typical flint cottages. Warham, with its famous eaterie Warham Horse Shoes or Binham (with its ancient priory and huge modern village hall) are great places to live.

How much?

Property in the town isn’t cheap – with an average of £476,480 last year, according to Rightmove, but is more affordable than towns and villages further west. For example, Burnham Market, six-miles away and dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea, where the average was £704,000.

Detached properties sold for an average of £547,000 in Wells, with semi-detached properties fetching £373,942. The majority of sales last year were terraced properties.

Travel links

The town is on the main A149 coast road between Holkham and Stiffkey. It’s an hour’s drive to the county capital of Norwich on the A1067. The nearest train station is Sheringham (17 miles, regular trains to Norwich taking around an hour) and King’s Lynn (28 miles, direct connect to King’s Cross, London).

Regular bus services connect all the towns and villages along the north Norfolk coast. The Coastliner 36 runs hourly, every day and heads west to King’s Lynn, stopping at many smaller villages and the big towns. The Coasthopper bus operates regularly to nearby Sheringham and Cromer.

Schools

Wells-next-the-Sea Junior, Walsingham Primary and Alderman Peel High School are rated good by Ofsted. Half an hour away by car is Gresham’s, the private school whose alumni include award-winning actor Olivia Colman and inventor James Dyson.

Facilities

Wells Maltings is an impressive cultural and community hub with a year-round programme of film, theatre, music, talks and exhibitions. Sport-A-Peel, in the high school, has a gym, pool and tennis courts. There’s a Parkrun at nearby Holkham Hall, a town library, a post office, a health and wellbeing centre in the former cottage hospital, offering health services such as foot care, dentistry and exercise classes.

Reality check

Wells-next-the-Sea isn’t well connected with transport links, so it’s not ideal if you have a regular commute to Norwich or London. The town school also doesn’t have a sixth form, so post-16 students travel to Fakenham, Norwich or Sheringham – and buses and trains can be tricky.

It doesn’t have as many second homes as some of the most sought-after coastal spots such as Salthouse or Morston, where around half of houses are second or holiday homes. However, second homes are on the rise and locals often aren’t keen. If you’re thinking of moving, ideally make it your primary residence

Time out

Wrap up warm and stride out to the beach along the mile-long quayside finishing off with tea and a sausage roll at the Beach Cafe. If you’re feeling energetic, take a circular walk to Holkham taking in the fragrant pinewoods that line the beach.

Go crabbing on the quay, buy fish and chips from one of the quayside chippies and sit and eat them on the harbour wall. Rent one of the famous beach huts for the day and have some Brancaster Oysters delivered (£18 for a box of 12).

Those-in-the-know look out for Randy’s Seafood Truck – the garlic lobster and fries are sublime. Check locations on social media @randysseafood.

Enjoy the town from the water on a tour of the harbour which takes you past the historical maltings buildings and out into the salt marsh creeks. An hour-long trip costs around £15 with wellsharbourtours.com. Or book a trip on the restored 1940 boat Lucy Lavers, which took part in the Dunkirk evacuation  – rescuewoodenboats.com.

The town is surround by attractive countryside which boasts several internationally-important wetland and coastal reserves. Blakeney National Nature Reserve is close, a four-mile shingle spit which is an internationally important habitat, especially for grey seals and sandwich terns. One of the best ways to see the wildlife is by taking a trip with Bishops Boats (bishopsboats.co.uk). The seals bask on the point or pop up around the boat.

A seven-mile circular walk to Holkham is a treat. You’ll see salt marshes, sand dunes and head through the fragrant pine forest that lines the beach. These distinctive trees were planted in the nineteenth century to stabilise the sand dunes.

Four miles south of Wells-next-the-Sea sits Walsingham, one of the main centres for pilgrimage in England which rivalled Canterbury in its medieval heyday. Now, around 30,000 visitors flock to the two shrines each year. A miniature railway shuttles between the village and Wells-next-the-Sea. It’s the longest 10¼ gauge railway in the world.

Wells-next-the-Sea has some must-visit pubs and restaurants. Wells Crab House was voted best seafood establishment, in the 2023 Food Awards England. The award-winning Two Magpies Bakery recently opened on the Quay, serving ridiculously delicious cakes, including the highly recommended rhubarb and orange bakewell traybake. The Wells Maltings has a great cafe – try its famous hot chocolate (milk, dark or deluxe) and bacon ciabattas.

Pay a visit

Stay at The Globe Inn, on the Buttlands, with rooms designed to emulate the colours of the north Norfolk coast, from around £120 for a double room (theglobeatwells.co.uk). It serves fresh, local food and even has a ‘dog menu’ (superfood and salmon chews, £2.90).

The Grade II listed Three Horseshoes in nearby Warham has rooms from around £185 for a double and is known for its home-cooked pies and puddings (warhamhorseshoes.co.uk).

Bang, a bistro and bar in Staithe Street, charges from around £115 per night for a double with breakfast included (banginwells.co.uk). It also serves great food from 8.30am to 9pm.

What you can get for your money

Here are some of our favourite Wells-next-the-Sea properties for sale:

FORMER FISHERMEN’S COTTAGE (GUIDE PRICE £395,000)

End terrace, two-bedroom, brick and flint period cottage, just a few steps away from the quay. beltonduffey.co.uk

LUXURY APARTMENT (GUIDE PRICE £525,000)

A one-bedroom apartment in a landmark building – a former granary, built in 1902 and used to store cereal awaiting export across Europe. Huge windows and a view of the harbour. sowerbys.com

DETACHED FAMILY HOME (GUIDE PRICE £499,950)

A three-bedroom, fully refurbished, modern home within walking distance of the town centre. beltonduffey.co.uk

CONVERTED CHAPEL (GUIDE PRICE £450,000)

A converted two-bedroom chapel, built in 1872, in the nearby village of Warham, just a short walk from the celebrated Three Horseshoes pub. beltonduffey.co.uk