Author Archives: manonabeach

About manonabeach

On a beach…welcome to manonabeach.com, where I’ll regularly add video of my beach visits, so you can enjoy a flavour of the beach, even when you’re not there.

Salthouse beach

Season: summer

A storm surge had covered the car park with some of the shingle beach, a striking change since my last visit. This was a tranquil day though, as visitors and fishermen enjoyed the sunshine next to the sea. This beach draws your eye back to the salt marsh and the pretty village beyond. There is a harmony between nature and the built environment. You can walk by the sea for miles from here in either direction, losing yourself in the subtle greys, blues and whites.

Our timeless relationship with the sea.

A harmony of colours at Salthouse beach.

Reflections on change from Ken, Alan and Dave.

Season: summer

Salthouse beach sits to the east of Cley-Next-The-Sea in front of a salt marsh in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It attracts migratory birds, en route from the Arctic to Africa and vice versa. There is tranquility here, punctuated by the rhythmic pull of the sea on the shingle beach, as the tide ebbs and flows.

Robert’s enjoyment of this beach and further inland.

The beach at Salthouse.

Cromer beach

Season: autumn

Cromer was popularised in Victorian times. It’s a combination of the old and the new. The historic seafront has Bed and Breakfasts that date back to the late 1800’s. Landscaped cliff gardens, which bloom with colour during the summer months, overlook vast stretches of unspoilt, sandy beach. A small funfair near the town is ideal for young children, while all ages will enjoy crabbing, a pastime keenly pursued along the spectacular pier. The narrow streets are filled with interesting shops and plenty of places to enjoy the excellent food, including the famous Cromer crab.

Jocasta’s view of the beach as a reference point through generations.

The pier at Cromer and its setting.

Season: summer

You can have your crab boiled and dressed in Cromer and there’s nowhere better to enjoy it. The warm sunshine had brought the crowds out during this summer visit. Families played on the golden sands and visitors thronged the characterful streets above and behind the strand itself. As the sea foamed under the pier’s foundations, I met Sam, who was enjoying the elemental dynamic whilst developing cycling shapes and stunts.

The elemental dynamic of the beach for Sam.

The beach and the pier at Cromer, as seen from above.

Cley-Next-The-Sea

Season: summer

An art exhibition was taking place, including a few installations on the beach itself. Keen birdwatchers thronged the top of the shingle beach and a redshank was perched on a post top on the approach road. There’s a great walk northwards from here along to Blakeney to see the seals. Behind the beach, the village of Cley-Next-The-Sea features excellent independent food shops and pretty, indigenous flint cottages. Like nearby Salthouse, the beach seems to be a different shape on each visit, a reminder of the power of the sea.

What the beach means to Heidi and Paul.

Summer and art on the beach.

Season: summer

The beach at Cley-Next-The-Sea is sparse and natural, with the odd fishing boat pulled up on the higher reaches of the steep shingle beach. It’s a favourite with anglers and bird watchers, who come to enjoy the migratory and resident birds. This is a great place to get back to nature.

Rob’s reason to be here.

The steep beach at Cley-Next-The-Sea.

Season: winter

With just one boat pulled up onto the higher reaches of the steep shingle, Cley beach was quiet for this visit. The long stretch north to Blakeney Point featured just two birdwatchers, whom I interviewed. The overcast sky fused into the horizon and the brightly coloured pebbles and shells provided the visual counterpoint. The mood was laconic and slightly wistful.

The pleasure of the beach for Nick and Amy.

On an almost deserted winter beach at Cley-Next-The-Sea.

Season: autumn

Pronounced “Cly”, Cley-Next-The-Sea sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty between Blakeney and Holt on the main coast road between Wells-Next-The-Sea and Sheringham. This is a well-to-do part of the county and the scenery is outstanding. The Norfolk Coastal Path passes this way and the area is also popular with birdwatchers.

With (Richard) Skipper, fishing on a shifting beach at Cley-Next-The-Sea.

A big sky above the beach and the marshes.