Blakeney
National iconA stretch of the north Norfolk coast of shingle, saltmarsh and a long spit famous for its seal colony
Open accessNational Trust land — free to wander
Blakeney is a National Nature Reserve on the north Norfolk coast, a little over ten square kilometres of shingle, saltmarsh and tidal creek looked after by the National Trust. The best-known part is Blakeney Point, a long shingle spit that curls out from the shore and shelters the marsh behind it. In summer terns nest out on the shingle, and through the colder months it holds a big colony of grey seals, which haul out and give birth to their white-coated pups on the far end of the spit.
The seals are what most people come for, and the usual way to see them is by boat: small ferries run out to the point from Morston Quay, timed around the tide, and drop you close enough to watch without disturbing them. You can also walk out along the spit from Cley beach, though it is a long trudge over loose shingle and further than it looks, so most people take the boat.
Behind the shore the marshes are full of wading birds and wildfowl, and the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path runs along the edge of them, linking the flint-and-brick villages strung out here. Cley next the Sea, with its tall windmill beside the marsh, is right next door, and the bigger dune-and-pine reserve at Holkham is just along the coast to the west. Keep an eye on the tides if you are out on the marshes or the spit, as the creeks fill quickly.
