Travel | Five things to do in... Cromer

We recently went for a weekend away in Norfolk and spent one day in Cromer (I adore it there) and one day at Great Yarmouth (perfect for Alfie!). Whether you have kids or not – although some of these items are definitely for kids – here's my list of things you simply must do when visiting Cromer.

1)    Sample the famous Cromer crab

You simply cannot come to Cromer and not have its famous (and fresh!) delicacy. Although when by the sea, fresh fish and/or seafood is a must anyway. On our visit I couldn't find a dressed crab for love nor money. And actually, it's something I've really struggled to find from the fishmongers too recently. But I did manage to have crab sandwich, so it wasn't all bad. The dressed crab usually comes served with new potatoes and salad or bread and butter with salad, and there's nothing quite like it. So fresh and delicious. I'll have to return to try and have it again another time.

2)    Build sandcastles on the beach or go stone collecting

The beach at Cromer is pretty rocky in places, so it's ideal for stone collecting. Or if you're the creative type, perfect for finding pebbles or even rocks for painting. Alfie love finding different coloured stones looking at their marks and holes caused by erosion. He even found one with a hole all the way through like a doughnut. And when he threw it back onto the beach, it broke into several pieces, much to his amusement.

If you don't fancy stone collecting or even skimming stones across the waves, remember to bring your bucket and spade for building castles. But don’t worry – there are plenty of shops if you forget to pack all those beach toys and accessories! Again, Alfie loved helping to build sandcastles, although he much preferred knocking them down afterwards.

3)    Have all the seaside treats

You can't go to the seaside and not treat yourself - don't @ me. Doughnuts, ice cream, candy floss, sticks of rock… Go wild with all the sugary snacks at your disposal. There are plenty of ice cream shops in the town, but you can't beat a bag of hot dinky doughnuts on the seafront. It always reminds me of trips to Southend in the winter when we would drive down to the seafront to see the Christmas lights and always pullover to get some doughnuts to enjoy. It's good to know that most of these seafront places accept card payments, so you haven't got to worry about bringing cash with you. Just be warned, it can get expensive!

4)    Spend ££ at Cromer Kiddieland

It’s only a small funfair at the end of the steps towards the West Promenade. But there's plenty for little ones to enjoy. Everything is operated by tokens – although I can't remember how much tokens cost, you can buy bundles, I believe. And the attractions themselves cost between one and two tokens per ride. Alfie loved the helter skelter (which you can go down three times). He also went on the train, the teacups and the bumper cars. The hook-a-duck was great as there was always a guaranteed prize which the kids could choose themselves. Alfie chose a fidget toy, which he's currently obsessed with. While some of the rides he wasn't able to go on unattended, we were never charged for joining him, which was good.

5)    Explore the narrow streets

And once you've exhausted the pier, the beach and the seafront, get lost down the numerous side streets. There are so many cafes, gift shops and other small boutique-type places to explore. Of course, it's not a seaside break without a souvenir or memento, and in our case, it was a pair of surf shoes for Alfie after his shoes got fully drenched in the sea. There were also some super cute tea rooms as well… There's always next time!

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If you'd rather more excursions or things to do for several hours, there's also plenty to do. The Amazona Zoo; Felbrigg Hall, Gardens & Estate (owned by the National Trust); Cromer Museum or even the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum are just some of the things we could have done. I think had we had more time; we would have done more. But our priority was definitely the beach. Living so far from the coast, it was nice for Alfie to be on the sand, build sandcastles and do some of the things he could have done had we been on holiday recently. Of course, there was no swimming, but the paddling was more than enough!

What's your favourite thing about going to the beach? And have I missed anything from Cromer? Let me know in the comments below. Or catch me on socials.

Love, Lucy xx