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port town on the North Norfolk coast of England
Europe > Britain and Ireland > United Kingdom > England > East of England > Norfolk (England) > Wells-next-the-Sea

Wells-next-the-Sea is a town on the north Norfolk coast, with a population of 2165 in 2011. The chief attraction is Holkham Hall, and the coast is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Get in

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Map
Map of Wells-next-the-Sea

By train

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The Wells & Walsingham Light Railway, a narrow gauge railway and visitor attraction, has its northern terminus in Stiffkey Road to the east of the town. It operates between spring and autumn annually, with direct trains from Walsingham.

The nearest National Rail (National Rail) stations are in:

By bus

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Wells-next-the-Sea is on several bus routes:

By car

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There are several car parks throughout Wells-next-the-Sea, including Wells Beach and on the Quay, but these fill up during the summer months. Use:

  • A149
  • B1105
    • Fakenham (onward connections include , from , Newmarket and London, and from Norwich)
  • Local routes from Walsingham.

By bike

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Wells is on the long-distance National Cycle Network Route 1. The route follows mainly minor roads and some off-road paths along the coastline, and is signposted:

By long-distance footpath

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The North Norfolk Coast Path, one of the National Trails, follows the county's northern North Sea coastline - from Hunstanton and Brancaster in the west and Cromer and Sheringham in the east.

Get around

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Most parts of Wells are accessible on foot, using pavements, off-road footpaths or shopping streets. The town is mostly flat with some shallow inclines. Some of the town's streets are very narrow.

Wells Beach is over a mile to the north of Wells Quay, accessible using off-road footpaths, with its own car park.

The Granary and the quay
  • Seals. From Morston, take a ferry to see the seals at Blakeney Point for listing and further information of seal colony and viewing trips.
  • 1 Holkham National Nature Reserve. At 3,900 hectares (9,600 acres), England's largest national nature reserve, comprising of grazing marsh, woodland, salt marsh, sand dunes and foreshore. Holkham National Nature Reserve (Q15224502) on Wikidata Holkham National Nature Reserve on Wikipedia (updated Jan 2017)
  • 2 Holkham Hall, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1AB, ☏ +44 1328 713111, . Visit hall, gardens, deer park, cycle hire, boat hire, children's play area, cafe. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 3 Walsingham is an attractive village 5 miles south of Wells. In the Middle Ages it was a major destination for pilgrimage, and this tradition was revived in the 20th century. The Augustinian priory was virtually erased in 1538 by Henry VIII, leaving only the east facade. The shrine just north, built in 1938, is an unusual example of an Anglican Marian shrine, commemorating a vision of 1061. The equivalent RC shrine and basilica is just south. There are some dozen other chapels and shrines dotted about. You can get here on the W&W Light Railway (see below), but in a twist worthy of Tolstoy, the original railway station is now a Russian Orthodox chapel.
W&WLR locomotive at Wells
  • 1 Wells and Walsingham Light Railway, Wells Next-the-Sea NR23 1QB (on A149), ☏ +44 1328 711630, . Apr-Oct. This was the route of a standard-gauge branch line axed by Beeching in 1969. A 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway was rebuilt over four miles of the track bed, opening in 1982. In summer trains (usually steam-hauled) putter along it to the village of Walsingham. Wells and Walsingham Light Railway (Q7981722) on Wikidata Wells and Walsingham Light Railway on Wikipedia (updated Mar 2022)
  • The Beach is west side of the creek outflow, a mile north of town via Beach Road, with sands extending away to Holkham and Burnham. East of the creek is muddy, and with access impeded by wetland.
  • Festival of Sport is a family-oriented taster weekend for various sports, led by big names. It's in the grounds of Holkham Hall (see above), in mid-August.
  • 1 Natural East, The Quay, 2 Pauls Maltings, Wells-Next-The-Sea, NR23 1AH, ☏ +44 1328 710205, . Gift shop selling Asian product (rugs, jewellery, statues, furniture and toys). (updated Apr 2017)
  • 2 Co-op (Convenience store & supermarket), Polka Road, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1JG, ☏ +44 1328 713006. M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM. ATM, in-store café (different hours) (updated Apr 2017)
  • 3 Whin Hill Norfolk Cider, The Ciderworks, Stearman’s Yard, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1BW, ☏ +44 1328 711821, . Cider, perry and apple juice from local produce. (updated Apr 2017)
  • The village also has many gift shops around and to the S or the Quay.

Drink

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Sleep

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The beach at Wells

Camping

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Stay healthy

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Beach huts

Connect

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As of March 2022, Wells has 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, but no signal from Three. 5G has not reached this corner of Norfolk.

Go next

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Routes through Wells-next-the-Sea
King's Lynn ← Holkham ←  W  E  → Stiffkey → Cromer


This city travel guide to Wells-next-the-Sea is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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