The best farm stays near Happisburgh

The small village of Happisburgh on the north Norfolk coast has become even smaller over the past 50 years owing to the rapidly eroding sand-and-clay cliffs on which the village is built. At the foot of them, a pleasant sandy beach is popular for walking throughout the year, while a boat-launching point just south of Happisburgh, in Cart Gap, makes the beach popular with jet-skis and small motorboats in summer. The Norfolk Coastal Path also runs along the clifftop and further southeast to Sea Palling beach and Horsey Gap.

In such a flat county, the red and white striped lighthouse that Happisburgh is best known for stands out for miles, partnered by the tall tower of St Mary’s Church, one of the largest for miles. There is a pub and tearooms beside the church – The Hill House Inn – and, formerly, a view-tastic cliff-top campsite behind the pub that has sadly now relocated inland, due to the coastal erosion, and thereby lost its major selling point. There are, however, ample camping options nearby, both further along the north Norfolk coast and more locally to Happisburgh. One of the many benefits of camping near Happisburgh is the proximity not just of the beach and coast but also of the Norfolk Broads, which are just a 10-minute drive from the village.