Norfolk good bad ugly

I lived in Heacham for 11 years and my children went to school in Hunstanton. The A149, the road from Kings Lynn round The North West and North Norfolk coast gets very busy in the summer. We preferred the winter when the tourists had all gone home and the beaches were 'ours' again. I now live in Yorkshire and enjoy visiting friends in Norfolk still, but wouldn't want to live there again.

I spend a lot of time in north Norfolk as I have a second home there. Oops! I love it and am off to there next week. One thing I would say is that as you age you need to be aware of the health care provisions, or dearth of. Most places are a long way from a hospital, either the Norfolk &Norwich in the east or the Queen Elizabeth, Kings Lynn in the West. You really need to drive as public transport isn’t great.

Someone upthread said Sheringham is rough. Not imo it isn’t. Unless you’re in a big town Norfolk is like all holiday destinations, busy in summer and quiet in winter. It takes the pressure off though if you’re retired and not having to commute or stick to work/school timetables when dealing with holiday traffic.

I love it and love being able to spend so much time there. Seriously thinking about moving up there permanently.

I lived on the Norfolk- Suffolk boarders as a child for a few years, and have a step brother who still lives near Beccles in Suffolk. More recently we have spent several weeks a year around the waterways of the Norfolk broads, and the area around the Sandringham estate, in our touring Caravan. Before buying a property in the area, it pays to check out the local flood risk, as the most innocent looking small drainage dyke or channel, Beach or staithe can become a fast flowing tidal flood should a storm surge blow down from the North east, or torrential rain over several days effect river levels in the area. It can be very difficult to get house insurance in such areas and at a reasonable cost due to this fact, and one of the reasons that we no longer live in the area perminently.

Needham Market us a delightful market town. Lots of independent shops, butchers, hairdressers etc, just down the road from Stowmarket and there's a train station! I know several folk who live there and they really like it.

how about Halesworth. i know someone retiring to there.
not sure of transport connections.
do you not drive, OP.
some places that look lovely for a holiday are not really practical for older living.
with increasing years/ illness/ weakness, one may not be able to drive. and what is the coverage of district nurses etc.
life that is ok can change if alone, isolated, disabled.

My sister lives in Swaffham and loves it. They call Burnham Market Chelsea-on-Sea as it’s so full of second homes, every house seems to be painted in the same Farrow and Ball colour.

Thanks again everyone we have been busy checking out areas albeit online. Being realistic we think the coast is out of the question. We are now thinking more Suffolk possibly Stowmarket and villages surrounding. I want access to cambridge via train or bus to meet up with daughter at lunchtime. I really like the look of Beccles but unsure of transport connections.

I have lived in north norfolk all my life . Grew up in a seaside town and then on marriage another town 20 mins from coast. I now live in a village 5 mins from coast. Our village has a lot of second homes as do many of the villages not far from the coast . Local people find it very hard to buy properties in their hometown and villages and have to move further inland . I think there are some nice market towns further in from the coast that would be worth looking at . Our coastline is wonderful very varied . Cliff tops at Sheringham,Cromer, Hunstanton and then the Stiffkey, Blakeney and Morston with the marshes and Creeks. Some lovely safe beaches of the bigger seaside towns and the charm of smaller places like Mundesley ,Sea Palling. Transport can be a problem in villages you really have to have a car and yes no motorways in Norfolk ! Swaffham,Fakenham,Holt, Sheringham,Cromer, Hunstanton,North Walsham ,Stalham, Wroxham are all nice towns some of which are served by the Sheringham to Norwich rail line.

We have been visiting regularly in all seasons for over 40 years and have friends who live in Norfolk. Just like everywhere else some people will tell you it is very friendly and others that the locals keep themselves to themselves. I wonder if a rent longer than a holiday would be a good idea you really need to be there in Winter to see how you cope. East of Cromer would be cheaper but the roads are not that good.

down to earth- We used to live in Fransham, Swaffham was our ‘town’, easier than Dereham which is less rural.
Now we live a bit further North in a village near Fakenham.
We love it.
I think anywhere is friendly if you want it to to be. Certainly if you move to ours and want to join in you would be welcomed.

Have lived in Mid Norfolk over 12 years.
Two villages, and now Swaffham.

I believe it is an absolute necessity to drive and have transport, better if both drive.
Bus services to villages are being cut.

Swaffham is a small market town, but with regular bus links to Kings Lynn, the nearest Train station is here acessible by bus.
Norwich in other direction has a train station and coach terminal .

Villages are lovely, neither that we lived in had much in way of amenities, quite cliquey, and not much community.

Swaffham has been brilluant during the lockdown with community spirit.

We moved to South Norfolk , 2 1/2 years ago and wouldn’t change it for the world.

We live in a beautiful village of 2500 people and the difference between big city living and rural living is huge. We felt totally supported by our fellow villagers during the lockdown .

There are many similar villages nearby Easr Harling, Great Ellingham, Fakenham to name but a few.

Do you research and find somewhere that ticks all the boxes. We choice to live inland , 50 mins from the coast and properties are considerably cheaper with a larger plot size.

I can’t recommend it enough.

We try to manage a holiday in Norfolk every year there are so many lovely villages near the coast as well as coastal resorts such as Hunstanton and Wells. We also like Mundesley a lovely coastal village south of Cromer. We used to think of retiring there but that was before the Grandchildren came along so we stayed near them

The fens are lovely. I'd happily live there again.

I lived in Bury St Edmunds. It's massively overrated. You can't park. It's ridiculously expensive and dominated by store chains. Stowmarket is so much nicer. Also lived in Thurston for a bit. I liked that more.

Not keen on Attleborough. Wymondham is nicer. Old and New Buckingham are nice. Lovely traditional village greens.

I don't think Northumberland is posh Ethel. It's. A real, rural county, with links to its mining past. I love it and thankfully it's not spoiled by the county set you get in Norfolk. I also think Jesmond and Heaton in Newcastle are hugely overrated and very scruffy from all the students.

Ellie Griffiths' Ruth Galloway novels gives the reader of a real flavour of North Norfolk, I only discovered them after I'd been, her descriptions of the Salt Marshes, Holkham and other places resonated with me having been to those places.

I'm flattered that anyone thinks northumberland is posh.parts of Newcastle are but in the wilds of rural northumberland the poverty out does the poshness. We have the lowest lifespan, the highest heart mortality rate. Having said that its much nicer than flat boring Norfolk and the cost of living is so much cheaper.

We moved to Suffolk last year and love it. Bury St Edmunds is a nice little town with lots of history to it and good road links. We like Diss, and the villages between the two are lovely.
The house next to us is on the market ...

I like Beccles or possibly Halesworth, somewhere easy 20 mins drive from the coast.

North Walsham. Attleborough. Stalham. Acle.

Martham. Caister. Potter Heigham.

South Norfolk. So underrated. ?

I live in Stowmarket and as gagaJo says easy to access lots of other places. Town centre needs more independents but is possible to get most things. If I had limitless funds I'd move to the medieval grid in Bury st edmunds!

Stowmarket is a nice, 'real' town, as is Haughley which is very near it. Just off the A14, within 10 minutes of Bury St Edmunds, 30 minutes from Ipswich or Newmarket and an hour from Cambridge.

Thanks for suggestions, had a quick look on right move and properties in the Wells Holt Burnham area are out of our price range. We will keep looking but interested in anywhere Norfolk or Suffolk up to 30 mins drive to coast with a good bus service and a regular farmers market or good farm shop. We don't live in the London catchment area nor anywhere nearby therefore expensive property areas are out of the question.

I agree Suffolk and Norfolk inland may be better than a coastal property if you want to avoid tourists. Definitely spend some time there first and have a look around the area before making a decision. Depends on where you are moving from and what you are looking for. If currently in a City or Town think carefully about whether village life would suit your needs. As long as a village has some amenities and it is not to far from a Town then it should work. Do also look at where local hospitals are, what the bus service is like (sometimes limited in rural areas) where the nearest supermarket is, Doctor's surgery etc. If you do you homework you should be fine.Happy house hunting.

We have lived in North Norfolk since 1983. The longest I’ve lived anywhere. We are every happy here.
Geography is just geography isn’t it. If you want mountains to look at then it’s not for you but it’s certainly not flat.

There are some very posh folk that live here but there are normal folk too. We have learnt to bow when our betters go past?. Some of them can be quite nice you know!

We live a little inland, have a regular bus to Kings Lynn and Norwich and are not far from a market town. Getting to Cambridge or London on the train for the day is very easy.

The property closer to the coast is more expensive obviously but we find it easy to access from here. There are lots of beaches that are still quite quiet even in the holiday season. There is a bus service, the coast hopper that runs all along the NN coast that is excellent.

Inland, Holt is pretty and has lots of individual shops. There is a public school there that puts on Lots of events in its theatre.
Fakenham has a weekly market and a monthly farmers market. It also has a Racecourse.
The Swaffham is another pretty market town but s a bit far from the coast to go for a regular walk. I think Bernard Matthews bought his first turkeys there.
Docking is a fairly large village with quite a few amenities.

It can be a bit of a pain to leave the county, as Chardy mentioned, but that does work in our favour sometimes!
It could be why our beaches didn’t resemble Bournemouth’s recently.pp

If you do move here and play tennis send me a message!