Sea Palling, Norfolk – Dunes and Sandy Shore on the Norfolk Coast Path

Wide beaches, low dunes, and open coastal defences between Happisburgh and Winterton-on-Sea

Sea Palling sits directly on the Norfolk Coast Path along the east Norfolk coast between Happisburgh and Winterton-on-Sea. Here the landscape changes from eroding cliffs to lower, dune-backed shoreline, with the trail following sandy tracks, sea walls, and grassy edges beside broad beaches and offshore breakwaters.

The village stands on flat coastal ground behind a line of dunes and flood defences. Underfoot, progress is mostly level and firm, alternating between compacted paths, sandy sections, and paved stretches near the promenade. The beach is wide and gently sloping, with rock groynes and breakwaters creating calmer water and defined bays.

Sea Palling has a small, seasonal seaside character, with cafés, holiday parks, and basic services close to the shore. The surrounding area feels open and spacious compared with the cliff sections to the west, with big skies, low horizons, and long uninterrupted views north and south along the coast.

From the village, the Norfolk Coast Path heads west toward Happisburgh, returning to higher cliff-backed ground, or east toward Winterton-on-Sea and the dune systems of Winterton Dunes, where sand, grassland, and wildlife habitats dominate the shoreline. The terrain remains easy and largely flat in both directions, creating one of the simplest and most accessible stretches of the route.