Holkham

Holkham is home to a 25,000 acre estate on the north Norfolk coast, in which stands Holkham Hall, an 18th century Palladian house, home to the Earl of Leicester. The beach at Holkham is one of the most unspoilt and beautiful stretches of sand in the country and Holkham National Nature Reserve, is home to many rare species of flora and fauna.

Holkham beach: The beach at Holkham has vast sands and is backed by pretty pinewoods. Behind the shoreline lies a semi-circular basin, which, at very high tides, rapidly fills to form a spectacular shallow lagoon. The actress Gwyneth Paltrow walked across Holkham sand at low tide during the closing scenes of the film ‘Shakespeare in Love’.

In the summer, the beach is visited by over 100 horses as the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment visit for its annual rural regimental training camp.  

Holkham National Nature Reserve: One of the largest in the country, Holkham is one of a select few privately owned estates to have been awarded Approved Body Status under Section 35 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. The estate manages its own land whilst the beach is managed by Natural England in partnership with Holkham. Holkham National Nature Reserve (3,706 hectares) stretches from Burnham Norton to Blakeney. 

Pinewoods: Most of the area can be explored by following footpaths from the main car parks. The core section of the reserve, from Wells to Holkham Bay, is crisscrossed by paths allowing access through the pine woodland. It is a tranquil space with the cushion of needles absorbing foot steps and the high canopy keeping the wind at bay. Three kinds of pines grow in the woods, Corsican (grey trunk, small cones), Scots (orange upper trunk) and Maritime (large cones in tree-top clusters). The pines were planted in the late 19th century by the 2nd Earl of Leicester.

Saltmarsh: Another amazing natural sight at Holkham is the saltmarsh. Over the years, layers of sediment have evolved into saltmarsh and in summer, exposed to wind and sunshine, the lower mudflats dry out and are frosted by salt crystals. Glasswort and Annual Seablite are the only plants to cope with the sudden shift from chilly ooze to salty desert. The middle and upper levels of Holkham’s saltmarshes are more diverse with Sea Aster and Sea Lavender forming extensive carpets of misty-blue haze around the creeks.

Things to do: Set back from the beach is Holkham Hall, surrounded by rolling parkland with roaming Fallow Deer and Red Deer. The hall and grounds make an interesting and exciting visit.

You can hire a bike to explore the area, take a walk through the walled garden, swing through the trees on the rope course, hire a boat to row along Holkham’s mile-long lake and let children run wild in the woodland play area. There are talks, events, markets and concerts all year-round at Holkham. 

The Lookout: As you make your way from the Hall to the beach, you will find The Lookout sitting at the top of Lady Anne’s Drive, offering spectacular views over the nature reserve. The Lookout is a great place to stop off to find out more about the area’s habitats as well as enjoy the café. Whatever season you visit, you will be treated to spectacular views. Then enjoy a walk through the pinewoods to the beach with its vast sands.