Holkham Beach, Norfolk, England (with Map & Photos)

Holkham Beach - England has many wonderful landscapes, especially coastal landscapes, and the county of Norfolk is the scene of many of them. The cinema has also taken advantage of this beauty and films such as Pride and Prejudice, Young Victoria or Shakespeare in love are an example.

Holkham Beach Norfolk
Holkham Beach Norfolk

In the case of this last film starring Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow, the dramatic closing scene shows us slowly walking away, heartbroken, along a beach to catch a boat that will take her straight to the colonies in America, separating her forever from her love. That beach is Holkham beach.

Holkham Beach stretches for several miles along the Norfolk coast, on the bay of the same name. It looks like an endless beach and you can walk and walk soaking up the tranquility of the landscape. This is one of the most desolate and beautiful beaches in the entire United Kingdom.

Holkham Beach Norfolk
Holkham Beach Norfolk

When there is high tide, the waters arrive quickly, cover the sand and form a calm lagoon. The site is part of a nature reserve, one of the largest in the country, which has been created to protect local flora and fauna. In addition to the beach, there are saltwater swamps and pine forests, so while you walk, the landscape is certainly varied.

In fact there is a long belt of pine trees that runs west to east from the beach and inland. The eastern end of this belt is called Wells Woods and the marshes are called Holkham Freshmarsh, a land that is cut by the Lady Ann road, which is precisely the one you must take to access the beach and the forests.

Since you're in the area, another timely visit is Holkham Hall, a Palladian-style mansion where the Earl of Leicester still lives.

Holkham Beach Map