Hunstanton, Norfolk (‘Sunny Hunny’ with striped cliffs!)
Hunstanton is one of the lesser-known coastal resorts in Norfolk, on the north west (pretty near Sandringham, one of the royal properties). This Victorian seaside town is known locally as ‘Sunny Hunny’ as you can watch the sun set over the sea, due to its west-facing position.
If at the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel). Join the campaign to ban flying rings, to help local seals.
Faces West (not the North Sea)
Unlike most Norfolk coastal resorts, Hunstanton faces west across the 20-mile bay of the Wash (a large square estuary that serves as the collective mouth for four major English rivers that drain The Fens into the North Sea).
So while you can be the first in England to watch the sun rise near Lowestoft, here you can watch the sun set directly over the sea looking west towards the neighbouring county of Lincolnshire.
Are you a romantic? Here you can literally watch the sun set completely over the sea. How smashing is that?
Striped Cliffs (red, orange, brown and white chalk)
Hunstanton cliffs are very unusual, in that they have distinct horizontal bands of orange-brown carrstone, alongside red and white chalk.
Some say these cliffs look like a ‘layered cake’, ‘baked’ around 90 million years ago from compacted shells of microscopic marine organisms. The red hue is from iron oxide (rust) that washed into the sea when chalk was forming, and the dark orange/brown sandstone is rich in iron minerals.
