East Runton Beach (Norfolk)

East Runton Beach is a sandy beach with pebbles at the high water mark and the beach is backed by sloping sandstone cliffs. Popular surfing beach and less busy and lower key than nearby Cromer. As you walk eastwards towards Cromer you will see some old Pill Boxes in the sand that once sat on the cliffs protecting the coast. Facilities include car parking, toilets, cafe, holiday parks and seasonal lifeguards.

Cromer beach is sand and shingle sitting within a traditional seaside resort, the beach stretches out either side of the pier. You still have fishing boats launching from the beach in season and these oiffer some excellent fresh crabs. Facilities at the beach include toilets, cafes/restaurants, beach chalet hire and the RNLI Museum.

Cromer Pier is at the heart of the edwardian seaside resort of Cromer with its narrow roads and cliffs. Cropmer has had wooden piers since the 1400s and in the mid 1800s the pier was still just a short structure. In 1901 the pier was finally replaced with a more elegant structure.

Cromer lifeboat station was established in 1804 and operates an all-weather lifeboat from a boathouse on the end of Cromer’s pier. The station is open to the public with an RNLI shop. Also on the east promenade you’ll find the Henry Blogg Lifeboat Museum.

West Runton beach is a nice rural quiet sand and shingle beach backed by low cliffs and at low tide, you have lots of sand and some rock pools. The beach is located between Cromer and Sheringham on the Norfolk coast. West Runton is a very popular beach and coast stretch for beachcombing and fossil hunters. Fossils of animals, birds and insects are regularly exposed from the eroding cliffs (Cromer Forest-bed) backing the beach. West Runton beach is famous for the West Runton Mammoth that was a full skeleton uncovered beside the cliffs after a storm in 1990. The Norfolk Wildlife Trust regularly runs family events (‘Rock Pool Rummaging’ and ‘Fascinating Fossils’ ) at West Runton beach, see the www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk website for more details. Facilities at the beach include parking, seasonal lifeguards, beach cafe, shop, toilets and with more shops and places to eat in the nearby village.

The Henry Blogg Lifeboat Museum celebrates the most decorated lifeboatman in RNLI history, who served for 53 years on Cromer’s lifeboats. Coxswain Henry Blogg was a local man and during his 38 years as coxswain, he carried out 387 rescues and helped to save 873 lives. Henry remained as coxswain until he was 74 years old.

Before the erection of a lighthouse at Cromer lights for the guidance of vessels were shown from the tower of the parish church, these were small, but served a useful purpose for many years. A number of ecclesiastical lights such as this were exhibited around the coast in medieval times. During the first twenty years following Charles II’s restoration in 1660 many proposals were put forward for lighthouses on all parts of the coast. One of the petitioners, Sir John Clayton, suggested no less than five lighthouses on four different sites – at the Farne Islands off Northumberland, Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, Foulness at Cromer and Corton near Lowestoft. Despite opposition to his schemes Sir John, together with a George Blake obtained a comprehensive patent in 1669 and at a cost of £3,000 erected towers at each of the four sites. The patent would last for 60 years and specified rates of dues to to be paid (voluntarily) by the owners of passing vessels. The present lighthouse, a white octagonal tower standing about ½ mile from the cliff edge, was built in 1833 and converted to electric operation in 1958. In June 1990 the station was converted to automatic operation and is now monitored from the Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich.