Sheringham

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In the past, Sheringham used to be a good-sized fishing town, which is pretty unusual for a place with no harbour! As with many of Britain's coastal settlements, business has severely declined since then; but there are still a few boats which make daily trips out into the ocean. You can find their catches up for sale in the centre of town.

Fishing Boats at Sheringham

You can buy their fresh catch in town

The shoreline also contains a beach, which may seem a bit rocky and ugly at high tide. Be patient though, because as the tide draws back, it reveals a slice of soft, appealing sand. Just behind this, there's a long promenade on top of a concrete wall. This acts as a defence against erosion, which is a severe problem for most places on Norfolk's coast.

Sheringham Seafront Promenade

Sheringham's Beach at low-tide

One of Sheringham's landmarks is its town clock, which is built on top of an old water well. This small structure is surrounded by the town centre, which is home to all the penny arcades, gift shops, and fish and chip restaurants that a British seaside resort should have. But as well as this, Sheringham also hosts a variety of slightly more unusual shopping opportunities. There are plenty of locally-owned shops, selling everything from antiques to fishing bait. There's a twice-weekly market, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which draws in people from all the surrounding villages. And, if you hunt around Sheringham's streets and alleyways, you'll find plenty of other surprises.

Sheringham's pretty streets

The Courtyard, an indoor shopping lane

Sheringham's shops offer plenty of things to buy

The Little Theatre, staging a regular program of shows

Sheringham has plenty of pubs and bars

The unusual looking Oddfellows Hall

The latest addition to the Sheringham skyline is The Mo, which tells the story of the town, its historic fleet of lifeboats and its fishing fleet. The name Mo comes from a little girl who lived in Sheringham over 130 years ago and the museum tells her story and those of other Sheringham people. The museum itself has several lifeboats on display, re-created shops and plenty of displays. One of the highlights of the museum is a viewing gallery, set high above the building, giving fantastic views over the town, sea and countryside.

The Mo in Sheringham

Old lifeboat's on show in The Mo

As popular as the town has become, it actually began life as a tiny fishing outpost called Lower Sheringham, which served a larger village to the south. This original settlement is now known as Upper Sheringham, and it can still be found, a kilometre or two inland. Today, although it's now vastly smaller than its neighbour, the village is a nice place to look around, with its pretty houses and cottages.

One of Sheringham's most unusual features is that it has two train stations, directly next door to each other! One of these belongs to British Rail, and the other is part of an old heritage train line called the North Norfolk Railway. The route, which is also known as the "Poppy Line", extends 8 kilometres to the market town of Holt. It operates both steam and diesel trains, which look so nostalgic that they've been used in period television programmes like Dad's Army. In fact, for one weekend a year, the railway really does seem to head back to the 1940s. Everyone is encouraged to dress up in appropriate historical costumes, and there are all sorts of dance and musical performances.

Steam Engine on the North Norfolk Railway

Diesel trains also run on the line

The re-created 1940's platforms at Sheringham Station are an attraction themselves

Sheringham Tourist Information Centre, Station Approach, Sheringham, NR26 8RA. Tel: 0871 200 3071

Car-parking can be found adjacent to the North Norfolk Railway Station (paid) on non-market days. Alternatively, there is a pay & dispay car-park near the sea-front.

Sheringham has a railway station which is one end of the Bittern Line, between Sheringham and Norwich. For train times and fares call the Network Rail National Helpline: 08457 11 41 41

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