Salthouse: Coastal Heath, Nature and Local History

Salthouse brings together several distinct interests when choosing a destination: coastal scenery, nature watching, trails and local history. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Salthouse, you can first consider whether you would rather focus on routes and landscapes or on natural and cultural heritage sites. The various trails, landscapes and historic landmarks each add their own character.

Coastal Heath and Marshland

Salthouse Heath is a 99-hectare dry coastal heath. From there, panoramic views extend across marshland, water, land and sea. A different perspective on the landscape is offered by the connected coastal reserve formed by the NWT Cley and Salthouse nature reserves, covering more than 300 hectares. The figures describe different scales: the heath as a single area and the connected reserve as a larger coastal area.

There are six viewing hides at Cley and Salthouse Marshes; four of them are accessible via boardwalks. If you are interested in nature watching, this distinction is useful: the number of hides refers to all six, while the boardwalk access applies to four of them. This makes it easier to place information about viewing opportunities in the context of choosing your destinations.

Circular Walk, Cycleway and Coastal Trail

The Gramborough Hill and Salthouse circular walk passes through habitats including coastal shingle, salt marsh and heath. This brings together three different coastal habitats on one route. The season also matters for nature watching: flocks of snow buntings are often seen around Gramborough Hill in winter.

The Norfolk Coast Cycleway, also known as National Cycle Route 30, offers an easy one-mile detour to Salthouse. The Salthouse Sculpture Trail, by contrast, is ten miles long and runs along the coast. The figures refer to different things: one mile is the detour to Salthouse, while ten miles is the length of the sculpture trail. When comparing trails for your stay, you can therefore distinguish the circular walk, the Cycleway detour and the longer coastal trail, rather than treating the distances as equivalent.

Church and Archaeological Sites

The parish church of St Nicholas dates from 1503 and is the oldest surviving building in the parish of Salthouse. Of an original 13th-century church that burned down, only the tower remains. The Parish Church of St Nicholas Salthouse is listed as a Grade I building. The church’s date and long building history are both noteworthy.

Salthouse Heath is also home to a burial mound cemetery, which is probably the largest recorded group of burial mounds in Norfolk. The surviving earthworks include two exceptionally large enclosed burial mounds, disc barrows and a linear burial mound cemetery. These archaeological sites offer a different focus from the parish church: here, surviving earthworks shape the landscape, while there, a historic church building takes centre stage.

A View Beyond Salthouse

The wider coastal area may also play a part in planning your trip. A boat trip departs from Blakeney, offering views of the salt marshes at Cley and Salthouse. This excursion complements the trails and landscapes around Salthouse with a perspective from the water. If you would like to include the trip in your plans, check the timetable in advance.

Discover more destinations: Hemsby, Broome, Clippesby, Matlaske, Burnham Market, Sharrington, Runcton Holme, Sheringham.

For the wider travel guide: Norfolk.