Cromer

Cromer is a proper old-fashioned seaside town on the North Norfolk coast — a Victorian pier with an end-of-the-pier theatre (one of the last in the country still putting on shows), a sandy beach below dramatic soft cliffs, and a town centre with independent shops and the best crab in Norfolk. Cromer crab is genuinely exceptional — sweet, delicate, and nothing like the bland stuff you get elsewhere. The Cromer Pier Show — a traditional end-of-the-pier variety show — runs through the summer and is a lovely, old-fashioned evening out. The RNLI Henry Blogg Museum tells the story of Cromer's legendary lifeboat coxswain, who won more bravery medals than anyone in RNLI history. The church of St Peter and St Paul has the tallest tower in Norfolk. The coast path either direction from Cromer is excellent — east to Overstrand and the Poppylands cliffs, west to Sheringham and its steam railway. The fossil hunting on the beach after storms can be rewarding. Cromer has a slightly faded, end-of-the-line charm that's part of its appeal — it's not polished or gentrified, it's just an honest-to-goodness seaside town where the crab really is that good.