Much of the county's coastline was declared an area of outstanding natural beauty in 1986.

The National Association of AONBs says: 'It includes The Wash, north-facing coastal marsh and dunes of the Heritage Coast and the cliffs east of Weybourne which the sea is rapidly eroding away. The coast is backed by gently rolling chalkland and glacial moraine including the distinctive 90m high Cromer Ridge. An undulating, intimate landscape under huge skies, the area is characterised by its imposing churches and quiet brick and flint villages and small towns such as Wells. This is a soft shifting coastline of unique scientific and ecological value and contains some of the most important salt-marsh, intertidal flats, dunes, shingle and grazing marsh in Europe. Together the coastal habitats form an ecosystem of outstanding importance and national nature reserves within the area include world-famous bird reserves, Titchwell and Cley Marshes.'