Tale of two coasts on hottest day of the year in Norfolk as daytrippers pick and choose
Fletcher Herod, seven, leaps about as he enjoys the beach at Waxham with his brother Charlie, four, in the hot weather. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2020
Norfolk’s large coastal towns have remained quiet on the hottest day of the year to date, while reports suggest smaller villages and beaches have been inundated with visitors.
People enjoying the beach at Waxham in the hot weather. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2020
The streets of Great Yarmouth and Cromer were almost deserted on Wednesday as temperatures hit the mid twenties, but elsewhere beaches at Sea Palling and Horsey saw large numbers of visitors, with day trippers parking on roads and scenes resembling a bank holiday.
Andy Hanson, manager of Wyndham Holiday Park in East Runton which is currently closed because of coronavirus, said Cromer was very quiet: “Cromer is dead, there’s nobody here that shouldn’t be here.”
Mr Hanson, who has been keeping holiday home owners who are unable to visit their properties during lockdown updated on social media said he was surprised not more of the town’s residents were making use of the beach.
“There’s not a person on the beach either, there’s nobody on the beach at East Runton. I’m amazed at how quiet it is,” he said.
Fletcher Herod, seven, leaps about as he enjoys the beach at Waxham with his brother Charlie, four, in the hot weather. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2020
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Pictures from Great Yarmouth showed similar scenes, with only one or two people milling around the Market Place and Regent Road and the Golden Mile all but deserted.
READ MORE: ‘Our village is not a tourist attraction’ - Anger over number of day trippersHowever, in Horsey, David Vyse, a volunteer for Friends of Horsey Seals, which were called to the beach to assist an injured animal, said the number of cars in the beach car park resembled a bank holiday.
He said: “We came through Sea Palling and Horsey car park is full up, it’s like a bank holiday, and people are parking on the roads.”
On Wednesday, North Norfolk District Council, announced it would be reopening nine of its 39 public toilets from Friday, May 22, but that its message to visitors was still ‘stay away’.
The centre of Great Yarmouth resembled a ghost town on the hottest day of the year as its market place was deserted and its main drag of Regent Road was empty of large numbers of people. While there were queues at some shops, market and chip stalls were empty and at lunchtime there were only appeared to be only a few families visiting the resort and its Golden Mile. Picture: staff - Credit: Archant
READ MORE: How has the coronavirus outbreak affected you?Kay Colby, from Sea Palling, said: “Looking at Sea Palling today I would think that half of Norfolk are blatantly ignoring this [stay away] message and treating it as an early bank holiday.
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“I’ve watched people so eager to get to the beach they are hitting parked cars trying to squeeze in gaps obviously not big enough to get into, family units of five adults and associated children,” she said.
Despite being quiet in the morning, Hunstanton swelled with visitors towards the end of the day until the tide came in to drive people off the beach.
Friends Alfie Atoe, 11, and Anya Herod, 10, enjoying the beach at Waxham in the hot weather. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2020
The centre of Great Yarmouth resembled a ghost town on the hottest day of the year as its market place was deserted and its main drag of Regent Road was empty of large numbers of people. While there were queues at some shops, market and chip stalls were empty and at lunchtime there were only appeared to be only a few families visiting the resort and its Golden Mile. Picture: Staff - Credit: Archant
Francis Dodman and her daughter, Lola Laurie, 21-month-old find shells on the beach at Waxham as they enjoy the hot weather. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2020
Crowds flock to Hunstanton on a sunny day. Visitors have been urged to observe social distancing Picture: Chris Bishop - Credit: Archant
Cromer beach on a quiet day during lockdown. Picture: Chris Bishop - Credit: Archant
Cromer's famous pier was close to visitors and deserted Picture: Chris Bishop - Credit: Archant
