Great British Dog Walks

Walk distance: about 4 miles

Difficulty: Easy (all flat sand walking)

Pub stop: Yes- The White Horse at Holme

Starting point: Old Hunstanton lighthouse- car park PE36 6EL (£6 all day 1 July – 31 August, £6 all day 1 September- 1 June).

Download the map of the walk here.

The stretch between Holme Next the Sea and Old Hunstanton is one of the best stretches in Norfolk for a dog friendly paddle.

Holme beach blends off Old Hunstanton beach and is wonderfully dog friendly. There are no restrictions all year round and has it has lots of smaller pools of water which dogs can swim in. Murphy even learned to swim here!

Holme beach is one that few people know about as most people prefer the busier beaches near Hunstanton. It is very expansive, and is never busy, even in the height of summer.

When we walked we went from the Old Hunstanton lighthouse, but you could start at Holme and do this walk in reverse- there is a car park at Holme which is £3.50 for the day- just head to the golf course.

From Old Hunstanton lighthouse, follow the path on to the beach and continue walking in a straight line. Eventually the beach will get much quieter and there will be some pools and greenery along the left hand side of the path. Keep following it down for about two miles until you reach the a small sign on the right hand side for Holme Next the Sea village. The path will then go through a small gap in the dunes and across a golf course. Here is the car park for Holme, and some public toilets.

Walk down the path and on to the road (Beach Road) and follow it down until you reach Westgate. Turn left into Westgate and walk down until you reach The White Horse pub- it will be on your left. Stop and enjoy a tasty toasted sandwich (the brie and cranberry ones are very tasty) and a cider in the sunshine. There is a great beer garden here which is lovely to sit out in. We didn’t go inside, but I believe it is also dog friendly in there too.

The path does continue right down the coast if you don’t want to stop at Holme, or want to carry on further after your pub stop. Do be aware though that if you follow the Norfolk Coast Path further along to Thornham then this is part of the NWT Holme Dunes Nature Reserve, so dogs need to be kept under control and on leads.

Murphy