The 12 Best Beaches in Norfolk and Suffolk

This soft sand beauty doesn't receive the plaudits of Holkham or Wells, yet it's one of North Norfolk's best beaches. Maybe that's because you have to walk across a golf course and then through a band of beautiful dunes to get there, but the short journey is worthwhile, not least because it never gets particularly busy and when it does you wouldn't know it as there is plenty of space. The main drawback is the lack of facilities, but there is a great pub - The White Horse in Holme village – just a short drive or longer walk away: a perfect place to swap beach stories at the end of the day. Dogs are welcome there and on the beach, though not in the adjacent nature reserve. Stay in the next village but one, in the boutique rooms or glamping at one of our favourite North Norfolk hotels, Titchwell Manor.

Norfolk beaches don't come much better than the sandy spread at Brancaster, which is dog friendly all year round and ideal for tiny tots too. There is plenty of parking – though this gets busy on summer weekends – plus a café and shop, and the brilliant, ultra family-friendly Jolly Sailors pub in the village (though this is quite a walk). Lots of space, and perfect for lounging and watching the windsurfers out at sea or spotting the World War II wreck which sometimes emerges at low tide. It's hard to leave places like this so why not stay over - at the Jolly Sailors sister pub, the renowned White Horse at Brancaster Staithe.

This one features so regularly on lists of Britain's best beaches it barely needs any introduction, but suffice to say it doesn't disapppoint. Backed by an alluring grove of pines, it gets busy in summer and you can end up doing a lot of walking from the car park to its huge sandy expanses. Next door, Wells, with its iconic beach huts on stilts, is a slightly more accessible alternative. Stay nearby at the brilliant Globe at Wells, which offers a warm welcome, great food and spacious boutique guest rooms.

This pleasant seaside village has one of northeast Norfolk's best sandy beaches - very popular with families but large enough to never get particularly crowded. Dogs are allowed away from the main promenade, so all the family can come, there's a handy beach café so you don't have to clamber all the way up the cliff for sustenance, but if you do, there are various attractions to tempt you, not least mini golf and the world's smallest maritime museum!

One of the nice things about Horsey is that you have to walk to get here, across the marshes from the village of the same name, where handily there's a cosy pub, the Nelson Head. Like all the beaches along here it's wonderfully sandy and empty – apart, that is, from its thriving colony of grey seals, much of which you will be sharing the sands and occasionally the sea with. Out of season (November–January) it's off-limits due to the latest batch of seal pups making an appearance.

This is a contender for East Anglia's best beach although unfortunately it has suffered from coastal erosion over recent years so it is shrinking. Despite that, the joys of its dog-friendly golden sands and glorious dunes are undiminished, and the village itself has a good pub - the Fisherman's Return – and chippie which only add to its appeal. You might also spot a seal or two, although that's much more likely at Horsey, a few miles north (see above). You canstay in a beautiful and unique B&B too, The Old Rectory, just a few miles inland just outside the village of Catfield.

Suffolk's most remote but alluring beach is a tiny turning off the A12 just north of Southwold. It's another victim of rapid coastal erosion, but is a wonderfully peaceful spot, backed by the lagoon of Benacre Broad. After a swim and a wander along its golden sands, check out the ruined church of St Andrew just behind. And if you want to stay you can literally wander along the beach and up the cliffs to Still Southwold, where there is a fantastic array of self-catering accommodation, including their latest addition, 3 Sea Dragon cabins, with unprecedented 180-degree views of the sea.

Chi-chi Southwold is arguably Suffolk's most handsome resort, perched on a low cliff above one of he region's best sandy beaches, which extends all the way down to the resort's rustic harbour. It's backed by some of Britain's most expensive beach huts, and interrupted by one of the country's quirkiest and most enjoyable piers, whose lack of kiss-me-quick traditions is typical of this upmarket town. There are lots of good places to stay in Southwold, but we'd recommend staying in the nearby village of Wangford, where Toad Hall Lodges offer comfortable and contemporary cabin accommodation for couples.

Just across the river from Southwold and accessible by foot ferry, Walberswick was once home to an annual crabbing festival, but it's a measure of the popularity of this stretch of coast that it had to be discontinued due to its excessive popularity. So Walberswick remains a sleepy and rather appealing sort of home, home to a sandyish beach and harbour and a couple of good pubs where you might spot one of several celebs who have famously sought refuge here. Stay at The Anchor, whose outdoor rooms and excellent food will have you returning for more.

Aldeburgh's beach isn't the region's best - stony pretty much everywhere - but it has other features that might draw you here, most notably the fresh fish and seafood stalls that line its northern stretch.  Maggi Hambling's scallop shell sculpture  commemorating the work of the town's most famous resident, Benjamin Britten, is also worth a look, as are of course the shops and restaurants of the busy high street, where you can stay in a very comfortable room at the town's best restaurant, The Suffolk.

A good candidate for East Anglia's most remote coastal community, Shingle Street is a tiny windswept village at the end of a dead-end road just north of Felixstowe where you're quite likely to have the shingle beach and its lagoons all to yourself (apart from the odd seal). It's easy to park up, and dogs are allowed, but there are no other facilities, which is quite in keeping with this atmospheric spot. It's a particularly atmospheric place to enjoy the sunrise or sunset, and a perfect spot for stargazing. There's nowhere to stay in Shingle Street but if you want to stay over we'd highly recommend the Crown & Castle in nearby Orford, which has beautiful boutique rooms with sea views and serves excellent food.