Gorleston-on-Sea

Gorleston-on-Sea lies just to the south of Great Yarmouth with its own huge bay and riverside and a stunning sandy beach stretching into the distance below cliff gardens and a grand promenade. TripAdvisor has named Gorleston as number one in the Best Beaches in the UK and twelth on the Best European Beaches.

The glorious beach is a firm favourite with locals and visitors for lazy days in the sun, it's also one of the best destinations in the Great Yarmouth area if windsurfing, surfing or body-boarding is your preferred seaside activity.

Summer Sundays in Gorleston are a chilled-out affair, with bands playing in the bandstand surrounded by deckchairs, as visitors and passers-by watch the Sunday yacht race streaming past below in the bay.

Visitors to the seaside at Gorleston-on-Sea can enjoy a yacht pond, a splashpad, green cliffs, beautiful lawns, bowling greens, tennis courts and a trim-trail on the cliff top where views of the beach, harbour, pier and wind turbines can be seen. Behind the promenade, beachside cafes and shops sell a wide selection of goods from multi-coloured buckets and spades to trendy sunshades and beach wear.

Gorleston has an Edwardian theatre with seaside shows throughout the year and popular dining and dancing venues. Other attractions include a pitch and putt golf course, amusements, restaurants, pubs and cafés.

In days gone by, hundreds of fishing boats from the herring fleet would sail from the harbour, watched by locals sheltering from the breeze in the cozies on the pier. The famous Short Blue Fleet of Hewett & Co., once the largest in the world, came to an end in 1904. The red brick lighthouse nowadays mainly guides gas rig supply vessels in and out, around the tight bend into the River Yare. The river is also one of two entrances to the Norfolk Broads for visitors from the coast, and sees many adventurous yachtsmen heading for Holland and other destinations in summer.

As a holiday destination Gorleston is an excellent touring base for both Norfolk and Suffolk within easy reach of the famous Broads waterways.