The Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers inter-tidal, coastal and agricultural land with a total area of over 450 square kilometres. Stretching from the silt expanses of the Wash in the west through the coastal marshes, soft cliffs and hinterland of north Norfolk, to the dune system at Winterton in the east, it is an area of remarkable beauty, diversity and scientific importance.
This section gives information about the area's special and unique interest and provides links for further information.
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The Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of great beauty, remarkable landscape and cultural diversity, and unique and special wildlife.
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Norfolk Coast AONB
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 | Coastal marshes and windmill at Cley |
It was designated as an AONB in 1968, with a total area of approximately 450 km2, based mainly around areas of undeveloped coastal landscape. The boundary extends up to 6km inland in places and was determined by the National Parks Commission (later the Countryside Commission, then Countryside Agency, now Natural England) at the time of designation.
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Designation history
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One of the often asked questions has to be how and why was the boundary of the AONB decided.
On page 75 of the AONB Management Plan there is a chapter on the Designation History of the Norfolk Coast AONB derived from the Designation History Series by Ray Woolmore, which summarises how designation came about.
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The Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty comprises three separate areas of coast, including the inter-tidal area, and its hinterland.
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Main area
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The main section is a long coastal strip from Old Hunstanton in the west to Bacton in the east. The designated area excludes the settlements of Sheringham and Cromer and the coastline between them, and the settlements of Mundesley and Bacton, because of existing development at the time of designation. This main part of the AONB includes the wild and remote coastal marshes of the North Norfolk Heritage Coast – a changing mixture of sand and mud flats, dunes, shingle, saltmarsh, reedbeds and grazing marsh - with its internationally important and renowned birdlife. It also includes the soft, eroding cliffs of glacial sands and gravels east of Weybourne, which are important geologically as well as scenically, and the rolling farmland, estates and woodland of the coastal hinterland, with important areas of heathland.
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Western outlier
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In addition, there are two small outlying designated areas. The western outlier, north of King’s Lynn, includes part of Sandringham Estate and comprises part of the Wash mudflats as well as coastal marshes and lowland heath and bog, along with farmland.
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Eastern outlier
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The eastern outlier, between Sea Palling and Winterton, comprises sand dunes and the low-lying marsh and arable farmland behind them. There is a small area of overlap with land designated as the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.
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Find out more about AONBs and similar areas
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The Norfolk Coast AONB is one of a family of 41 in England and Wales that, together with our national Parks, make up our finest scenic areas. Visit the National Association of AONB's web site to find out about the national family of AONB's. AONBs are also part of a wider network of protected areas throughout Europe. Find out more about these by visiting the Europarc Atlantic Isles web site.
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