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BLAKENEY is delightful. Once a bustling port exporting fish, corn
and salt, it's now a dreamy little place of pebble-covered cottages
sloping up from a narrow harbour just a mile west of Cley. Crab
sandwiches are sold from stalls at the quayside, the meandering high
street is flanked by family-run shops, and footpaths stretch out along
the sea wall to east and west, allowing long, lingering looks over the
salt marshes. The only sight as such is the Church of St Nicholas ,
beside the A149 at the south end of the village, whose sturdy tower and
nave are made of flint rubble with stone trimmings, the traditional
building materials of north Norfolk. Inside, the oak and chestnut hammer-beam
roof and the delicate rood screen are the most enjoyable features of the
nave, which is attached to a late thirteenth-century chancel, the only
survivor from the original Carmelite friary church. With its seven
stepped lancet windows, the east window is a rare example of Early
English design, though the stained glass is much later.
Blakeney harbour is linked to the sea by a narrow channel, which
wriggles its way through the salt marshes. The channel is, however, only
navigable for a few hours at high tide - at low tide the harbour is no
more than a muddy creek. Depending on the tides, there are boat trips
from Blakeney or Morston quay, a mile or two to the west, to Blakeney
Point; as well as the two-hour round trips which land passengers at the
National Trust information centre on Blakeney Point there are also hour-long
seal-watching trips. The main operators advertise departure times on
blackboards by the quayside.
For accommodation , the quayside Blakeney Hotel (tel 01263/740797, ;
£110-150) is one of the most charming hotels in Norfolk, a rambling
building with high-pitched gables and pebble-covered walls. The hotel
has a heated indoor swimming pool, a secluded garden, cosy lounges
decorated in soft pastel colours, sea views and serves outstanding food.
The cheaper rooms can be poky and somewhat airless, but pay a little
more and you'll be rewarded with splendid views across the harbour and
the marshes. There are discounts for longer stays with full board. A
very good alternative is the Manor Hotel (tel 01263/740376, ; £90-110),
which occupies a low-lying courtyard complex a few yards to the east of
the harbour; or you might try the excellent King's Arms , just back from
the quay on Westgate (tel 01263/740341; £50-60), a traditional pub, with
low, beamed ceilings and seven en-suite bedrooms. The latter also serves
up delicious, reasonably priced bar food .
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