GREAT YARMOUTH

The king of East Anglian seaside resorts. Brash but loads of fun, with plenty of attractions to keep you entertained all day and night.

Great Yarmouth is an ancient town which for centuries has been an important centre for the fishing industry. Nowadays, it is a popular seaside resort with miles of sandy beach, attractive gardens and a huge variety of traditional seaside entertainment and amusement. There is still a busy commercial harbour and a section of the medieval town still survives, despite heavy bombing during WW2. The old houses were crowded into narrow alleyways called rows and a few of these can still be seen in the Heritage Quarter. The South Quay area features a number of museums, showcasing the town's past. In the 19th Century, the arrival of the railway brought visitors to the town from the major cities and there was even a regular steamer service from London Bridge in season! This brought a massive increase in visitor numbers and the facilities available in the town. There is a mile long promenade strip with numerous tourist attractions, gambling amusements, restaurants and bars. The top attractions of the town are the miles of sandy beach, the Britannia Pier and the rides of the Pleasure Beach. During the summer months, various events are staged including weekly firework displays.

We start our tour of Great Yarmouth parking the car. Fortunately there is plenty of parking at the Northern end of the strip. The road extends for miles and you can nearly always get a space here - if you prefer, there are plenty of pay car parks in the centre of town. The walk into town along North Drive is lined with hotels on one side of the road and attractive gardens on the other.

The beach at Great Yarmouth is fabulous. The sands extend for miles to the North, as far as Winterton on Sea and beyond. It makes a great safe place for a traditional beach holiday and there are deck chairs for hire as well as stalls selling all kinds of refreshments. Even in high summer you can still find a place on the beach to yourself!

Bucket and Spades at Great Yarmouth

As you get into town, North Drive becomes Marine Parade, a mile long strip of seaside attractions. These include many amusement arcades, a Sealife centre, a model village, a pirates golf course and plenty of restaurants & bars. For those choosing not to walk along the parade, a road train and horse drawn carriages transport visitors from one end of the other.

Pirates Cove Golf Great Yarmouth

Barking Smack Bar Great Yarmouth

You can take a boat trip from Yarmouth beach out to Scroby sands, the site of an offshore windfarm. You will also get to see and colony of grey seals that live there.

Scroby Sands Windfarm as seen from Great Yarmouth

At one end of Marine Parade is the famous Britannia Pier. The original wooden structure was opened in July 1858 at a cost of £3,158s. It measured 700ft long but was badly damaged by the schooner 'James & Jessie' only a year later! In the 20th century, the wooden structure was replaced with a wooden/steel construction with a grand 2000 seat pavilion, opening in 1902. Only 7 years after the pavilion opened, it suffered a fire, a 2nd pavilion opened a year later but burn 't to the ground in 1914! The 'Floral Hall' Ballroom, which opened in 1928, was only to survive 4 years - you guessed it, destroyed by fire - this was rebuilt and opened again in 1933. Amazingly, the pier survived the war, but was destroyed by yet another blaze in 1954! The 4th pavilion was rebuilt and opened in 1958. Amazingly, this construction has survived! As well as the theatre, the pier has a number of rides and stalls.

Formule 1 Fair Ride on Britannia Pier

At the other end of Marine Parade is Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach - one of the top ten free entry attractions in the UK. This 9 acre seafront tourist attraction has over 70 rides and attractions, including 20 large rides as well as crazy golf courses, water attractions, kiddie rides and some white knuckle classics. Entry is free, with payment by wrist band and tokens, see the website for more details. A horse drawn carriage takes visitors from Britannia Pier down to the Pleasure Beach and back.

Pleasure Beach Fun House

Haunted House at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach

Horse and Carriage Ride to the Pleasure Beach

Mid way along Marine Parade is the Atlantis resort. A new entertainment complex featuring conference and banqueting facilities, live music and a family amusement centre. Above the resort is a tower giving spectacular views out over the whole of Great Yarmouth and the surrounding area. See the Atlantis website for more information.

Moving into the town centre, Regent Road takes us from the Britannia Pier to the town centre and is lined with discount shops, offering bargains galore! The town centre has many high street shops, a shopping centre and an outdoor market.

Great Yarmouth has a long history and association with the sea. The heritage quarter of the town stretches from the Victorian Town Hall to the Nelson Monument. In this sector is the historic South Quay where you can find a number of interesting museums, such as the Norfolk Nelson Museum, Elizabeth House and Row 111.

Finally, accommodation in Great Yarmouth is plenty and varied. The seafront has plenty of hotels and the streets to the town centre are lined with some really colourful guest houses and B&Bs.

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