As part of our summer holidays visit to Norfolk (Cromer day trip here), we made sure to visit the North Norfolk Railway, also known as the “Poppy Line“. It was highly-recommended to me by a work colleague and having never experienced a steam train before, it was great to be able to experience it with Cara.
Date Visited: 20th August 2024
Location: Holt to Sheringham, Norfolk
Getting There: From North Norwich, a 30-min drive to Holt railway station. You can also start from Sheringham which is an extra 10-min drive.
Cost: Our train tickets were £21 for an adult and £14.75 for a child, all-day rover for unlimited rides. Prices are seasonal. Parking at Holt station is free although there is a suggested £3 donation to contribute to the maintenance of the station.
Scenic way to travel to the beach
This heritage railway runs a delightful 5-mile route between Holt to Sheringham, offering views of the gorgeous countryside and a nostalgic steam train experience. Whether you’re a rail enthusiast or just after a fun day out, the Poppy Line’s vintage trains and historic stations make for a perfect throwback adventure. We arrived at Holt station about 20-minutes before our scheduled train to take some photos and ensure we were able to secure a good seat. A nice touch is the souvenir train ticket Cara (and the other kids) received from one of the conductors.
After a blow of the stationmaster’s whistle, we were on our way. If you’re after a Shinkansen bullet-train experience, you’d hopped on the wrong train! I’m pretty sure Mo Farah could outrun the train but we weren’t complaining. The slow pace provides you with enough time to soak in the views of the country and seaside. There are a couple of stops along the way to Sheringham if you’re looking to alight for a walk. We stayed on to the end to spend the day at the beach.
Quaint seaside town
From Sheringham station, it’s a nice walk down to the beach. The High Street lined with interesting shops full of knick-knacks. It took us about an hour to complete the short-walk, including a quick stopover to grab Cara a cheese toastie. Once by the beach, we found a clean space and spent a few hours there. Compared to Cromer, Sheringham’s beach was a lot more pebbly. Unfortunately the weather was also a lot windier the day we went, so we preferred Cromer. The fish and chips was also better in Cromer. Notwithstanding the geology, weather and food, it was still a memorable day out.
Tip: If you time it well, you can try both steam engines and carriages on the Poppy Line, one on the way there and the other one on the way back.
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