Brancaster Estate

Brancaster Estate takes in a wide sweep of the north Norfolk coast: the golden sands of Brancaster Beach, so broad that even on the busiest days there is room to find your own space, the harbour at Brancaster Staithe, once a cargo port and still home to a fishing fleet, and Branodunum, the Roman fort of the 230s that joined the Saxon Shore defences and is now a meadow of skylarks. The Norfolk Coast Path runs the length of the estate with views over the saltmarsh to Scolt Head Island, and in winter thousands of pink-footed geese fly over at dusk to roost. Dogs are welcome under close control, kept out of the fenced dog-free zone at the eastern end of the beach from May to September and on a lead nearby. Two Trust trails are published, the moderate 3.8-mile Brancaster Staithe wildlife walk past the fort and an easy 4-mile circuit from Burnham Overy Staithe. Reviewers write of the big skies, the peace and the local seafood. Tips from visitors: check tide times, as the car parks are not the Trust's and flood on big tides, and never cross the main channel, where fast tides cut people off.