| Fact File | - The beach car park costs £1.60 or is free to Norfolk Wildlife Trust members
- Blakeney Point is open all year, though access is restricted to certain areas during the breeding season (May to September)
- Dogs are not allowed west of Old Lifeboat House from April to September, and must be on a lead in other areas and at other times
- The best time to walk to Blakeney Point is at low tide. Tide tables can be purchased in most local shops for 99p
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Cley-Next-The-Sea is a perfectly preserved village between Blakeney and Salthouse on the north Norfolk coast. A former ancient port on the River Glaven, the village has been left relatively unchanged since medieval times. It has a wealth of old buildings including the cathedral like St Margaret’s parish church and Cley Windmill. The main part of the village is a pleasure to wander and is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The high street is so narrow that cars have to pass one by one, but the flint-fronted shops and galleries will easily distract you.
 | | Cley windmill by Emma Peios |
There's an excellent selection of local food and produce to be sampled here. At Terroir, an award-winning, locally sustained restaurant, you can try its speciality of seasonal vegetable cooking. The George pub also does great Sunday lunches. You can pop into Cley Smokehouse to take home a selection of the day’s catch or some of its fine smoked kippers or stock up at the well-known deli, Picnic Fayre. Cley Windmill dates from the early 18th century and is a prominent landmark on the north Norfolk coast, now a guesthouse. You'll often see artists perched on stalls taking inspiration from the windmill that overlooks the sea, salt marshes and Cley Bird Santuary. The windmill is a great place to start a walk out toward Blakeney Point and its salt marshes, and you can reward yourself when you return with a delicious cream tea in its tearooms. The quiet, pebbly beach at Cley seems to stretch endlessly into the distance with stunning views to either side. Much quieter than the well-known beaches of Brancaster and Holkham, you can walk from Cley along the coastal path and the beach is accessible by car. The car park even has a quirky bookshop – not quite what you'd expect to find on a beach in Norfolk! | 
