Stiffkey
View all properties in StiffkeyCoast
Renowned for its salt marshes and being rich in wildlife, Stiffkey has its own unique charm. This area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has many muddy creeks which are flooded daily by the tide and is an important habitat for breeding birds. Famous for two local delicacies: the samphire that grows here and the ‘Stewkey blues’ cockles named after the blue hue mud they live in. Take a long walk through the salt marshes and your efforts will be well worth it, you will find a glorious sandy beach and a really perfect picnic spot!
Village
An attractive quiet coastal village nestled between Wells-next-the-Sea and Blakeney. It has an enchanting local feel, with a lovely village shop The Stiffkey Stores with post office and cafe, well worth a visit for a hot chocolate after a long afternoon walk. The village has a great little local pub The Red Lion, super welcoming and serves great food too.
History
Stiffkey was first evident in the Domesday book of 1086 and means ‘stump island with stops of trees’. The village in the past had a small water mill that run off the river Stiffkey that passes through the village, little remains of the mill today. During World War II there was a military camp south of the marshes which was established in 1938 and remained in operation until the end of the war. RAF Aircraft would tow targets over the marshes for the the trainee gunners to aim at. After the war the camp was used for training USAAF B-29 gunners until the site closed in 1955. The remains of a ‘The Whirlygig’ a circular runway used to launch radio-controlled aerial targets by the USAAF can see be seen today. Other surviving buildings have been converted for agricultural use and is now the site of a camp-site.
Visit
Wells-next-the-Sea is the closest town to Stiffkey where you can enjoy some crabbing (gilllie- crabbing) which is fun to have a go off the harbour front for the whole family. Wells itself has some lovely shops and eateries. In the Summer months you can catch the little beach train from the town near the play park to the beach, there you will find vast sandy beaches, the lovely pine woods and Wells’ iconic row of beach huts. There are many wonderful villages to explore in north Norfolk, you are close to Walsingham a very historic and religious village with a healing shrine of Virgin Mary. There are lovely snow drop walks at the Walsingham Priory where from mid-January you can see carpets of glorious swathes of snowdrops.
