Stiffkey Marshes to Wells Harbour and Return

Stiffkey Marshes To Wells Harbour Walk

Length: 6 miles return journey. Ease of Walk: easy walking. What you’ll see: mud flats, salt marshes, Wells working fishing harbour and Wells town, fishing boats and sailing boats, creeks and bird watching OS Map: Explorer No 251

The Stiffkey marshes are what make this walk so wonderful. This is a fabulous 6 ½ mile walk and can be a 3 hour return walk with fish and chips in the middle, dogs included! This walk heads towards Wells, but you could decide to go in the opposite direction and head east towards Morston and Blakeney - either walk just has amazing views. If you don't want to turn around and re-trace your steps, you can jump on the Coasthopper bus in Wells and get taken back to Stiffkey!

Strolling along the Norfolk Coast Path with salt marshes and vast open landscape to one side of you, and the beautiful Norfolk countryside on the other, this walk is suitable for all abilities.

Stiffkey Marshes to Wells Harbour and Return

For dog walkers, our dogs loved it, with wide open grassland, as well as single file track in some places. Depending on the breed of dog, for most of the way they can be off the lead, which gives them perfect freedom.

Don't forget your binoculars, you never know what you might see.

To get to the car park at Stiffkey, turn off the A149 into Green Way at the west end of the village. Take this lane to the end and you arrive at a free small car park facing the wide expanse of Stiffkey marshes.

Just in the left corner of the car park is a signed footpath heading west towards Wells-next-the-Sea (not the open pathway that leads out to the sea). All you need to do for this simple walk is follow the well-trodden path along the edge of the marshes and about 1 ½ hours later you’ll arrive in Wells Harbour.

As you amble along, you do come across a few paths heading right, out towards the marshes with various bridges over the creeks. Don’t take these (unless you have a local guide as these can be extremely dangerous), just continue in a westerly direction. Watching the boats Stiffkey Marshes to Wells Harbour and Return gradually come into view as you begin to approach Wells Harbour is a really wonderful site.

The scenery is spectacular overlooking the salt marshes and it's a really lovely walk.

Once in Wells, I suggest you grab some delicious fresh fish and chips, or if you’re feeling a bit healthier, pop into the Wells deli, or even have a pub lunch, and then retrace your steps back to Stiffkey, or grab the Coasthopper and let it drop you back off at Stiffkey, saving you the 3 ¼ mile walk back.

On a lucky day you may even catch some alpacas being taken for a walk – no joke!

Stiffkey Marshes to Wells Harbour and Return