Moorings in North Norfolk coast

The North Norfolk coast runs east from the edge of the Wash past Brancaster, Burnham Overy, Wells-next-the-Sea and Blakeney, where small harbours sit behind salt marsh, dunes and shingle spits. The harbours here largely dry, so moorings in North Norfolk suit boats that can take the ground, from dinghies and day boats to shoal-draught and bilge-keel cruisers.

Wells-next-the-Sea is a working fishing and commercial harbour run by the Wells Harbour Commissioners, trading as the Port of Wells. It is reached over a sand bar and along a buoyed channel. At springs, boats of up to about 1.5 metres draught can enter around two hours either side of high water, but the window is much shorter at neaps. The entrance should not be attempted when the swell on the bar is heavy, and the harbour office can advise, and its launch will guide first-time visitors in on request. Much of the harbour dries, but Wells also has pontoon berths.

At Blakeney all the moorings dry, and the harbour gets very congested in summer. The Blakeney Harbour Association is the first contact for anyone looking for a mooring or thinking of laying one. Neighbouring Morston has a quay with a slipway and is where boats leave for the seal colonies on Blakeney Point.

Further west, the harbour at Brancaster Staithe is owned and managed by the National Trust. It has moorings for about 150 boats, all drying, and all of them are currently taken. Burnham Overy Staithe, on the River Burn, is another drying harbour, with a harbour warden who deals with moorings, and it suits small craft and day sailors more than cruising yachts.

None of these harbours connects to an inland waterway, and access depends on the tide and the weather, so North Norfolk moorings work best for owners who plan their sailing around high water.