Norfolk Boat Trips

There is a particular kind of quiet that only exists on the North Norfolk salt marshes. Once the engine goes off and the sails go up, the only sounds are water against the hull, the call of an oystercatcher somewhere across the channel, and the creak of a rope going taut. You are an hour from Norwich, two from London, and it feels like the edge of the known world.

North Norfolk, UK’s network of tidal creeks runs for miles between Wells-next-the-Sea, Stiffkey, Morston, Blakeney and Cley, a hidden inland sea that only opens properly to flat-bottomed traditional boats. The skippers who know these channels have grown up on them. They take you to places no road touches, through channels that appear and disappear with the tide, out to sandbanks where grey seals haul out and marsh harriers quarter the reed beds.

This page is the full picture: salt marsh charter and shared sails, open-sea explorations when you want more water under the keel, seal trips from Morston, and where to base yourself at mYminiBreak so the day is a miniBreak, not a day trip from halfway across the county. Part of our Outdoor Norfolk pillar and the wider Norfolk Activities hub.

The creek swim stop. Sun on the water, marsh to every horizon.

Salt Marsh Sails

A skipper meets you at the quay, kits you out with lifejackets, and within minutes you are leaving Wells harbour behind. A half-day sail covers the sheltered tidal channels between Wells, Stiffkey and Morston, calm, protected water that works in almost any weather. A full day reaches Blakeney and Cley, with a creek swim stop and a sit-down on the bank.

The creek system between Wells and Blakeney. Miles of water only a flat-bottomed wherry can reach.

The Boats

The fleet includes mussel flats, beach punts, crab boats and, on very high spring tides, the whelk boat. These are traditional Norfolk working boats, flat-bottomed and shallow-draughted, built for exactly this kind of water. They are not yachts. They are the real thing, and that is the point. Call the hull a wherry in the shallow sense guests use on the marsh, not a yacht-club dinghy.

The Creek Swim

On most summer sails the skipper finds a sheltered bend and stops the boat. Everyone goes in. The water is tidal, warm in summer, the banks of samphire rising around you, no sound except the marsh. You climb back aboard and someone puts the kettle on.

From the deck of the wherry. The boat stays alongside while you swim the creek.

What Is Included

• Experienced skipper for the full voyage
• Lifejackets for all passengers
• Breakfast (morning sails) or lunch/supper (daytime and evening sails)
• Locally sourced Norfolk produce throughout

Trips and Prices

The operator running these trips is the Coastal Exploration Company, based at Wells-next-the-Sea. Henry and his team have been featured in the Guardian, the Telegraph, Country Life, Tatler and Condé Nast Traveller. Confirm current prices and dates on their site before you book.

Experience	Duration	From	Type
Salt Marsh Sail	Half day (3-4 hrs)	£395	Private charter
Salt Marsh Sail	Full day (7-8 hrs)	£395	Private charter
Sea Exploration	Half day (3-4 hrs)	£595	Private charter
Shared Salt Marsh Sail	3-4 hrs	£100 pp	Join a group
Shared Full Day Sail	7-8 hrs	£150 pp	Join a group
Evening Aperitif Sail	~2.5 hrs	£120 pp	Includes supper
Sea School	Full day	£150 pp	Learn to sail

Book at coastalexplorationcompany.co.uk or call Henry on 07970 276397.

Three generations in the creek. You cannot plan a moment like this. You can only put yourself somewhere it might happen.

After the swim. Tea on the bank, marsh all round, nowhere to be.

Sea Explorations

If the salt marsh feels too sheltered, Coastal Exploration Company also runs open-sea voyages aboard MCA-coded vessels: offshore toward Scolt Head Island to the west, east toward the Blakeney Chalk Reef, or into The Wash aboard Victorious, a century-old Norfolk whelk boat. These cover open water, so they are priced accordingly (private sea exploration from £595). Same skipper ethos. More wind and horizon. Confirm suitability and weather windows when you book.

Seal Trips at Blakeney

Two long-established operators run daily seal trips from Morston Quay to Blakeney Point, one of England’s largest grey and common seal colonies. Different product from a private salt marsh sail: shorter, scheduled, wildlife-first.

• Bishop’s Boats, daily from Morston Quay, tel: 01263 740753
• Bean’s Boats, daily from Morston Quay, tel: 01263 740505

Seals are often spotted on salt marsh voyages too. For a dedicated haul-out trip, book Morston.

Where to Stay

mYminiBreak bases that make Wells and Morston easy: Holme-next-the-Sea (Peddars Way terminus, Coast Path), Hunstanton and Heacham (glamping, B&B, cottages, huts), Holt woodland if you want trees after salt air. Live bases only: Holme, Hunstanton/Heacham, Holt woodland. More outdoor days from the same bases: Outdoor Norfolk · seals and reserves: Norfolk Wildlife · book: norfolkcoast-cottage.co.uk.

Frequently Asked Questions