Visitors have been eating fish and chips on the Quay for generations and the experience has remained almost unchanged. Sit on the harbour wall with your freshly cooked fish and tuck in. Crabbers and fishing boats provide the entertainment.
They may not be wrapped in newspaper any longer, but surprisingly little else has changed – the seagulls are still hungry!
Wells has two fabulous chippies overlooking the harbour. Platten’s and French’s have a combined history of over 150 years of service. That’s a lot of fish ‘n’ chips!
The Lifeboat Horse stands on the harbour sand opposite the Quay. The 3-metre high sculpture is fully visible at low tide, and partially submerged at high tide, appearing to swim through the water.
Created by artist Rachael Long as a tribute to the horses that once pulled the town’s lifeboat, it’s made from steel bars & whisky barrels and anchored to the seabed using huge metal pins.
Originally commissioned for the Wells Heritage Art Trail in 2018, it proved so popular with tourists and residents that the local community purchased the sculpture. It’s on display in the harbour during spring & summer, removed and stored in winter.
For all matters relating to the harbour, your first port of call should be the Harbour Office, home to the Port of Wells. The Harbour Office is in the old life boat house, situated on the quay in front of the Beach Bank Walk.
The Port of Wells provides extensive information for harbour users, including visiting and mooring, port facilities, care of the harbour environment, port safety, fishing out of Wells, and the work of Wells Harbour Commissioners.
Robert Smith MBE has been the Harbour Master at Wells-next-the-Sea since 2000. Born and bred in the town, he started working at the harbour in 1989 and volunteered as a Wells RNLI lifeboatman for 26 years. He was awarded an MBE in 2016 for his services to the Port and Community of Wells.
In the 18th century, Wells-next-the-Sea was a producer of malt, supplying huge quantities to Dutch (and later London) breweries. Some of the buildings from that era still stand, including The Granary with its distinctive overhanging gantry that dominate the harbour.
Comprising 5 storeys and constructed of fletton brick, it was built around 1903-1904 for local merchants F. & G. Smith, the largest maltsters in East Anglia at the time, for the princely sum of £3,280. The cantilevered gantry allowed grain to be transferred from the ships to the building without disrupting road traffic.
It ceased operating as a granary in 1990, and was converted into luxury flats in 1998, receiving an award from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) for enhancing the Norfolk countryside. Some of the flats are now holiday lets, others sell for a small fortune.
Crabbing (or Gillying) is one of the most popular pastimes in Wells. It’s easy, fun and kids love it. Fishing for crabs with a baited line is a traditional pursuit on the Norfolk coast, and Wells Harbour is one of the top crabbing spots.
In summer, people of all ages gather along the edge of the Quay, lower their lines, and fill their buckets with freshly caught crabs. Crabbing is good old-fashioned family fun, and keeps children (and adults) entertained for hours.
Find out more about Crabbing on Wells Quay.
Wells Harbour Tours offer sightseeing boat tours that explore the harbour, beach and saltmarshes of Wells. Although most trips last an hour, a 30 minute mini trip is also available. You can privately charter the “Wells Ferry” for special occasions. Dogs are welcome on board.
Find out more about Wells Harbour Tours.
Curlew Coastal Charters operate boat tours aboard the Lucy Lavers, a Liverpool Class former RNLI Lifeboat and Dunkirk Little Ship. They offer a 1.5 hour history tour or a 1 hour sightseeing tour. Private charters are available and include skipper, crew and luxury buffet.
Wells Salt Marsh is an environmentally protected nature reserve, providing a unique habitat for a variety of birds and plants. Stretching over 7 miles from Wells Harbour channel to Blakeney in the east, the saltmarshes make up one of the richest and most extensive inter-tidal marsh areas in the country.
A succession of flowering, salt resistant plants bring changing colours throughout the summer, with Sea Pink followed by pale purple Sea-lavender. In late summer and early autumn the leaves of Samphire and Seablight contribute their own shades of pink and purple to the landscape.
The mudflats adjacent to the marshes attract wading birds including oystercatchers, knot, curlews and redshank. Brent and pink footed geese numbering in the thousands roost on the tidal sands to the east of the harbour mouth, passing overhead in great skeins at dawn and dusk.
Wells Harbour Tours offer boat trips along the saltmarsh creeks.
The A & M Frary Shellfish Stall has been a feature of Wells Quay since 1957. You’ll find their blue & white stall on the quayside car park.
Famous for their little pots of ready-to-eat cockles, whelks, mussels, prawns, shrimp, rollmops, crayfish and crab sticks, they also sell freshly dressed crabs, lobster, wet fish, samphire and crab sandwiches.
The stall sells freshly caught shellfish direct from their own crab & lobster fishing boat.
It’s open from March to November and accepts cash payment only.
Wells has a local fleet of 13 fishing vessels. Their main catches are crab, lobster and whelks. Wells is renowned for being a whelk fishing port that has been established for generations. Much of the crab and lobster is sold to local hotels and restaurants, the rest sold in shops and supermarkets.
Visiting fishing vessels use Wells at different times of the year while fishing for brown shrimps. In summer, a flotilla of small boats head out to sea to catch mackerel. A few fisherman still carry out the long standing tradition of harvesting mussels, also sold in the local pubs and restaurants.
Angling charter boats take parties fishing for cod, skate and tope (a type of shark). Off The Hook and BJR Marine offer sea fishing trips out of Wells harbour.
For more information on the fishing fleet visit the Port of Wells website.
The Port of Wells Lobster Hatchery is dedicated to sustaining the local lobster population and preserving Wells’ rich fishing heritage. Through innovative rearing practices, they boost lobster survival rates and support a sustainable fishery, benefiting both the marine ecosystem and local fishermen.
The hatchery is also a centre for research, education, and community engagement, offering tours that provide a unique glimpse into marine conservation. You can support their mission to protect Wells Harbour’s marine life for future generations.
Read more about the Wells Lobster Hatchery.
