Heacham – South Beach

Situated between Snettisham Beach and Heacham North Beach, Heacham South is a relatively short stretch of beach, backed by dunes, some chalets, Heacham River and fields beyond. It’s quiet and peaceful, relatively wild and undeveloped with west-facing sunset views.

As you progress northwards from King’s Lynn along the A149 coast road, Heacham South Beach is the second beach you come to. There’s a progression of development as well, so while not quite as wild and natural as Snettisham, Heacham South Beach is quieter than its sibling to the north.

The car park is small, but unlike Snettisham there are public toilets, and some facilities available – the Heacham Halt Café that opens for breakfast, some small kiosks selling donuts, ice creams and beach toys which normally don’t get going until later in the day, and a caravan park with a convenience store 200 metres back down the beach road.

Almost a mirror image of Snettisham Beach to the south, your choices when accessing the beach are to turn left, where the beach is backed by heathland, marshes and the river, or right with a backdrop of caravan parks behind the dunes. Not that you’ll notice once you’re on the beach, as the rise of the sand and the dunes behind effectively block any views inland.

Directly in front of you when you walk onto the beach is a large concrete outfall. It’s nothing to worry about as it just carries the water from the Heacham River out into The Wash.

Heacham South Beach is more sandy than Snettisham, but still with a fair amount of shingle. There are bands of sand and shingle as you go from the dunes down to the water’s edge, so you can find suitable construction areas for building sandcastles if you wish.

A good dog-walking beach, Heacham South Beach has no restrictions. As with the other beaches along this stretch of west-facing coastline, it’s a fantastic place to sit or take a leisurely stroll and watch the long, spectacular sunsets.