Sunny Hunny, the local nickname for Hunstanton, lived up to its name when I sneaked here for a day escape last week. I came to take my heart back when I left it here the first time I visited two months ago but alas, it refused to come back home with me.
Hunstanton is one of the hidden gems of North Norfolk and it’s the only seaside town facing west in this area. It is best known for its striped cliff which is fossiliferous. The layers of white chalk, red chalk, and carrstone speak volume about its geography.
St. Edmund Chapel Ruins and the Lighthouse
From the top of the cliff are two historic buildings where one can find rich heritage of the town in a few words.
According to legend this chapel, built in 1272 AD, commemorates Edmund, the East Anglo-Saxon King of East Anglia. This was the site of his landing in 855 AD when his ship wrecked after crossing the sea from Germany. He was killed by the Vikings who tied him to a tree and shot him with arrows. The place where he was buried is now called Bury St. Edmunds.
The lighthouse in the background was built in 1840 and since 1922 it has been a private residence.
Old Hunstanton Beach and Wind Turbines Offshore
Adjacent to the stripy cliff of New Hunstanton is a sandy beach that belongs to Old Hunstanton. The sand dunes formed mini craters where one can use as territorial boundaries to bask in the sun all day long until the sun sets over the sea.
Walking the stretch of sand allowed me to inhale pure oxygen and made me oblivious of any worries I shouldn’t necessarily have.
What’s not to love
“It was a time like today,” thus started, Paul, my good friend and a former colleague, who told me a legend of Hunstanton, “where people have forgotten about the Lord. Then a preacher came and preached to all the villagers. There was weeping and repenting and everyone went back to the Lord.”
This is a shortened version of the tale. I can’t find an account of it online and therefore I must go and see Paul again.
Whether you are an archaeologist, a photographer, an adventurer, a holidayer, or what, Hunstanton is a great place to explore.