The clocks went back on Sunday. From here until the end of January it is dark by late afternoon, the Broads empty out almost completely, and most people put the caravan away somewhere and forget about it until March.
That is one option. This is an account of the other one, and of what the southern Broads are actually like in the months nobody books.
The seals, with the dates right
This is the headline attraction of a Norfolk winter and it is routinely described wrongly, including in our own older material, so here is the accurate version.
Grey seal pupping runs November to January. Through late October the pregnant females start hauling out at Horsey and Winterton. As the beach fills, Friends of Horsey Seals put a voluntary beach closure in place and viewing moves to two marked areas on the dunes above Horsey Gap car park. Their wardens are on duty at weekends and every day during term time and the Christmas holidays.
So: late October, you may see adult seals. From mid November you will see pups, and a lot of them. December is the peak.
It is a drive up the coast rather than something you do from the gate, and it is worth the trip.
What else is going on
The light. This is the real reason to be here. Low sun across flat marsh for most of the short day, mist coming off the Waveney in the mornings, and sunsets that start at three in the afternoon and take an hour. Anybody who takes photographs will understand immediately.
The birds. The pink-footed geese are in from late September and stay all winter, and the skeins coming over at dusk are one of the sights of the Norfolk year. Breydon Water, about ten minutes away, holds wigeon, golden plover and lapwing in numbers through the winter.
The paths. The Angles Way runs past the site and in November you will not meet anybody on it. The ground is firm, the nettles have gone down, and the views open up once the leaves are off.
What is closed. Be realistic about this. Boat hire is largely done for the season. The on-site restaurant is weekend only, and the wood-fired pizza van is a summer fixture, so plan on cooking or walking over the road to the Bell Inn, which gives our guests 10% off.
Touring through the winter
We are open for touring February to December. Pitches are hardstanding, 8 metres by 10 metres, with 10 amp electric hook-up, from £24 a night.
Two honest notes for winter specifically. Ten amps is about 2.3 kilowatts, so a fan heater and a kettle at the same time will trip it. And it gets properly dark here, with poor mobile signal and no WiFi, which some people come for and some people find difficult. Know which you are.
Or stop towing altogether
Here is the part that is worth doing the sums on.
A winter seasonal pitch here is from £1,050 for October to February, and it includes year-round storage.
Set that against £24 a night for a standard electric pitch and £1,050 is roughly 44 nights. So the question is simple: between October and February, would you use the van more than about six weekends?
If the answer is yes, the seasonal pitch is cheaper. And you stop towing. The van sits on its pitch, hooked up, and you arrive with a bag instead of a tow car and forty minutes of setting up. For a lot of people that second part matters more than the money.
The summer equivalent runs April to September from £2,400. Electricity is metered separately on both.
There is a two-night complimentary stay for anyone seriously considering it. Come and see whether you like the field before you commit to five months on it.
What you are actually buying
Eighteen pitches, so it never feels busy even when it is full. Adults only, 18 and over, all year. Up to two dogs per pitch at no extra charge, and a dog wash bay for what comes back off the marsh. The toilet and shower block was built in 2024, with a laundry and a small kitchen. One shower and one toilet per gender, which is the number, and it is worth knowing before you arrive rather than after.
Booking
Winter touring from £24 a night, one night if that is all you want, no booking fee, free cancellation to 28 days.
Seasonal pitches from £1,050 including storage, with a two-night taster stay first.
See seasonal pitches, check availability, or ring us on 01493 764400.