Walk out of reception, turn down Beach Road, and ten minutes later you’re on Hemsby Beach, one of the widest stretches of sand in Norfolk. It’s a proper bucket-and-spade village: arcades and chip shops along the one road to the sea, a gap through the dunes, then miles of sand north towards Winterton.
Hemsby Beach Holiday Park sits on the inland side of that road, 7 miles from Great Yarmouth. It’s a Richardson’s park, assessed 5-star by Visit England, and a big one: caravans, lodges, chalets, bungalows and apartments arranged round a heated indoor pool, a show bar and a restaurant.
Here’s what’s on at the park, which attractions nearby are worth the drive, when to come, and which holiday parks near Hemsby you can book with us.
What’s on at Hemsby Beach Holiday Park?
Hemsby Beach packs in more than most seaside parks this size, and a fair chunk of it’s in the price.
The heated indoor pool is free to all Richardson’s guests. Evenings belong to the Quarterdeck Show Bar, where family-friendly live shows, cabarets and visiting bands are part of the holiday experience rather than an extra, with daytime entertainment in there too. The Quarterdeck Restaurant alongside has a licensed bar doing breakfast, lunch and evening meals, and the Ellie Elephant Club takes 5 to 11 year olds.
What the park offers beyond that’s a long activity list, some charged and some age-limited, so ask at reception:
- The Crow’s Nest High Ropes course and the Coconut Tree Climb
- A climbing wall, a traversing wall and Sky Tykes for smaller children
- Archery, body zorbing and laser clay shooting
- Water Wars, a pirate-themed wet play attraction
- Twelve holes of crazy golf, plus lawn bowls
- Circus skills and magic workshops in the activities tent
Plenty of the on-site facilities cost nothing:
- A multi-use games area and an all-weather multi sports court
- An indoor play area with soft play, plus outdoor play areas
- A trim trail and an outdoor gym
- A fitness room, a solarium and a hire shop for bikes and pedal karts
Next door sits Richardson’s Family Entertainment Centre, where teenagers disappear to: ten pin bowling, a games arcade, air hockey, American pool and augmented reality darts, plus the Galley Fish Bar for fish and chips and the Beach Hut Sports Bar. The park has the awards to back those facilities up, a Diamond Awards winner in 2021 and 2022 and finalist in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
Location and practical details:
- Beach Road, Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29 4HR
- Hemsby Beach is 350 yards away, roughly a 10 minute walk from reception
- The holiday season runs 8 February to 8 January
- Free parking on site, Wi-Fi in the Quarterdeck leisure complex, a launderette and an EV charging point
- Accessibility: every park facility is on the ground floor, with a Changing Places toilet
Driving directions from the south:
- From Yarmouth, take the A149 north towards Caister
- Fork left at the first roundabout, then follow the B1159 signs for Winterton
- Turn right at Scratby garden centre, and the park is 400 yards down on the right
Inside the holiday park: caravans, lodges, chalets and apartments
This is where Hemsby parts company with the rest of the Norfolk coast. Alongside the static caravans sit chalets, bungalows and both ground floor and first floor apartments. UKParks lists 256 caravans, 52 chalets, 32 lodges, 26 apartments and 19 bungalows for letting, a very wide choice for one site.
Caravans are graded. Silver is the starting point, the Gold vans the sweet spot, and anything with Spa in its name, which covers the Gold Spa caravans and the Platinum lodges, has a private hot tub on its decking. Luxury lodges and caravans with a tub go first in school holidays, and Hoseasons shows 11 of the Hemsby letting units as pets allowed and eight with one.
A Platinum Plus luxury lodge gives you a master double bedroom with an en suite shower, a twin bedroom and a family bathroom, sleeping four guests. Patio doors open onto decking with garden furniture and the hot tub, the real reason to pay extra. King-sized beds are in the lodges. Parking sits alongside selected ones, and beds are made up before you arrive.
At the other end, studio apartments have no separate bedroom but do come with a sea view. Bigger groups do better in a 3 bed caravan or one of the chalets, which run to four bedrooms: a Gold 3 Plus caravan has three bedrooms and sleeps eight guests, and so does The Villa, a four bedroom accessible property.
Hemsby Beach, the dunes and Beach Road
Hemsby Beach is the whole point of coming. Wide at low tide, backed by dunes rather than a promenade, and it keeps going: head north along the sandy beach to explore the dunes and you’ll reach Winterton-on-Sea in 45 minutes.
One honest note, because nobody else writing about Hemsby will give it to you. The dune frontage at Hemsby Beach has lost ground fast: more than 10 metres over one recent winter, and 26 homes along The Marrams came down. Volunteers later cleared concrete and sections of the old road off the sand, helped by Hemsby Lifeboat and the Crown Estate, which owns the beach. None of that spoils a holiday. It does mean the route through the dunes at the Gap shifts, so follow the current one.
Beach Road itself is unapologetic seaside. Oasis Amusements, Sands, the Mirage and the Palace Casino sit a few doors apart, open most days, with chip shops at both ends.
Through the summer holidays, Big Tuesday puts street performers on the sand near the end of the road and finishes with fireworks at 10pm. In 2026 it ran every Tuesday from 21 July to 25 August, with free parking after 5pm in the Richardson’s car park.
Ten things to do near Hemsby
Hemsby Beach sits 7 miles from a full-blown resort and about the same from the Norfolk Broads, a rare spot for one holiday park to occupy, so these are the ones worth a day.
1. Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach
Rides packed onto the seafront at the south end of the Golden Mile, including the Lightning 360 and a wooden rollercoaster ridden with a brakeman on board. A season-long Fun Card covers entry, with wristbands or ride tickets on top, so a quick evening visit is worth it.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 20 minute drive
2. The Hippodrome Circus, Great Yarmouth
Built in 1903 and the only surviving total circus building in Britain. The floor of the ring sinks into a 60,000 gallon tank for the water finale, an experience you can have in a handful of places on earth. Book ahead for summer and Christmas.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 20 minute drive
3. Horsey Gap and the grey seals
From late November the sand between Horsey and Winterton fills with grey seals coming ashore to pup, one of the largest colonies in England. More than 3,500 pups were born along that stretch in a single recent season! Friends of Horsey Seals close the shore voluntarily and post wardens on the dunes, where two marked platforms give the best views without going near a pup. Dogs on leads, and stay off the beach.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 15 minute drive
4. Winterton Dunes and The Dunes Cafe
A national nature reserve of acid dune heath, a reminder of how little of this coast still looks that way. The circular route from Winterton car park runs 4.75 miles through marshes once drained by windmills, and The Dunes Cafe sits on a dune with the whole beach in view.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 10 minute drive
5. Herbert Woods day boats at Potter Heigham
Take a day boat from Bridge Road and you can explore the quiet northern Broads within minutes, with Hickling Broad, Martham Broad and Horsey Mere in reach. No licence needed, and they show you the ropes first.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 15 minute drive
6. Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens, Filby
Tigers, crocodiles and storks in a 250-year-old landscaped garden, with a tree top walkway and play areas. Open 10am to 5pm, or dusk in winter. Small enough to do in an afternoon.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 15 minute drive
7. Caister Castle Car Collection
Over 120 cars and 100 bikes beside a 15th century moated castle, from the world’s first motor car to Jim Clark’s Lotus grand prix car and the first Ford Fiesta made. Check the opening days first, as the season is short.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 15 minute drive
8. Sea Life and Merrivale Model Village
Two Marine Parade attractions worth a visit in one afternoon: sharks and rays under the promenade at Sea Life, then a model village with its own railway. Merrivale usually opens from late March.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 20 minute drive
9. BeWILDerwood, Hoveton
Treehouses, zip wires, a boat trip and a Slippery Slope in woodland on the A1062 near Wroxham. Wear boots. The best wet-weather bet with under-tens, and the ticket lasts all day.
Distance from Hemsby: about a 35 minute drive
10. A morning on Hemsby Beach doing nothing much
Worth saying out loud. Take a windbreak down through the Gap, dig in, and let the children run. Even in August the beach is wide enough to find your own patch, with a clear view both ways, and lunch at the caravan is ten minutes away.
Distance from Hemsby: a ten minute walk
When’s the best time for a holiday in Hemsby?
The season at Hemsby Beach runs from early February to early January, so when you visit changes the experience completely: seals and dark skies in winter, fireworks and chips in August.
What to pack for a Hemsby beach break
Hemsby Beach faces east, has no promenade, and makes you cross soft sand to reach it. That asks for different kit than a south coast resort.
- A windbreak, because the dunes do nothing to stop an easterly
- Beach shoes for the soft sand through the Gap
- Swimming things for the indoor pool as well as the sea
- Binoculars for the Horsey seals and the harriers over Winterton Dunes
- Boots for the dune heath and the marsh paths
- Waterproofs, whatever the forecast said when you booked
- Towelling robes if your caravan or lodge has a tub
- Coins for the Beach Road arcades
- A kite, for the same reason as the windbreak
- Sun cream and a sun hat for July and August
- A towel, a spare lead and a water bowl if you’re bringing a pet
- Bodyboards, which the north end suits better
- A head torch for the walk back from the fireworks
- Cash for the pay and display at Horsey Gap
Holiday parks near Hemsby you can book with us
Richardson’s take bookings for Hemsby Beach direct, so book online with them for that one. What we can book is a caravan or lodge on any of these five, all within half an hour and each with facilities of its own. Our Norfolk holiday parks page has the full list, and the wider East of England holiday parks page stretches down into Suffolk.
Summerfields Holiday Park
Scratby, Great Yarmouth – about 5 minutes’ drive – sleeps up to 8 – pets welcome / pool
The nearest alternative to Hemsby Beach, two miles down the coast at Scratby, family-friendly in the same mould. Our guide to Summerfields goes through it properly.
- Indoor heated swimming pool with a spa bath
- The Boathouse Bar and Restaurant, with a showbar
- Soft play, a playground and an amusement arcade
California Cliffs
Great Yarmouth – about 6 minutes’ drive – sleeps up to 8 – pets welcome / pool
Sat on the low cliffs between Scratby and Caister, rated 4.1 by guests who have stayed. There’s more in our California Cliffs guide.
- Indoor pool, plus an outdoor one when the weather plays along
- A Boathouse Bar and Restaurant and a chip shop on site
- An all-weather sports court for wet afternoons
Waxham Sands Holiday Park
Great Yarmouth – about 13 minutes’ drive – sleeps up to 8 – hot tubs / pets welcome
Book this one for the seals, a stroll over the dunes from Horsey Gap. It offers a shop, a communal safari dining tent with games, table tennis, a boules court and a play area, and some caravans have hot tubs.
Norfolk Broads Country Park
Potter Heigham – about 12 minutes’ drive – sleeps up to 4 – pets welcome
Six acres of mature countryside, the marina, boatyard and village shops down the lane, and a pub 200 yards from the entrance. Refurbished caravans and smarter holiday homes, good river views from some, and the best rating from guests of the five at 4.7. Some units take no pets, others are dog friendly, and walks start at the gate.
Cherry Tree
Burgh Castle, Great Yarmouth – about 22 minutes’ drive – sleeps up to 8 – hot tubs / pets welcome / pool
The biggest choice of holiday homes here, and the best bet in changeable weather. It features an indoor heated pool for any time of year, an outdoor one for summer, a toddler pool and a sports court. Some caravans have hot tubs. Further from the beach, nearer the Broads.
| Holiday park | Drive (mins) | Sleeps | Hot tubs | Pets | Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summerfields Holiday Park | 5 | 8 | No | Yes | Yes |
| California Cliffs | 6 | 8 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Norfolk Broads Country Park | 12 | 4 | No | Yes | No |
| Waxham Sands Holiday Park | 13 | 8 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cherry Tree | 22 | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Four of those sleep eight, where a caravan looks very good value split between two families. Have a play with the numbers:
If a tub matters more than the drive, filter the lot by parks with hot tubs, and if the dog is coming, start with our pet friendly parks.
Hemsby holiday park FAQs
How far is Hemsby Beach from the park?
It’s 350 yards, about a 10 minute walk from reception, down the road and through the gap in the dunes. No need for the car.
Is there a swimming pool, and does it cost extra?
There’s a heated indoor pool and it’s included for Richardson’s guests. Some activities do carry a charge, including the high ropes course, archery and body zorbing.
Which caravans and lodges have a tub?
Anything graded Gold Spa, Platinum or Platinum Plus has a private hot tub on its decking. Among the parks you can book through us, Waxham Sands and Cherry Tree have them.
Can I bring a pet to a holiday park near Hemsby?
Yes. Hemsby keeps designated pet caravans and pet lodges across the Silver, Gold and Platinum grades, and all five parks above take dogs. Check the property itself, as pet-free units sit alongside the dog friendly ones on most parks.
Is the entertainment included?
The live shows, cabarets and visiting bands in the Quarterdeck Show Bar are part of the holiday, as is the afternoon programme. Food, drink and the ten pin bowling next door are extra.
When is the holiday park open?
The season runs from 8 February through to 8 January, so there are only a few weeks in deep winter when you can’t stay.
Has coastal erosion closed Hemsby Beach?
No. The sand is open and was cleared of rubble and old roadway after the worst of the losses. What changes is the way through the dunes at the Gap, so check when you arrive.
What’s there for teenagers?
The family entertainment centre next door, with ten pin bowling, pool, darts and the games arcade, plus the high ropes and the bike hire. Yarmouth’s Golden Mile is 7 miles away.
Hemsby Beach works because it asks very little of you. The sea is ten minutes from the door, the Broads a quarter of an hour inland, Yarmouth close enough for a rainy afternoon but far enough that evenings stay quiet. Pick your month, pick your holiday park, and the rest follows.
