Usually have a couple of days away in late September/Early October and am considering Great Yarmouth, having never been there in my 47 years thus far! How does it stack up for things to do? Is it similar to Scarborough for amenities? Would it warrant a 2 night stay? Or should we consider somewhere else? If we do choose Yarmouth, what is the best and/or cheapest route to get there from Stafford. Thanks in advance, as usual to the helpful comments I get on hear!
Yarmouth is a dump and should be avoided. There is little to redeem the town at all; it is nothing like Scarborough. There are loads of seaside towns which are lovely, unfortunately Yarmouth isn't one.
If it's anything like Lowestoft, avoid at all cost! I would advise something like West Kirby or Bournemouth. The general rule of thumb is to avoid the larger seaside resorts, they seem to be the worst.
Great Yarmouth is just about OK as a bucket-and-spade/amusement arcade/crazy golf etc. seaside town, but Scarborough is miles better... In that corner of East Anglia, Cromer and Sheringham (complete with North Norfolk Railway) are much nicer but smaller. I prefer Lowestoft to Gt. Yarmouth, but personally I wouldn't go for more than a day trip to either of them, but it depends on what you're looking for really.
Seconded. My missus is from Yarmouth and she'll be the first to tell you how awful it is and how fortunate she was to escape. If you're set on Norfolk and want somewhere with good local amenities and plenty of things to do and see to fill up a 2 night visit then go for Norwich.
Seconded. You can very easily do Gt.Yarmouth/Lowestoft/Cromer/Sheringham as day trips from there as well.
Yeah, I'd recommend staying well away from Yarmouth. The seafront might look nice and trendy, but the infamous Barrack Estate is just behind it and you definitely don't want to end up near it. The town centre is a dump, and has the Norwich Puppet Man "performing" outside the bus station most days.
This. I lived there. leave. I left. Never go back. I lived there during the winter. It was what i imagine Gdansk under the communists must have been like but without the shipyards. Makes even Hartlepooh look nice. Horrible place. Head for Sheringham or Cromer. MUCH nicer.
I haven't been to Yarmouth since about 1970, I hope my absence hasn't contributed to it's downfall. I admit we did leave it in a slightly worse state than we found it.
All good advice so far. Yes Norwich is, to coin their phrase, a fine city. Stay there and for an 'interesting' day out you could get the train to Yarmouth, bus to Lowestoft and back by train to Norwich. You'll satisfy your curiosity for Great Yarmouth without being stuck there. Meanwhile Sheringham wins hands down of the rail connected coastal towns.
If people are endorsing Scarborough over Yarmouth, Yarmouth really must be the pits. Suffolk coast is far better, Southwold and Aldburgh in particular. Not a lot going on, but Southwold Pier is worth a visit just for the crazy amusement arcade. Long Shop museum is fascinating if engineering and 'Fred Dibnah' type stuff is of interest.
Scarborough is St Tropez compared to Yarmouth. As for Suffolk..................................... ( insert banjo theme from Deliverance.)
Doesn't it depend on what you want. I've been to both Scarborough and Gt Yarmouth and to me they're as bad (or as good) as each other. If you have a young family then places like Gt Yarmouth have more going for them than the quiet towns on the Suffolk coast. I do think though that's it's the malaise of seaside towns generally. There's not many seaside towns that I've been to recently that have endeared themselves to me. Brighton probably the exception.
If you want a cheesy, fish and chips, amusement arcade day at the seaside, Yarmouth is fine. For a day. In the summer. Town centre run down, but seafront OK. It does have 37s though...
Afraid I have to agree with everything else written about the place. Not a lot there, extremely run down, seems to have its fair share of freaks plus attracts many more from elsewhere, and is a pain to get to by train or road. Generally the nicest seaside places are the ones not considered to be 'resorts'. Fowey in Cornwall is lovely, and a couple of exceptions to the rule are Llandudno and Whitby - both lovely seaside towns, especially outside the busiest times. Personally I have a soft spot for Berwick-upon-Tweed too, but that's more a personal thing.
I've only ever been there once, but it was that long ago (20 years) I can't remember what it was like. The one thing I do remember is going on a pier, but then again, I'm not sure if it was Britannia Pier or Wellington Pier!
I hope this isn't a response to criticism of Great Yarmouth and praise of Cromer in this thread. Cromer disorder: Pubs shut as seaside town 'in lockdown' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-40990174
Not been to Yarmouth since it had loco-hauled summer saturday services from Leeds, which must have been the late 1980s. It was OK for a smallish seaside resort - think a smaller version of Blackpool, without a tower. If travelling by rail, outside school holidays, it might make a suitable base for using a rover ticket. You will probably find it less expensive for hotels / B&B, etc. than somewhere like Norwich, but you will still be able to visit Norwich and other locations in the area by train (or bus).
They'll just go elsewhere. The lack of arrests is disappointing, but of course not at all surprising and entirely predictable. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/42826...avellers-evicted-disturbances-norfolk-police/
Save up your money and have a holiday by the 'Med next summer. Hot and sunny if not particularly cheap thanks to the weak Sterling.
I'm sure there will be as many loonies on the Med anyway, so I'll probably brave the wilds of North Norfolk again next year.
