Out of Season — Wellington Pier, South Beach

2 miles | beach & promenade | grey low cloud | breakfast at hotel

A cold January Sunday morning found us walking north along Great Yarmouth’s wide, open South Beach. The sky was a soft, unbroken grey, the kind that flattens colour and sharpens detail. The air had that familiar coastal bite, not dramatic, just quietly persistent, enough to keep hands in pockets and collars turned up.

Great Yarmouth sign near the Pleasure Beach

The beach itself was almost empty. No families, no deckchairs, no summer noise, just sand stretching ahead and the muted rhythm of the North Sea rolling in. The absence of people made the space feel larger somehow, more exposed. A few joggers passed occasionally along the promenade, heads down, moving with purpose, while the beach below remained still and largely untouched.

South Shore, Great Yarmouth

Wooden posts on South Shore

Along the shoreline, weathered wooden groynes leaned at uneven angles, their surfaces darkened by salt, rust, and years of tide. They felt like markers of time rather than structures, reminders of how long this coast has been holding its ground.

As we walked north towards Wellington Pier, the familiar seaside landmarks appeared slowly through the haze. The pleasure beach buildings sat quiet and closed, waiting for warmer days, while the ferris wheel stood motionless against the sky, stripped of its usual brightness.

The cold kept the walk short, around two miles end to end, but one that suited the season perfectly. No views demanding attention, no highlights to chase. Just space, movement, and a sense of unease as colour, noise, and people seemed to have slipped quietly away.

Sometimes a winter walk isn’t about where you’re going at all, just about being out there when almost no one else is.

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