Winter is a magical time to explore Norfolk’s coast, a land softened and shaped by tide and wind, a crossing place between worlds where the sky reflects in ribbons of glistening water.

It takes hard earned local knowledge to navigate this fragile, protected place, and a profound sensitivity to the wild nature and precious ecosystems of the ever changing salt marsh. Join the Coastal Exploration Company for a 3-4 hour trip through this unique environment, sailing in either the engineless Norfolk mussel flat, crab boat or whelker. All are beautifully restored sailing craft, traditionally used to navigate Norfolk’s coastal creeks.

There’s nowhere else like the salt marsh. Ancient layers of bone and shell rest in the mud hiding human histories reaching back thousands of years. Grasses dance in rain-washed air under the infinite spaciousness of a breathtaking sky.

You leave from Wells East Quay in Wells and follow the sea as it runs into the salt marsh. When the waters pause at high tide, stop for tea or aromatic coffee, never tasting better than outside on a chilly day. You’ll soon warm up with fantastic hot food, sustainably sourced from Norfolk’s best seasonal producers.

Drive the boat and handle the sails if you like, or relax, listen to birds calling in the wind and watch the spectacular landscape unfold around you. Then your captain will use the outgoing tide to meander home, a slow, atmospheric return to Wells where pub and restaurant windows glow in the violet dusk.