Another seaside town

North Norfolk Information Centre

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Attraction | "Amazing information centre. "

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Although not technically a tourist attraction, the North Norfolk Information Centre is something that tourists can definitely benefit from. Situated on Louden Road, the information centre is so large that you cannot miss it. The building is environmentally friendly and big and white. This is a building that is far from boring looking though and it stands out completely from everything else in Cromer. I’m not sure that this is completely a good thing though as it does take away from some of the charm that the town has. An interesting aspect of this information centre is the mix between traditional and contemporary. As you walk in, to your right are rows of tourism brochures. There was so mu...Read More

Although not technically a tourist attraction, the North Norfolk Information Centre is something that tourists can definitely benefit from. Situated on Louden Road, the information centre is so large that you cannot miss it. The building is environmentally friendly and big and white. This is a building that is far from boring looking though and it stands out completely from everything else in Cromer. I’m not sure that this is completely a good thing though as it does take away from some of the charm that the town has.

An interesting aspect of this information centre is the mix between traditional and contemporary. As you walk in, to your right are rows of tourism brochures. There was so much to look at here that I didn’t know where to begin looking. As well as advertising attractions in Cromer, there are also brochures for Norwich, the whole of Norfolk and even some for London. If you are someone who has never been to Cromer or even Norfolk before then this information centre is the place to start. You can gather a range of ideas about where you want to go and what you want to see as well as being able to pick up some discount vouchers in some of the brochures at the same time.

As well as having this available, the centre provides public internet access with about 10 computers available. When I visited the centre, only 2 of the computers were in use so it doesn’t look like it is ever hard to get onto one. I loved that there were so many computers with the internet available as it means you don’t just have to rely on the brochures for trip ideas. As well as the internet, the centre is a free Wi-Fi hotspot so if you have a laptop or phone with you then you can use this as well.

If you need directions, the staff here are more than happy to help but there are other options as well. The centre has two touch screen computers which are available to access tide timetables, bus timetables, accommodation (in North Norfolk and Nationwide) and council services (both district and county services). Here, you can plan routes of where to go or just to get a more general idea of the area and its surroundings. I didn’t see any actual maps available to take away though which would have been even better.

On the left hand side of the building are public toilets which is a massive bonus. I hate going out somewhere and there not being this facility available. It’s a pain having to go into a pub or café etc. and having to buy something just to use their toilets. These public toilets solve this problem and are only a short walk away from the town centre. They are easily accessible and great if you are out and about in Cromer with children.

The North Norfolk Information Centre is by far the best I have ever been to and if I’m there without friends, I will definitely be using it again.

North Norfolk Information Centre
Louden Road,
Cromer
NR27 9EF

Tel: 01263 512497
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 17, 2012

North Norfolk Information Centre
Louden Road
Cromer, England
01263 512 497

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Amazona Zoo

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Attraction | "A zoo in the most unlikely of places"

Quote:

When thinking about Cromer, there being a zoo here doesn’t exactly spring to mind. I didn’t even know there was one until my friends mentioned it as something to do for the day. The zoo is situated in the middle of Cromer with very easy transport links. If you are visiting by train, you can either get off in Cromer or at the stop before which in Roughton Road. The zoo is in the middle of both of these so it wouldn’t be too far to walk. Parking is free at the zoo if you want to go by car or there is also the option of buses which will take you direct to the zoo. Considering this is quite a strange attraction for a seaside town as small as this, it is so easy to get to and not at all in the ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 17, 2012

Amazona Zoo
Hall Road
Cromer, England 27 9
01263 510 741

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Cromer

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Due to my boyfriend living in Mundesley and two of our friends living in Cromer, it has become a place we go to quite often when I’m there. I come from a seaside town myself but Cromer is so different in comparison. Now known as the Gem of the Norfolk Coast, Cromer has a population of about 8000 which is a huge difference to the 32,000 who live in Cleethorpes. Something that I didn’t know about Cromer until only last week was that it is famous for its crabs. Crab fishing forms the major source of income for local fishermen and there is even a small festival to celebrate the animal and the industry. Friends tell me that the cinema in Cromer shows some very strange films during the crab fest...Read More

Due to my boyfriend living in Mundesley and two of our friends living in Cromer, it has become a place we go to quite often when I’m there. I come from a seaside town myself but Cromer is so different in comparison. Now known as the Gem of the Norfolk Coast, Cromer has a population of about 8000 which is a huge difference to the 32,000 who live in Cleethorpes.

Something that I didn’t know about Cromer until only last week was that it is famous for its crabs. Crab fishing forms the major source of income for local fishermen and there is even a small festival to celebrate the animal and the industry. Friends tell me that the cinema in Cromer shows some very strange films during the crab festival and they’re always interesting and strange. I would love to be there for this one year just to see what is being shown and to see how strange the film is. If you want to try some famous Cromer crab then you can do so in many of the local shops.

Although only a small place, there is still plenty to do and see. As I just mentioned, Cromer does have its own cinema, although cannot be compared to any of the bigger chains. This cinema only has 4 screens and while playing the newest films, they have to be moved around during the day to fit them all in. The cinema is extremely dated and could do with a massive upgrade (especially the colours and neon lights outside of the building). However, with the next nearest cinema being in Norwich, I wouldn’t complain about it too much. I think it’s great that such a small town has something for people of all ages to do.

Cromer is not a place well known for its upmarket pubs and clubs but that does not mean there aren’t any. At No. 98, you can have a fantastic night out and try some delicious cocktails. With well over 100 drinks to choose from, you are spoiled for choice. I loved going to No. 98 with my friends and being able to have a nice, relaxed night in the lounge downstairs. In the upstairs of the bar though is a club room and a dance floor. When the drinks are flowing and the night is getting late, this is the perfect place to go to let your hair down. Again, here there was a mix of ages drinking and having fun so it is not somewhere only for the younger people of Cromer.

A large part of the town is purely residential but once you get into the heart of Cromer, you will find all kinds of wonderful shops and things to see. For me, going to see the pier was high up on my list of things to do. In Cleethorpes, the pier is a nightclub so I wanted to see what another town did with theirs. Cromer’s pier couldn’t have been any more different. As I walked up the pier, I realised that at the very end, there was a theatre which I thought was amazing and so different to a club. Although I haven’t been to see anything there, I would very much like to depending on what is showing next time I am there. Also along the pier were people eating ice creams, children fishing over the sides in the hopes of getting a crab or two as well as people generally taking in the scenery. You don’t get anything like this on Cleethorpes pier so I thought it was lovely.

Speaking of ice cream… I have a massive thing about banana ice cream and I cannot seem to find it anywhere apart from in Cromer. I know Ben and Jerry’s do one but it’s not all that nice. In Cromer, right near the sea is a little window that sells fantastic ice creams. You can probably guess that one of these in banana. The first time I went here was in October and I didn’t care how cold it was, I was determined to have a scoop! Now, every time I am in Cromer during the day I make a point of going to visit this little window and getting my fix.

Something else that I love Cromer for is its bookshops, which might sound like a strange thing to be liked. My friend Kirsty pretty much took me on the Cromer tour of bookshops and showed me which the best are. There aren’t many current bookshops though and the majority are second hand or antique which is why I love them so much. I’m doing my dissertation next year on Fairy Tales and so far, have found a lot of my research in Cromer. I love looking around the old book shops and seeing what treasures they have for sale. Some of the books you can find are extremely old first editions though so the prices aren’t those of a charity shop.

Even if you don’t want to do some of the things I love doing here, you can still do the traditional seaside things. There are tacky souvenir shops where you can waste your money on tat as well as arcades which will eat up your copper collection. Whatever you want to do though, Cromer has fun things for all tastes and really is a gem to visit!
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 17, 2012

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No. 98 Cocktail Bar

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Attraction

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With my boyfriend living not far from Cromer and us having friends there, we recently found ourselves on a night out in No. 98. No. 98 is a cocktail bar which is very upmarket for a small seaside town like Cromer. Our friends especially were quite surprised when it opened as it is completely different to the other pubs available to go to. No. 98 is situated a minute walk away from the train station so if you are coming from elsewhere, it is extremely easy to get to. However, the last train heading back to Norwich is at about midnight so if you are planning on making a night of it, you should have somewhere to stay. Luckily, we weren’t planning on staying out late and headed home on the 10:...Read More

With my boyfriend living not far from Cromer and us having friends there, we recently found ourselves on a night out in No. 98. No. 98 is a cocktail bar which is very upmarket for a small seaside town like Cromer. Our friends especially were quite surprised when it opened as it is completely different to the other pubs available to go to.

No. 98 is situated a minute walk away from the train station so if you are coming from elsewhere, it is extremely easy to get to. However, the last train heading back to Norwich is at about midnight so if you are planning on making a night of it, you should have somewhere to stay. Luckily, we weren’t planning on staying out late and headed home on the 10:30 train which was perfectly timed and I liked not having to walk far after having a few drinks.

The price of cocktails start at £3.90 which I thought was extremely reasonable. I have paid a lot more here in Nottingham so it was nice to have a break from paying city prices. The menu of drinks available is quite extensive and a lot better than I had been expecting it to be. In regards to normal cocktails, there are 52 available which range from a Sex on the Beach (my drink of choice) to a Bus Tray Dave which I had never heard of before. A lot of the cocktails on offer were new to me so it was nice to try something different! As well as normal cocktails, you can also have Frozen Cocktails (£4.50) and shots which start at £2.50.

The drinks were gorgeous. Although I did stick mostly to my usual cocktail, I did try a few others and while they weren’t what I would normally pick, they were still nice. The problem here is that if you aren’t a regular cocktail drinker, there may be too much choice as many of us didn’t even know where to start when it came to deciding what to order. It was quite fun deciding a way to even think about ordering. Some of us picked a random number, some used numbers that meant something to them and others just picked with their eyes closed and pointing to a drink!

No. 98 has two floors. The downstairs is a very comfortable lounge with leather sofas and big tables for groups of people and this is where we sat. At the back of the lounge is an outdoor smoking area which is partially covered in case it rains. Also downstairs are the toilets which were large and extremely clean which was a very good thing in my eyes. Upstairs becomes a club with a large dance floor although my boyfriend and I had left before it was time to head up there. My friend Kirsty tells me though that the dance floor is pretty big and can hold a fair amount of people and she has never been squashed by too many people. I can’t wait to go again to try this part out though.

Overall, No. 98 was a great experience and a really nice place to go drinking. It makes a change from the other pubs that we normally go to and it was also a lot more fun. There was a range of ages in the bar while we were there so it isn’t all 18 year olds. Our group ranged from 23 to nearly 45ish so it would be a good choice for nearly everyone. I would happily go here again and I’m actually really looking forward to getting to go again now.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 14, 2012

No. 98 Cocktail Bar
The Old Station House Holt Road
Cromer, England
01263 514 000

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Cromer Regal Movieplex

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Attraction

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When staying with my boyfriend for the week in North Walsham, we decided to head to Cromer for the day and go to the cinema while we were there. I had been warned beforehand that this cinema was not going to be the kind of thing I was used to due to living in a city but I was prepared to go anyway. The cinema is situated on 4 Hans Place. If you unfamiliar with Cromer, it is only a couple of minutes walk from either the train station or the pier so it is centrally placed and very easy to get to. Cromer is a pretty small place anyway and has a large information center so if you are unable to find it, it wouldn’t be hard to ask for directions. As I walked up to the building, I could see the d...Read More

When staying with my boyfriend for the week in North Walsham, we decided to head to Cromer for the day and go to the cinema while we were there. I had been warned beforehand that this cinema was not going to be the kind of thing I was used to due to living in a city but I was prepared to go anyway.

The cinema is situated on 4 Hans Place. If you unfamiliar with Cromer, it is only a couple of minutes walk from either the train station or the pier so it is centrally placed and very easy to get to. Cromer is a pretty small place anyway and has a large information center so if you are unable to find it, it wouldn’t be hard to ask for directions. As I walked up to the building, I could see the disgusting pink painted walls and it all looked very cheap and tacky. There is also a neon light outside, advertising the cinemas name although as it was the daytime, this was not turned on (thankfully).

Just like the outside of the cinema, the interior of the entrance is extremely dated. The ticket office is tiny, with someone working behind it also tending to the food counter. The food counter sells a range of drinks and snacks although most of this come pre-packaged. The cinema does serve fresh popcorn but nothing like bigger cinemas e.g. hot dogs or nachos etc. The food choices are very limited and while you aren’t supposed to, I would recommend sneaking your own snacks in, which is what we did. The food and drinks are overpriced, just like any other cinema but here, there is very little choice to make it worth buying.

The Cromer Regal Movieplex has a total of 4 screens. However, there is a range of the newest films showing so it isn’t as bad as it sounds. Currently, there are 9 different films showing but obviously there aren’t enough screens to show all of them all of the time. The films are rotated around different screens so that everything plays a couple of times a day. When you buy your tickets at the office, you will be asked where you would like to sit. As the screens are small, there is limited seating as well so you are allocated seats. This is something I hate about cinemas so I was instantly unimpressed. There were only about 6 or 7 people in our screening of Dark Shadows but a staff member kept coming in the theatre and showed us to our seats and we were unable to move. I do understand that this is a good idea for when it is really busy but the theatre was practically empty.

Only screens 1 and 4 have wheelchair access which I think is not very good at all. The other screens are up a couple of flights of stairs and without an elevator, they are very inaccessible. I think it’s pretty bad that anyone in a wheelchair will be forced to see films in particular screens and therefore, not really given an option at all. Even though this is a small cinema, I do this accessibility is a big thing and should have more thought put into how this aspect of the cinema is run.

However, for a place as small as Cromer, I was quite impressed there was a cinema at all. It’s nice to think that you don’t have to go all the way to Norwich to see the latest films, even if the space being used isn’t reaching its full potential.

Prices
Adults (15 & over) £6.00
Adults (15 & over) with Movie Magic Card £4.00
Children (14 & under) & Senior Citizens £4.50
Children (14 & under) & Senior Citizens with Movie Magic Card £3.00
Super Saver Shows marked with * £4.50
Monday Shows: for everyone, all performances all day!

(From what I understand, the Movie Magic Card is just a discount card although as I don’t live there or use this cinema often, I’m not sure how much it costs)
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 14, 2012

Cromer Regal Movieplex
4 Hans Place, Cromer
Cromer, England

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