Stanhoe
King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE31
England, UK
The Duck, Stanhoe
Stanhoe has an excellent pub called The Duck which is on Burnham Road, just past the large pond. The pub is open Wednesday to Saturday 10am–11pm and Sunday 10am–5pm. Dogs are welcome in the bar area.
Located in the garden you will also find Stanhoe Stores – stocking local meats, cheeses, chutneys and treats as well as fresh breads, pastries and essentials like milk, eggs and toiletries.
Within the store is an intimate seating area hugging a log burner in the winter and spilling out into the garden in the summer. Here you can enjoy coffee and cake or even a bottle of carefully selected retail wines (corkage fee) and a cheeseboard.
The Store and Café are open Wednesday to Saturday 9am–4pm.
Groceries
Stanhoe Stores & Café is based in the garden of The Duck pub on Burnham Road. Open: Weds–Sat 9am–4pm.
Spar supermarket Station Road, Docking PE31 8LS (2 miles). Turn right as you come into Docking, right again by the church, and watch the one-way system. Open: Mon–Sat 6.30am–10pm, Sun 7am–10pm.
Burnham Market Stores Overy Road, Burnham Market, PE31 8HH (4.5 miles).
Deepdale Stores Main Road (A149), Burnham Deepdale, PE31 8FB. Open: Daily 7am–7pm (6 miles).
Docking Farmers Market Ripper Hall, High St, Docking PE31 8NG. A charming local produce market every Wednesday from 9am–1pm.
Tesco and Morrison’s Fakenham (9 miles).
Tesco Hunstanton (9 miles).
Fuel & Garages
Burnham Motors Garage Creake Road, Burnham Market PE31 8EA. Open: Mon–Sat 7am–8pm, Sun 8am–6pm (4.5 miles).
Deepdale Fuel Station Main Road (A149), Burnham Deepdale, PE31 8FB. Open: Daily 7am–7pm (6 miles).
Shell Garage and Morrison’s Fakenham (9 miles).
Tesco Hunstanton (9 miles).
Medical help
Burnham Market surgery Tel: 01328 737000
Docking (Bayfield) surgery Tel: 01485 521135
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals Tel: 01603 286286
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Tel: 01553 613613
Non-emergency NHS service for medical advice from trained operators. Tel: 111
The nearest pharmacies are in Wells-next-the-sea, Hunstanton and Fakenham.
There is a defibrillator on the exterior wall of the Village Hall.
Takeaway Food
Docking Fish Bar High Street, Docking PE31 8NG
(on the right as you come from Stanhoe)
Tel: 01485 518656
Open: Tues–Sat 11.30am–2pm and 4.30pm–8pm
Panda Kitchen (Chinese food) Creake Road, Burnham Market PE31 8EA (on the petrol station forecourt)
Tel: 01328 738866
Open: Fri–Sun 5pm–9.45pm
The Mermaid Traditional Fish & Chips Creake Road, Burnham Market PE31 8EA (on the petrol station forecourt)
Tel: 01328 738851
Open: Tue 12pm–2pm, 4.30pm–7pm; Wed–Thurs 4.30pm–7pm; Fri 12pm–2pm, 4.30pm–8pm; Sat 4.30pm–8pm.
Eric’s Fish & Chips Drove Orchards, Thornham Road, Hunstanton PE36 6LS
Tel: 01485 525886
Open: Every day 12pm–8.30pm.
Eric’s Pizza Drove Orchards, Thornham Road, Hunstanton PE36 6LS
Tel: 01480 775415
Open: Weds–Sat 12pm–8.30pm, Sun 12pm–4pm.
Fakenham, Hunstanton and Wells have plenty of takeaways, and there are many local pubs and restaurants.
Pubs & Cafés
The Duck Burnham Road, Stanhoe. Beautiful pub with excellent food.
Tel: 01485 522663
Open: Weds–Sun 10am–11pm.
Stanhoe Stores & Café is based in the garden of The Duck pub on Burnham Road. Cafe offering breakfast rolls, sandwiches and cakes.
Tel: 01485 522663
Open: Weds–Sat 9am–4pm.
Thornham Deli Thornham, Hunstanton PE36 6LX. Extensive menu and good vegetarian/vegan options.
Tel: 01485 512194
Open: Mon–Fri 8.30am–4pm, Sat–Sun 8am–5pm.
The Hoste Arms Burnham Market
The Hero Burnham-Overy-Staithe
The White Horse Brancaster Staithe
The Nelson Burnham Market
The Lord Nelson Burnham Thorpe
Cashpoints
Spar supermarket Station Road, Docking PE31 8LS.
Cash machine inside the store. Open: Mon–Sat 6.30am–10pm, Sun 7am–10pm.
Burnham Motors Garage Creake Road, Burnham Market PE31 8EA. Cash machine inside the store. Open: Mon–Sat 7am–8pm, Sun 8am–6pm (4.5 miles).
Post Office & Postboxes
Docking is the nearest Post Office. This is situated inside the Spar supermarket on Station Road.
Stanhoe has two postboxes:
In the wall of the Old Post Office, on Burnham Road, opposite the pond
In the wall near Church Farm, on Bircham Road
Rubbish & Recycling
Please see the council website for bin collection information.
Rubbish and recycling
Waste collection service issues (e.g. delays to bin collection)
Note that you must now book a time slot to dispose of rubbish at the recycling centre in Docking.
Vets
Coastal Vets 16 Alma Road, Snettisham, Kings Lynn, PE31 7NY
Tel: 01485 544201
Open: Mon–Fri 8.30am–6pm, Sat 9am–12pm
Anchorage Barn Veterinary Clinic Fakenham Road, East Rudham, King's Lynn, PE31 6TA
Tel: 01485 528221, (Equine: 01485 528437)
Open: Mon–Fri 8:30am–6:00pm
Beaches
Stanhoe is situated within easy reach of several beautiful beaches on the north Norfolk coast. This list highlights just some of the best beaches, from west to east.
Old Hunstanton beach offers an expanse of golden sand, picturesque dunes and the famous striped cliffs. Gently sloping into the sea this beach is ideal for families. Part of the only stretch of Norfolk’s coast to face west this is also a great place to watch the sunset. You will often find people kite surfing too. Parking is near the lighthouse at the cliff-top car park, or there is a smaller car park near the lifeboat station, both are pay and display. The Lifeboat Station is open for visitors and has a shop. Opposite this you will find the dog-friendly Old Town Beach Cafe offering hot and cold food and drinks, including vegan and gluten-free, and some beach essentials. There are toilets near the entrance to the cliff-top car park and near the lifeboat station. The beach is dog-friendly with no restrictions.
The nearest beach to Stanhoe is Brancaster. There is a pay and display car park at the top of Beach Road. Please note this is liable to tidal flooding so do check the tide times! Or you can park near the church and walk up the coastal path. The beach is stunning with miles of golden sand and dogs are welcome all year round without restrictions. Horse riding allowed at certain times. There are toilets and a seasonal kiosk with take-away food and drinks and beach essentials.
Also nearby is Holkham beach, accessed via Lady Anne’s Drive, just off the main coastal road (A149), opposite The Victoria. Pay and display parking charges apply. Part of the Holkham National Nature Reserve, this is a truly beautiful place with miles of golden sand, dunes, and pine woods. Used as a location for several films and home to many rare species of flora and fauna. Dogs are welcome on Holkham Beach all year round, but from 1st April to 31st August there is a dogs-on-leads policy in the vulnerable areas of the beach where ground-nesting birds are breeding. Horse riding allowed at certain times.
Next to Holkham is Wells-next-the-sea. There is a pay and display car park at the end of Beach Road. Or you can get the Wells Beach Bus from the football club car park in the town. Next to the beach car park is a toilet block, Joules shop and The Beach Café. The beach is accessed either to the right of the Beach Café, over a tarmac slope (to the dog-free zone), or through the pine woods with two access ways via wooden stairs, and one via a wooden slope (to the dog area of the beach which can be used year-round). Another gorgeous beach with rows of colourful wooden beach huts. Again, check the tide times as you can get stranded – return to the car park when the tide warning hooter sounds!
Places to visit
Historic Houses & Gardens
Sandringham Estate is the much-loved country retreat of Their Majesties The King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Sandringham House – with its Jacobean-style exterior – sits at the heart of the Estate and has been open to the public since 1977. Eight ground-floor rooms, largely unchanged from Edwardian times, open from the end of March until early October. There are also 20,000 acres of Royal Parkland to explore which are open year-round. Dogs are welcome in the Royal Parkland, Courtyard area including the Sandringham Shop and Takeaway, Terrace Café and in dedicated areas of the Sandringham Restaurant. Dogs are not permitted in the House or Gardens, except for assistance dogs.
Holkham Estate. Nestled within 25,000 acres of rolling parkland, Holkham Hall is an 18th-century Palladian style house, based on designs by William Kent and built by Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. The current Earl and his family take great pride in opening their doors and sharing the treasures within. The Hall is open 30th March – 30th October on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. The Walled Garden and Holkham Stories interactive experience are open daily 30th March – 30th October. The park is free to access and is open year-round, 10am-4pm. Parking charges apply. There is also a Ropes Course and cycle and boat hire available. Dogs on leads are welcome in the park, but not in the Hall. There are herds of deer running free on the estate.
Houghton Hall and Gardens was built in the 1720s for Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. The Hall, surrounded by extensive parkland, is known for its iconic white fallow deer and features notable attractions, including an award-winning Walled Garden, the world's largest private collection of model soldiers in the Model Soldier Museum, and a charming Cafe and Gift Shop. Additionally, the Sculpture Park features an impressive permanent collection of world-class contemporary art. Discover works by Richard Long, Claudio Parmiggiani, Stephen Cox, Jeppe Hein, Sean Scully, Ryan Gander, Rachael Whiteread, James Turrell, Phillip King and Anya Gallaccio. Open Sunday 4 May until Sunday 28 September 2025 on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, plus Saturdays in July and August. Dogs on leads permitted in certain areas.
Other local houses include Hindringham Hall and Gardens, Felbrigg Hall (National Trust) and Blickling Estate (National Trust).
Other local attractions
Hunstanton Sealife Centre is a great day out come rain or shine. See rescue seals, otters, penguins, turtles and sharks to name but a few.
Langham Glass is now based in Fakenham and offers fascinating traditional glassmaking demonstrations and experiences.
Seal Boat Trips are offered by several local businesses to see the seals at Blakeney Point. These leave from Morston Quay, depending on tides and weather, and need to be booked in advance.
North Norfolk Steam Railway. The Poppy Line runs from the smart Victorian seaside resort of Sheringham to the Georgian town of Holt, through stunning coastal scenery.
Pensthorpe Natural Park is a family attraction with a nature reserve, gardens, cafe, a huge indoor play barn, and one of the regions best outdoor adventure areas.
RSPB Titchwell Marsh is a superb reserve blessed with diverse habitats. Explore reedbeds, saltmarsh and freshwater lagoons where Avocets, Bearded Tits and Marsh Harriers nest. There's also a wide sandy beach here.
Roarr! in Lenwade is the UK’s largest dinosaur themed adventure park.
Muckleburgh Military Collection in Weybourne is one of the largest privately owned military museums in the UK.
Most of its extensive range of tanks and armoured cars are maintained in working condition.
Thursford Steam Museum is home to the worlds largest collection of steam engines and organs. They also host the Thursford Christmas Spectacular during the winter period which is a magical festive experience.
For more ideas try the Visit North Norfolk website.