locals

Blakeney in North Norfolk has become a tourist hotspot where half the properties are second homes, with average house prices of £714,000 pricing out locals who earn just £571 a week

Residents have been driven out of one of England’s most stunning villages as holidaymakers have completely taken over.

Throughout the summer period, Blakeney in North Norfolk becomes exceptionally hectic. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty attracts massive crowds, who arrive to admire its delightful stone dwellings, a hotel hailed as the country’s best, and large seal colonies.

Yet winter paints a completely different picture. Visitor numbers plummet drastically and many old fishing properties stand empty. The settlement’s charm was instantly obvious to me during my late November visit. Just a stone’s throw from the celebrated Manor Coastal Hotel and Inn flows the River Glaven, winding through the National Nature Reserve.

Blakeney Point has earned fame for its seal communities, with Beans Boat offering guided trips throughout the year. Back in the 1800s, this seaside community was positioned much nearer to the shore than it is today.

Across the past century, the estuary has slowly filled with silt, matching the region’s fishing trade downturn, now allowing only the smallest boats to reach the harbour.

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What operated as a fishing village has evolved into a holiday hotspot. During summer, Blakeney’s two pubs and three hotels run at maximum occupancy.

“I love living here, but unfortunately, during the summer, it is just a full, full village. There’s far too much traffic going through such a small place, but that does mean I’m busy with my work, which is fantastic. The cottages and second homes are so quiet during the winter. It’s sad to know that there are so many people who’d love to live in those houses, but unfortunately, they can’t live in them permanently. They’re sitting there empty during the winter, and then it’s so, so busy during the summer. It’s a tricky one for me, as working in the tourist industry, I need it to be busy. But to see the small village that’s very quaint and dainty overrun with people, yeah, it’s a lot,” Tore continued.

Tore is among the handful of Blakeney-born residents who haven’t inherited property yet still call the village home. She moved back to the area ten years ago after a whirlwind romance in Libya.

Her local connections made her eligible to sign up with the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society, which caters to the community of 400 properties. The Society’s website explains its purpose: “The price of housing has risen steeply as many properties have become second homes or places to retire to, and many local people can no longer afford to buy or rent them. The purpose of the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society, founded 1946, is to provide affordable housing for local people. It owns 39 houses and cottages in Blakeney or neighbouring villages and they are all let at affordable rents to tenants with a local birth tie.”

Five decades back, an enormous proportion of UK citizens found themselves in Tore’s predicament, with 30% of the entire population living in some type of social housing. Yet, following years of Right to Buy schemes and sluggish building rates, this percentage has been cut in half.I

Tore explained: “I started working at the hotel at 14, and lived in the area my whole life. Working in a hotel and in the trade that it is all around here, the chances of buying a house would just be impossible. I was lucky enough to be signed up to Blakeney Housing Society in 2017, and then moved in in 2019,

“It has changed my whole life. It means I can be around my whole family. A lot of my friends who were born and bred here couldn’t live here due to housing problems, so they moved away to somewhere cheaper. But it is the perfect place to live. There’s community spirit, it’s a very olde-worlde place. I’d never want to be anywhere else but here.”

The figures paint a stark picture of the situation facing the area. Blakeney properties fetched an average of £714,000 in November 2025, according to OnTheMarket – treble the UK average of £273,000.

Office for National Statistics figures reveal the median weekly wage in North Norfolk sits at £571.

Thanks to her controlled rent arrangement, Tore shells out just £478 each month for her family home.

Concerned by the yawning gap between typical salaries and house prices, the district council stepped in earlier this year. It unveiled an extra 100% levy on Council Tax bills for second home owners, leaseholders or tenants in North Norfolk, essentially doubling what they must pay for their extra property.

Blakeney Parish Council chairman Rosemary Thew stressed the measure isn’t designed to put off visitors, noting tourism represents a “big part of the village economy”. However, she conceded the abundance of second and holiday properties in the area posed a major worry.

“The volume of second homes is very high, around half. It’s pushing prices up quite considerably. It means that, as far as locals are concerned, they can’t afford to live here. It’s a lovely place to live but you’ve got people [taking up dwellings] who are not key workers. A lot are retired people or second home owners. In winter time, it’s [the impact] particularly marked. The streets are jet black because there are no lights on in houses,” she told Mail Online.

Appledore is a beautiful village in north Devon. It is hoping to showcase all it has to offer to even more visitors when its Clean Maritime Innovation Centre opens later this year

A small coastal village steeped in history and a rich shipbuilding heritage, with a vibrant seafood scene and colourful cottages, is hoping a futuristic, million-pound project will put it firmly on the map.

The tiny village of Appledore isn’t one of the most well-known places in Devon, but can certainly be characterised among the most beautiful, with narrow, winding lanes, a bustling quayside to explore, and pastel-coloured houses and coastal views. Its estuary shore is suitable for beachcombing and exploring rock pools.

Located in north Devon at the meeting of the Rivers Torridge and Taw, the village is built on the centuries-old traditions of shipbuilding and fishing.

Renowned for its maritime heritage and vibrant seafood scene, Appledore is also celebrated for its art and creativity, hosting regular arts festivals and resident craftspeople showcasing ceramics, photography, jewellery and more in independent shops and markets.

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But while the village has a multitude of offerings for those already in the know, Appledore is hoping to boost its popularity among people outside the local area with the opening of its Clean Maritime Innovation Centre later this year.

The global innovation centre has received £15.6million in government funding and aims to support research in clean propulsion, autonomous vessels and marine sustainability.

Due to open in late 2026, the centre will also provide a base for floating offshore wind activity in northern Devon, with the electricity generated able to power approximately three million homes and create 3,000 jobs.

The maritime sector has played such a significant role in Appledore’s history and this project will be a real opportunity for the village to move into a national maritime future. The project is being delivered with funding support from the UK government through the Levelling Up Fund, the Community Regeneration Partnership, and the Devon and Torbay devolution deal. Devon County Council is overseeing the financial management.

Initial construction involves enhancements to the wall along New Quay Street, with full-scale building work set to start in the autumn. Preliminary works began in April, including the creation of a new quay to improve estuary access.

Councillor Ken James, leader of Torridge District Council, said: “This is a very exciting step in the journey of this project, not just for Appledore, but for the wider district. We hope that the delivery of this centre will put Appledore and Torridge at the forefront of innovation and investment in clean maritime energy. By getting as many local tradespeople involved in the build as possible, we hope that this will be just the start of future job creation and investment in the area.”

Reviews of Appledore praise the villages colourful look and picturesque charm.

One reviewer wrote: “Appledore is a lovely place with lots of interesting nooks and crannies with brightly-coloured houses. It’s a lot less busy and touristy than some of its bier neighbours.”

Another said: “Appledore is great – very pretty with small craft shops, cafes, restaurants and is incredibly dog-friendly. Would definitely visit again.”