King's Lynn to Hunstanton The road begins in King's Lynn on a roundabout with the
A148 London Road and Nar Ouse Way and begins southbound out of King's Lynn. It runs over a railway bridge then past a
Tesco Supermarket. It then reaches a major junction with the
A47 and the
A10 at a roundabout. It becomes a primary route heading north on Queen Elizabeth Way. This serves as an eastern bypass for King's Lynn. The road reaches a roundabout with the A1076 and the B1145 towards
Gayton. The road continues as a primary route until Grimston Road Roundabout where the road becomes a secondary route. If you were to travel west along the A148, you would reach the centre of King's Lynn. Travelling east along the A148 would get you to
Fakenham and
Holt before reaching
Cromer. When going from Lynn to Cromer, it is advisable to use the A148 to provide a faster straighter route. Continuing north along the A149 will take you towards the North Norfolk Coast and is usually signposted for
Heacham or
Hunstanton. The road passes the historic
Castle Rising castle and past
Sandringham House and estate, shortly followed by
Dersingham.
Snettisham is about 3 miles along the road. Snettisham has an
RSPB Wildlife Reserve that throughout the year is a habitat for birds, often migrating from the north over the
North Sea. The RSPB have compiled a list of "star species", that include the
avocet. The road continues onto Heacham and has a roadside petrol station, owned by
BP. There is also a newly built
lidl here and they are situated almost next to each other. The road passes a junction with a road to
Bircham, and a road into the centre of the town, with links to the beach. This road, as it has done since pre-Georgian era, has been a connection for Heacham, Snettisham, Sandringham. The A149 in Heacham is now a bypass. There have been some record of this road being a
Roman Road. The road continues to Hunstanton past Norfolk Lavender. Hunstanton is a seaside resort with a beach which is popular for
Fossil hunting in and around the cliffs. Also, the town is quite large with many local shops, including Britain's Largest Joke Shop and a Tesco Supermarket.
Hunstanton to Brancaster After Hunstanton is
Old Hunstanton. The road continues around the coast, following the same sand covered beach as the one in Heacham. From Hunstanton to Brancaster is 13 miles long. The road narrows slightly, it is still a single carriageway road. The road this time does not bypass the villages, but goes through them, providing access to the village. The villages here often contain independent restaurants, shops and grocery stores. Pubs are a common feature here too. The village following Old Hunstanton is
Holme-Next-The-Sea, a coastal village situated on
marshes and
Creakes where boats are often sailed. Beyond the marsh is a large sand dune, known as "Holme Dunes". Part of this is protected by the
NWT (Norfolk Wildlife Trust) as a protection for species that nest here. Being situated next to the North Sea, many birds come and migrate for the summer or winter here. At Holme Dunes, there have been sightings of the
wryneck and even the extremely rare
Ruppell's warbler. Also protected are
natterjack toads,
edible crabs and
waders. Holme is also the end of
Peddars Way and is the junction with the
Norfolk Coast Path. Following this ancient Roman Road southbound will bring you to
Thetford passing through the
Brecklands. Peddars Way may have run to
Branodunum, a Roman fort along this road. Following Holme's Main Road is the village of
Thornham. The name of the road here is
High Street, as it is the main road through the village. Separating Holme and Thornham are the marshes. There is a small
staithe here, as there is throughout the north-west
Norfolk area. Thornham village has access to the staithe via Staithe Road, which connects to the A149. Crabs nest in the muddy banks in the creeks, and when there is High Tide, the marsh often floods and the banks of these rivers overflow. The village and road is protected by farmland either side. The village of Thornham is approximately 1 mile long and hosts an independent
delicatessen and
cafe along with a pick your own fruit farm cum orchard. About 2 miles on is
Titchwell. There is an
RSPB reserve here that has been featured in the
BBCs
Springwatch. The Norfolk Coastal path runs through this village further towards the beach, and has been transformed into an embankment as coastal defence. This continues through North Norfolk to beyond Cromer. This acts as protection to the rising tides, and flooding. On the beach,
prehistoric forests can be seen at low tide, and archaeological digs have found
mesolithic flint submerged. In
Titchwell Marsh and on the beach,
medieval pottery has also been found. Sightings at Titchwell Marsh have been
marsh harriers and
bitterns Like in Snettisham, a list of "star species" has been compiled. Not far along the A149 is the village of
Brancaster, a Roman town with the name Branodunum, meaning "Fortress of Bran". This was a place of Roman importance, and may have been where footpath, Peddars Way led. Now, the village marshes are owned by the
National Trust and are kept as conservation areas. There is a long beach, and access to Titchwell beach is restricted due to a large creek. The sand beach is one that again, spans the length of the coast. Tides are strong and there is a memorial to the death of Jake Parker, 5, who drowned near the village.
Brancaster currently hosts a pub, church and hotel.
Brancaster to Wells (The Burnhams and Holkham) The road continues following the coast. The road widens slightly between Brancaster and
Deepdale. The road runs around a mile inland from the Norfolk Coast Path at this point. The marshes continue, as do the little Staithes. The next village after Brancaster, is
Brancaster Staithe. This is a larger staithe, and runs to the west of
Scolt Head Island.
Sailing is often enjoyed here. In Brancaster Staithe, there are small shops and stalls connected to houses. There is also a small church. Access to the beach beyond the staithe can be restricted due to there being no road direct to the beach, though access can be made by walking along Brancaster Beach. Burnham Deepdale follows Brancaster Staithe if travelling eastbound. Deepdale is the next
Petrol Station after Heacham for 12 miles. The
Murco petrol station has shops next to it. These include the "Deepdale Cafe",
Fat Face and a
Tourist Information Centre. North of this road are the Salt Marshes and Mow Creek, the creek that connects Brancaster Staithe to this village. Sailing is also available here. At the west end of Deepdale is a minor road leading to the
B1155 in
Burnham Market, a town made up of 3 of the older Burnhams: Ulph, Sutton and Westgate. The road narrows and heads southbound for about a mile as the road bypasses
Burnham Norton. The
B1355 southbound brings you to Fakenham via Burnham Market and provides lorry access to Cromer as the road beyond here is inaccessible to lorries. Following the Salt Marshes and Saithes, the road heads north again and bears east as it enters
Burnham Overy Staithe, passing the River Burn, of which the Burnhams are named. The road narrows and has a width restriction of 2 meters. The road then comes out passing a green and village; Burnham Overy Staithe. This village is a popular sailing village with a boathouse shop and pub. It is said that
Lord Nelson learned to sail here, hence the name of the pub, "The Hero", situated on the A149 itself. There is a walk to the beach along the Norfolk Coast Path, that is about a mile long. Also, a ferry is available to Scolt Head Island. Continuing on the A149, the road runs south of salt marshes, but no Staithe. The land to the north is owned by
Viscount Coke as part of the
Holkham Estate, situated on the next village. If
HGV access is required to King's Lynn, the B1155 to Burnham Market will take you there. The road passes more Salt Marshes to the north, and pine forests to the south. A wall separates the estate from the road.
Holkham estate was purchased by Sir
Edward Coke in 1909, and
Holkham Hall was completed in 1764. The A149 has a further crossroads, allowing access to the house southbound, and access to the beach northbound. The beach is owned by Holkham Estates Limited. Holkham has museums, shops, cafes and a pub as a result of the manor. The village is small. Following the road around, you arrive in
Wells-Next-The-Sea, a town in North Norfolk. The road is built on a small raised bed to prevent flooding as it runs through marshes. This marsh is flat and runs from the dunes in Holkham to the woodland on the estate the other side of Wells. The A149 does not enter Wells, but the B1105 does. It is often signposted as the A149 in the centre of the town. Wells has many shops and is popular for
fish and chips. Wells has a harbour and
gillying is an activity undertaken commonly. The A149 bypasses Wells on its south side. There is a T junction, eastbound continues on the A149, signposted "Stiffkey" and the right of way is southbound becomes the B1105 and northbound becomes the A149.
Wells next the Sea to Cromer Just out of Wells, the road passes on the right, the
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway. From here the road runs south of
Stiffkey salt marshes. This stretch of the road runs parallel with the "Peddars Way" section of the
North Norfolk Coastal Path, which is about north and runs along the fringe of the marshes. In Stiffkey, the road narrows to a single lane causing approaching traffic to give way. Beyond the village the road crosses the
River Stiffkey. The next village on the road is
Morston ( from the start), The road skirts around the south of the village. After Blakeney, the road descends into the
Glaven Valley, and into view comes the landmark of
Cley next the Sea Windmill. Again the road becomes a bottle neck in the summer months as it pass through the village of Cley next the Sea. The next stretch of the road between Cley and
Sheringham is a very scenic part of the A149. After negotiating the narrow streets of Cley the road runs along the coast south of Cley and
Salthouse salt marshes, the sea is hidden by a long bank of
shingle that runs along the
shoreline here. The marshes are a
Nature Reserve and all along this stretch of the road there are lay-bys and car parks which are used as viewing points. The road now rises away from the
marshes and twists and turns into the next village of
Kelling. The road now passes through the gentle and heaths of
Kelling Heath and
Weybourne. Just before entering the village of Weybourne, the road passes
Weybourne Camp on the left. The road now passes through the village of Weybourne () and up a hill past the village
Windmill. As the road stretches off to Sheringham it passes under a railway bridge carrying the
North Norfolk Railway. The road now passes through a stretch of land that is owned by
The National Trust. As then runs right alongside the A149, squeezed between the road and the Sheringham Golf Club which is set on the cliffs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The mini roundabout at Sheringham it is from the start of the A149 at
King's Lynn. Sheringham is a seaside resort. The route now passes the terminus for the North Norfolk Railway on the left. The A149 runs south of the heart of the town, passing the prominent hill on the left known locally as "
Beeston Bump". The road now also has a railway line running parallel on the seaward side. At the road reaches the village of
Beeston Regis followed by
West Runton. The last village before Cromer is
East Runton were the landscape of the coast is peppered with static
caravans or
mobile homes. The A149 now reaches the fading
Victorian splendour of Cromer (). The road drops down into the town, with a splendid view of the town's
pier, where it dog-legs through the town's one way system. This part of the road becomes congested in the summer months and long queues form in the one-way system. Cromer marks the end of the roads route along the coast, as it turns south-east to cut across Norfolk towards its end at
Great Yarmouth.
Cromer to Stalham The road climbs a hill southwards, out of Cromer, past
Cromer Academy towards the next village of
Northrepps and past the turning on the right of the
A140 which is the main road to
Norwich. Passing through well ordered arable farmland the road then reaches a cross roads, with the
B1436 just before the village of
Thorpe Market. The B1436 links the Cromer-Holt road to
Mundesley on the coast. Out of the village the road runs along the boundary of Gunton Park, with some of
deer park, on the right. Further on is the village of
Antingham before reaching
North Walsham, ( from King's Lynn). At North Walsham there is a junction controlled with traffic lights. Here the road turn right and takes a new route around the western side of the Town, past the
Bacton Gas terminal's link to the rail network. The old route would have taken you through the busy town centre. This new route runs part of the way along what was the disused track bed of the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN) railway between
Stalham and North Walsham. Heading towards the
Norfolk Broads (part of the
Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Authority, the road passes the villages of
Worstead and
Dilham and then passes through Smallburgh were the road clips The Broads. Just past Smallburgh the road turns left at a T junction. The road to the right is the
A1151, from
Wroxham and Norwich, which terminates at this junction. The road now takes a large north easterly arch around
Barton Broad, crossing the
River Ant at
Wayford Bridge. The road now curves back towards Stalham passing several boat hire yards. Stalham is from the start of the A149, and from here the road cuts across the flatlands of Norfolk skirting the Broads as it goes.
Stalham, across the broads to Great Yarmouth Long straights characterise this stretch from Stalham to
Potter Heigham. The straights pass through the villages of
Sutton and
Catfield. This part of the A149 has a bad reputation for fatalities and care should be taken at all the junctions that dissect this stretch. Most of this section is not the original route of the road. The original road runs parallel on the right, the new route effectively by-passing out the villages, and at
Potter Heigham Bridge () the two roads converge. After Potter Heigham the next village is
Repps with Bastwick followed by
Rollesby (). At Rollesby the road crosses
Ormesby Broad were there is parking if you wish to visit this Broad. Past the large water works on the left and the road now passes through
Ormesby St. Michael and then
Ormesby St. Margaret. Before coming to another roundabout junction. This is the terminus of the
A1064 which has come across the Broads from
Acle a distance of in all. Looking straight across the roundabout is the site of
Caister Castle. The A149 is now a
Dual Carriageway and, at another junction, bypasses
Caister-on-Sea. After the bypass, the road narrows back to a
Single Carriageway as it enters
Great Yarmouth. The road now heads south, past
Yarmouth Stadium greyhound racing track and stadium, and the Heliport at
North Denes Airfield, on the right. At the next set of traffic lights is Jellicoe Road, leading to
Great Yarmouth Horse Racecourse. The road follows the east bank of the
River Bure. At the large roundabout the A149 comes to an end, and joins the
A47 road at the northern side of the
Breydon Bridge, close to
Great Yarmouth railway station. The total distance from Hardwick flyover to this roundabout in Great Yarmouth is (Goggle Pedometer). ==Tourist destinations en route==