Horsey Gap

Horsey Gap is a break in the dunes on Norfolk's remote east coast, roughly 5km north of the excluded Winterton dunes and best known for the grey seal colony that hauls out along the beach each winter. A rough pay-and-display field car park sits behind the dunes, from where a short sandy path crosses to a wide, wild beach with enormous uninterrupted skies. It is a striking place to fly, with marram-covered dunes, wind-sculpted sand and the North Sea stretching to the horizon. The catch is the wildlife: from late October to January the beach fills with breeding seals and their pups, and drone flights over hauled-out seals cause serious disturbance and are strongly discouraged, so plan your visit for spring or summer and keep well away from any seals present year-round. Horsey Mere and its windpump lie just inland within the Broads Authority area, where recreational drone flying is not permitted, so stay on the coastal side and keep the aircraft over the open beach. There is no airport flight restriction zone nearby; Norwich is about 25km inland. Take off from the beach below the dune line and watch for strong onshore winds, which can be brutal here. Outside pupping season this is one of the most atmospheric stretches of the Norfolk coast.