We spend our summer holidays 20 minutes from home, in underrated east Norfolk | Patrick Barkham

While north Norfolk became gentrified, its east coast remained undervalued, except by marine life and our writer. But don’t dally … this is the ‘changing coast’

In the mid-1990s, thousands of tonnes of Norwegian granite were dumped in the shallow sea just off Norfolk. Sea defences are usually ugly things, spoiling the shoreline’s natural beauty. These nine “reefs”, however, added a curvaceousness to this coast that has transformed it for the better.

Sand gathered behind the offshore reefs, creating new dunes, new habitat for shore-nesting birds and elegant, sweeping beaches. These beautiful bays of sparkling seawater are perfect for swimming and, when the winds are strong, kite-surfing.