Flying the (blue) flag.

Perhaps you only have to take a walk along one of the many local beaches and smell the freshness of the sea air to know that the beaches are clean and safe, but it’s always nice to have that officially recognised.

In the 2011 Blue Flag awards, Cromer, Sheringham, Hunstanton and Sea Palling have all been recognised for their water quality and litter-free beaches.

So what about the rest?  The blue flag requires beaches to have facilities that are appropriate to resorts rather than many of the wilder beaches (lifesavers, restrooms, recycling facilities etc.).

However, since the Blue Flag beaches are spread all the way across the North Norfolk coast, it does show that the water is clean.