cromer carnival - the must do guide

 Earlier in the summer we went to Cromer with Ben and Knomes. You can see/read about our stay at The Gunton Arms here, but I also wanted to share with you the wonders of Cromer Carnival. I'd never been to Cromer before (although I do love a bit of English seaside) and would now whole-heartedly recommend it. When should you go to Cromer? Go in August for the Carnival! What should you do when at the Carnival?... C R O M E R  C A R N I V A L  -  T H E  M U S T  D O S : Walk along the seafront and pier. Obvs! You're at the seaside. Why would you not? We even took a dip in the water. Not just paddling, let me tell you. Full on submersion. Terribly English of us. Note to the wise - it's pretty rocky once you're in the water so bring your jellies to avoid ending up in the minor accidents wing with a broken toe. Yep, that happened.  Go vintage, go car boot, go second hand! The Cromer Boot Sale put on for the Carnival was pretty great. We bought all sorts of fun old stuff - vintage badges/brooches and pins (pictured below), lovely old and slightly rusty bottle openers, epic nostalgic toys like Paymobile and metal aeroplanes, and a cute plate to add to my ongoing collection of vintage saucers and side plates. We also had a good rummage at Bookworms of Cromer and each left with a couple of new volumes (well, new for us - everything's second hand).   Have fun at the fair. Go on rides, shoot stuff off of shelves (see Knomes in the slideshow above), watch the nobbly knee and prettiest bitch contests and hold an owl or hawk if you're brave enough! We sadly missed the vintage American car parade which I'm sure would have been epic - next year me thinks.  Eat lots of seaside goodies. Come rain or shine, fish and chips are a delicious English seaside (and city) classic. We thought No. 1 Cromer was best of the bunch when it came to absolutely fresh, lightly battered, perfectly seasoned F 'n Cs (although I'd avoid their battered pineapple - I thought it would be amazing but it was kinda meh). On the up side though No. 1 also make freshly baked doughnuts while you wait. Now listen carefully - it's imperative that you buy a bag and share them. One ring will not be enough. Trust me. If you're in the healthy camp then Cromer crab is the way to go. They're famous for it! Seriously though, the doughnuts... They're totally worth it and you can work off the calories on the Cromer putting green along the seafront no?