Cley next the Sea is almost a mile from the sea but back in the middle ages this lovely Norfolk village was a trading port in the middle ages. The church dates to the early 14th century, with the addition of a late 14th-century porch. There was an earlier church on the site, but around 1320 that church was rebuilt by John de Ramsey, who also worked on the Carnary Chapel at Norwich Cathedral While the body of the church is intact, the north and south transepts are ruined, and open to the sky.
The church boasts an excellent 15th century Perpendicular font, twenty-four late medieval bench ends, and a wonderful collection of 15th and 16th-century memorial brasses.
Cley is now a designated are of outstanding beauty and the nature reserves are home for thousands of birds. The visitor centre is the best place to start if you are going for a walk, bird watching (the reedbeds, freshwater pools, dykes, grazing marshes and saline lagoons provide the habitat for a wide variety of birds) or just finding information. The bus stops just outside the visitor centre.
Cley village is dominated by the 18th century Windmill standing on the edge of the marshes, which is a private bed and breakfast accommodation
The main street is very narrow in places but it does contain some lovely buildings, some are Georgian and Flemish influenced.