At this time of the year, the family like to return to the North Norfolk coast for a few simple days of family relaxation. Crabbing, beach, picnics, cycling, barbecues, and catching up with friends. It is a simple life, where iPads and other electronics are largely limited to early mornings or pre-dinner.

The local seaside towns, and villages, change modestly each year. The odd new shop appears on a street corner replacing a fading business unable to weather the quiet “off season” or a tired owner. The flow of visitors waiting outside the family butchers and bakers stopping to converse briefly, is as predictable as the high tide and invasion of 4x4s.

The traditional flint-stone homes aligning the coastal road and the inns get smarter every year but the character largely remains the same. The stately homes, inland, are as likely to be exhibiting cutting edge contemporary art, as they are hosting the de rigeur electronic music festivals for the cool kids.

It is comforting, in a world where disruption and public discourse has ever sharper claws. It is England’s answer to Cape Cod, the area south of Charleston in South Carolina or Falsterbo in SW Sweden.

Understated wealth, where a proliferation of agriculture, tourism and light manufacturing pierce the landscape.

The 3.5 hour drive from London and England’s other major cities, and the absence of mass tourism, enables it to retains its’ charm and unfettered royal association. To those who have resisted its’ attraction or are largely unaware, the months of June through early September make for a fun visit. although a bracing February weekend is equally great for the soul.