It was on one night in 1692 that a fleet of ships from the north and vessels from Lynn and Wells-next-the-sea were wrecked off the coast at Winterton-on-sea during a violent storm. Over two hundred ships and a thousand lives were lost during this shocking disaster. So it was that when Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe visited the village some thirty years later in 1722 he found a village built from the carcasses of the timbers of these wrecked ships. 

This pretty little ancient seaside village with its back drop of white wind turbines (located at the nearby village of Somerton) boasts un-crowded pale sandy beaches and mile upon mile of sand dunes. With just over six hundred and fifty houses of all shapes and all sizes it is an ideal place for those looking for a quiet un-commercialised seaside holiday.

To the north of the village are the Winterton Dunes Nature Reserve, riddled with foot paths and home to the rare Natterjack Toad which can be found hiding amongst the hummocks. On the coast there is a tern colony and also a seal colony and glimpses of seals soaking up the sunshine a common occurrence. Spring and summer bring many migratory birds to the villages shores, making it a good place for birdwatchers.

The annual "Anglia In Bloom"' competition is taken very seriously by the locals and front gardens are bedecked with colourful flowers and lampposts groan under the weight of blooms.  

The village is around ten miles from Great Yarmouth with its bright lights and seaside shows,  Marina, Pleasure Beach and Sea Life Centre. For those wanting a day on the boats then the  Broads with their miles of waterways are just two miles down the road at West Somerton.  The village has two general stores and a post office and a beach side cafe. The Fishermans Return a brick and flint 300 year old pub has a nice welcoming atmosphere and is only a short stroll from the beach.

The tower of the Church, built between 1415 and 1430, is the third highest tower in Norfolk at 125 feet, exceeded by only Cromer 160 feet and Wymondham 142 feet was built in the 12th century by the monks of St. Benets Abbey. Historically, Winterton people proud of their tower, have held strongly to a local tradition that it is "a herring-and-a-half higher than Cromer." The 70 foot lighthouse, which remained in operation from 1867 to 1921 is now used as part of holiday accommodation attached to the local hotel. 

In 1665 several large bones were found one of them weighing 56 pounds and measuring 3 feet 2 inches said to be the leg-bone of a man!