www.norfolksbest.co.uk
Hollyhocks, South Creake
In a small terrace of pink-roofed stone cottages, typical of 19th century Norfolk village homes, is Hollyhocks, a two-bedroom property in a quiet corner of South Creake, lying between Fakenham and fashionable Burnham Market.
The front door opens into a small hallway that leads on one side into a comfortable living room, with two sofas and an open coal fire, and on the other a spacious dining room with a wood-burning stove.
The kitchen, small but convenient, has a dishwasher, washing machine and a Belfast sink.
A surprisingly wide staircase leads to the two bedrooms – a double and a twin – each with a view of the long front garden, with its flower beds, trees, lawn outdoor furniture and secluded barbecue area.
There is private parking outside the front door.
Holidaymakers appreciate the fact that the cottage has a bathroom upstairs and a shower room downstairs, each with a loo.
The scrubbed pine table in the dining room has ample space for four.
Holkham Beach, an easy 15-minute drive away, is noted for its extensive sandy beach, flanked by pine woods, and is so vast that it is never overcrowded. It is accessed from the privately-owned Lady Anne’s Drive at Holkham. A charge is made for parking.
Bookings:
Chris Everard.
Tel: 01509 880753.
Email:
hollyhocks1@btinternet.com
Pets:
one well-behaved dog.
Children: yes.
No smoking.
Price: High season £475
per week. Request other times.
Valentine
House, South Creake
A former ale-house dating from the mid-1700s, Valentine House is a one-of-a-kind home of great character and appeal. Original features include exposed beams, tongue and groove pine doors, a bread oven and the hatch through which 18th century villagers were served their drinks.
Today it has additional points of interest provided by its owners, Nick and Ros Haywood. Nick’s guitars – he has several – and his bold and lively paintings are dotted about the house. He works professionally with wood, running a company called Classic Sheds, and has made much of the furniture – dressers, the beds and the kitchen table.
Ros,
a part-time piano and keyboard teacher, is responsible for the bunches of
dried flowers which decorate the kitchen beams, and the multitudinous jars
of jam which she makes from apples, rhubarb, plums and other fruits as they
come into season. A range of vegetables is grown in the allotment opposite
the double-fronted house, and seven free-range hens of various breeds provide
the breakfast eggs.
The front
door of Valentine House, flanked in summer by roses and hollyhocks, opens
on to Back Street. Conversely, the back of the house, with its lawns and garden,
faces Front Street, with a stone bridge crossing the clear waters of the little
River Burn which rushes through the village. Alongside the garden, adjoining
the main house, is the single-storey studio apartment, sleeping four, offered
on a B&B or self-catering basis.
It has been known for musically-inclined guests to get together with Ros and Nick for impromptu music sessions.
Studio: £85 per night B&B or £70 per night self-catering (minimum stay three nights).
Valentine House Bed and Breakfast
62 Back Street
South Creake
Fakenham
Norfolk
NR21 9PG
Tel: 01328 823413.
Email: nickhaywood@classic-sheds.fsnet.co.uk
Rooms
at the inn – East Barsham
Between Fakenham and Walsingham, in a country lane flanked by mature trees, with the little River Stiffkey flowing close by, three centuries-old buildings are clustered. One is the church, small by Norfolk standards. Another is the manor house, built in the 1520s on the proceeds of wool. It is not open to the public.
The third building is the 17th century White Horse Inn, its bar and restaurant popular with local people and visitors, yet as relaxed as its rural setting suggests.
Vince and Sue Shearer, who have been in the hospitality business since Vince left the RAF 15 years ago, have three en suite rooms – a twin, a double and a family suite. The rooms are pretty with homely touches and plenty of wardrobe space.
A cottage, with flower-bedecked outer walls and a private picnic patio, adjoins the pub. Its open staircase to the two bedrooms divides the sitting room and the well-equipped kitchen.
A no-smoking, no-pets policy covers the accommodation.
The inn’s restaurant offers an extensive menu. Cottage guests may breakfast there by booking the previous evening.
An enclosed patio is furnished with tables and cushioned chairs shaded by huge umbrellas.
East Barsham is handy for North Norfolk’s extensive sandy beaches, stately homes, varied attractions and activities.
The White Horse Inn
Fakenham Road
East Barsham
Norfolk NR21 0NH
Tel:
01328 820645. Email: vince@whitehorseplus.com
Website: www.oakgroup.co.uk
Prices:
B&B from £27 per person based on two sharing
Cottage: £180-395 per week.
Self-catering, South Creake
Dormouse Cottage is a pink-roofed holiday home in the prettiest corner of a pretty North Norfolk village. One of a cluster of mid-18th century brick and flint cottages, Dormouse Cottage is beautifully fitted out.
The comfortably furnished living room has an open fireplace flanked by a natural wood cupboard and a door to the staircase. Night storage heating provides background warmth. The well-equipped kitchen has been thoughtfully designed, with pine features.
Upstairs the double bedroom has a comfortable pine bed with storage drawers beneath. The next-door room has bunk beds. An adjacent bathroom has cornflower blue fittings and includes an over-bath shower.
In the shadow of the 12th century parish church, the cottage is nevertheless in a peaceful setting. Like Lewis Carroll’s dormouse, holidaymakers should sleep soundly. The church has no striking clock and there are no cockerels in the surrounding countryside to greet the sunrise.
A short stroll along the lane brings you to a willow-fringed pond populated by ducks and a pair of Egyptian geese. Half a mile away is the Ostrich Inn at South Creake, and less than two miles away is the Jolly Farmers pub at North Creake. Both provide good dining. North Norfolk has year-round attractions for visitors, including good walking, bird watching and steam railways.
Dormouse Cottage is a non-smoking property with off-road parking. One well-behaved dog welcome. Price: £206-342 (7 nights); £146-257 (3 nights).
Sleeping up to 13 persons, the Old Norwich Arms offers ideal holiday accommodation for a group of young people, a family get-together or members of ornithology clubs or other specialist groups wishing to pursue their interest in North Norfolk.
It is many years since the brick and flint property, built in 1746, was one of five pubs in South Creake. Only one remains - the Ostrich, just down the road.
The Old Norwich Arms kitchen is a delight, with space for many hands to make light work and two cookers with large electric ovens and plenty of gas boiling rings. There is a separate laundry room. The dining room table was specially made and is more than eight feet long.
One end of the sitting room has an interesting wall and ceiling feature of pine. This room stretched from the front to the rear of the property and is divided by a wide archway. There is plenty of comfortable seating and an open alcove houses logs for the fireplace. The property has full central heating.
Each of the six bedrooms is named after a musician – the chairman of the small charity that owns the property has followed a long career as a professional bass player. One twin-bedded room, with en suite facilities, is named after the 19th century virtuoso double bass player Dragonetti.
The bedrooms are small but not cramped and have single beds with bright duvets. All have a bathroom close by. Some windows have a view across a field to the parish church, others overlook the garden and extensive orchard at the rear.
An adjoining outbuilding has been cleverly converted into bedrooms with double bunks and en suite bathrooms.
Non-smoking; one well-behaved dog; off-road parking. Price: On application.
Bookings
for Dormouse Cottage
and the
Old Norwich Arms: Rodney Slatford
Rodney’s
Cottage
Church
Lane
South Creake
Fakenham
Norfolk NR21 9LX
Tel: 01328 823501. Email: rodney@yorkedition.co.uk
Self-catering,
Tattersett
Five flint and brick cottages grouped around a courtyard have been converted from centuries-old farm buildings to form a ‘hamlet within a hamlet’ in rural North Norfolk.
All the Tatt Valley Holiday Cottages are full of character, with carefully-chosen furniture and ornaments, and a patio with barbecue.
A great barn with timbered roof has been turned into a magnificent games room, centrally heated and with wall-to-wall carpeting. It has a full-size billiards table, pool, table tennis, table football and ride-on toys and other equipment for toddlers – something for all age groups.
Tom
Hurn, the farmer, grew up on the 300-acre farm when cattle and pigs were still
in residence. It is now arable.
The
little River Tatt runs through Tattersett (population under 100). Holiday visitors
can walk the paths through the farm’s water meadows.
Basic supplies are available at a nearby petrol station. Fakenham, five miles from Tattersett, is a main shopping centre, and there is a good farm shop in between. Pubs and restaurants are within three miles of the cottages.
Bookings:
Thomas Hurn
Tatt
Valley Holiday Cottages
Lower
Farm
Tattersett
King’s
Lynn
Norfolk
PE31 8RT
Tel:
01485 528506. Email: enquiries@norfolkholidayhomes.co.uk
Website: http://www.norfolkholidayhomes.co.uk
B&B Hunstanton
The bed and breakfast concept has enabled many Norfolk people to make use of their spare bedrooms and provide hospitality and home-from-home comfort for visitors to the county.
For Barbara Bamfield, with her flair for décor and catering and her interest in people, running a successful B&B was something she felt required investment and a professional approach. She and her husband, Richard, lived in north-east Derbyshire. They decided to find a large house in a pleasant seaside town – Richard is a keen windsurfer. Four years ago they found exactly what they wanted in Hunstanton.
The Gables, with views right over The Wash to the Boston Stump, is an Edwardian property with some original features, including two grand fireplaces and some stained glass. There are ten bedrooms – four for the family and six for guests – and a breakfast room and a visitors’ lounge.
Guest rooms are on two upper floors, each with individual décor and large windows curtained in rich fabrics – needlework is another of Mrs Bamfield’s talents. Value for money is appreciated by her visitors, many of whom have returned several times. They get a hospitality tray with tea, coffee and a decanter of sherry. Bathrobes and a selection of toiletries are also provided.
The Gables is popular with birdwatchers, walkers and cyclists. Secure cycle storage is available.
Rooms:
6 en suite.
Pets:
No
Smoking: No
Full English or continental breakfast. Packed lunches available.
Dinner by arrangement. Vegetarian and special diets with prior notice.
Price:
£20-25 per person per night (concessions for children).
Bookings: Mrs Barbara Bamfield
The
Gables
28
Austin Street
Hunstanton
Norfolk PE36 6AW
Tel: 01485 532514. Email: bb@thegables.co.uk
website: http://www.thegableshunstanton.co.uk
B&B Thursford, North Norfolk
You know as soon as you turn into the signposted drive that you've chosen a delightful spot. The feeling is confirmed when you arrive in the stable yard of a 17th century former coach house, set in a 64-acre working farm well away from traffic sounds.
Your hostess, Ann Green, welcomes you, offering a cup of tea in the sun room/sitting room, furnished with four sofas, wicker chairs and a TV. It has access to the garden, beyond which sheep and Hereford cattle graze.
Upstairs are a double room with four-poster bed, a neighbouring room with twin beds and a shared bathroom. Another pretty twin-bedded room has en suite bathroom and WC. All bedrooms have washbasins and tea/coffee tray..
Breakfast is served in the spacious farmhouse kitchen.
The North Norfolk coast, with sandy beaches and good birdwatching and walking, is 10 miles away. Many places of interest are within an easy drive.
Bookings: Mrs Ann Green
Old Coach House
Thursford
Fakenham
Norfolk
NR21 0DB
Tel: 01328 828273. Email: a.green@netcom.co.uk
Rooms:
3 (2 en suite, one on ground floor)
Pets
by arrangement
Price:
£20-25 per person per night
Self-catering,
Wells-next-the-Sea
It's called the Honey Store and it's really sweet, with a well-equipped homely kitchen/dining room and a welcoming vase of fresh flowers on the table. The window looks over the well-tended garden of Mill Place, where the amiable owners live.
They have provided an assortment of books and games as well as colour TV in the lounge. A pine door leads to the shower room, which has wash basin, WC, bidet and a shower with a seat.
The two-bedroom single-storey building, sleeping four, is carpeted throughout. Heating is included in the price.
The Honey Store, where honey really was once kept, has been newly refurbished. Its garden, which isn't overlooked, has a croquet lawn, garden furniture and, in season, runner beans and other crops available for guests.
Although it is tucked away in a peaceful setting, with off-road parking, this holiday home is only three minutes' walk from The Quay and central amenities.
Bookings: Mrs Caroline Jones
The Mill Place
Northfield
Lane
Wells-next-the-Sea
Norfolk
NR23 1JZ
Tel: 01328 711742
Bedrooms: 1 twin, 1 double
Regret no pets, no smoking, no children. Children and dogs are welcome at an alternative 18th century cottage in Wells.
Price: £160-£280 per week
B&B
Docking, West Norfolk
You’ll find plenty of space at North Farmhouse. It was built of Norfolk flint and brick more than three centuries ago, and is set in an acre of gardens and lawns reigned over by a great copper beech tree.
Bed and breakfast guests have their own staircase to the well-proportioned bedrooms – one twin and one double – which overlook the garden. In summer the scent of lavender wafts through the windows.
Each bedroom, furnished with antiques, has its own big bathroom. If you like singing in the bath you’ll find there’s enough space for a grand piano accompaniment!
Downstairs, the old dairy has been converted into a room in which to relax, with well-filled book-cases and a gallery of Roger Roberts’s paintings of local scenes.
Guests have breakfast around the large oak table in the dining room. Lifetime friendships have been formed here.
A cot is available, and Daisy, the family dog, cheerfully welcomes well-supervised canine visitors.
The village of Docking is handy for beaches, walking, cycling, bird watching and golf. Sandringham, Houghton Hall, Holkham and several well-known bird reserves are nearby.
Bookings: Helen and Roger Roberts
North Farmhouse
Station
Road
Docking
King’s
Lynn
Norfolk
PE31 8LS
Tel: 01485 518493. Email: northfarmhouse@aol.com
Rooms: 2 en suite
No smoking
Price:
Single from £24; double from £38 per night.
B&B
Wells-next-the-Sea
The three guest bedrooms at Glebe Barn are interesting as well as attractive and well-equipped. Through pictures and ceramics, each room has a particular theme.
On the ground floor a twin bedroom – accessible to disabled people – has a sea theme, a reminder that the Grade II listed building was constructed in 1762 as a storehouse for a Master Mariner. Upstairs are the Art Nouveau Room, with its elegant king-size bed, and the Theatre Room, with posters from West End shows.
Guests can relax in the sheltered courtyard garden. They have their own front door, hall, dining room and a cosy L-shaped TV room – all self-contained, which could form a well-appointed private apartment for a family group or party of six friends.
Repeat bookings and gratifying comments in the visitors’ book underline the reputation for hospitality and good value that the owners have won since opening their guest house in 1999. Keen walkers, they can recommend scenic routes for all seasons.
The amazing thing about this tranquil setting is that it is only 150 yards from the bustling harbour.
Bookings:
Michael Thompson
Glebe Barn
7A
Glebe Road
Wells-next-the-Sea
Norfolk NR23
1AZ
Tel: 01328 711809. Email: derek@glebebarn.netlineuk.net
Rooms:
3 en suite
Smoking: No
Pets: No
Price: £22 per person per night. Dinner
available. Open year round. Short breaks.
For details of publicity opportunities please Email us
or alternatively give Eric Bailey a call on
01328 823188
