Quality Holiday Cottages In North Norfolk,
Offer Sandy Beaches That Stretch Off Into The Distance, Dunes and Marshland Walks, Seafood Restaurants, Quaint Village Pubs, wildlife, great cycling, sailing, boat trips and places of interest to visit... making for such an enjoyable holiday or short break away.
Dog Friendly - Car Parking - 2 Bedroom - Walled Sunny Garden - Near Beaches - Near Sea
Cottages Available For Short, Weekend Breaks and Weekly Holiday Bookings
The North Norfolk Coast is the ideal holiday or weekend break location to explore this beautiful and often stunning coastline. Stiffkey is very near to Blakeney famous for it's seal colony at Blakeney Point, sailing and boat / seal trips at neaby Morston, large sandy family beachs at Wells-on-Sea, and Holkham and on to the small historic market town of Burnham Market, and Brancaster Beach.
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- Blakeney, Wells next the Sea, Stiffkey, Morston, and surrounding villages
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Ideal Location To Explore & Enjoy The North Norfolk Coast.
Stiffkey itself is a picturesque village following the River Stiffkey a small chalk bed, trout stream, Stiffkey is a village made up of lovely Norfolk flint cottages with their pantile roofs, and hidden sunny gardens to sit and relax in. There is a very popular village pub, The Red Lion, which offers great food in relaxed surroundings. The Stiffkey Stores and Deli, is a real sunday morning treat, as it has a sunny courtyard where one can sit for a while with coffee, cake and newspaper. Norfolk Holiday cottages are available for short & weekend breaks as well as longer holidays. The cottages offer a mixture of up to date comfort whilst retaining their old world charm. Walk out of your holiday cottage door and there will be footpaths leading to countryside or coastal walks , ideal if you are a dog lover, ah yes most Norfolk holiday cottages are dog friendly READ MORE...
For a romantic weekend break, there are a number of well known hotels such as The Victoria Hotel at Holkham, & Holkham Hall Estate Lodges, Morston Hall Hotel and Hoste Arms Hotel at Burnham Market, but these hotels are often booked up and expensive. What could be more romantic than booking your North Norfolk Cottage, complete with open fire, beamed ceilings, highest quality interiors and linen all provided, with great seafood restaurants and village pubs all just nearby. Stay at our charming Norfolk Cottage and why not book a local restaurant from our recommended restaurant guide.
Restaurant Guide North Norfolk
The Red Lion at Stiffkey Tel: 01328 830 552
www.stiffkey.com
Has all the appeal of an old North Norfolk inn and now with the comfort of a modern hotel. It's uncluttered charm has great appeal. A warm welcome awaits you as well as excellent local beers, including Nelson's Revenge from Woodforde stable and excellent food from local sources, at prices to please.
There is no piped music, old pews abound and the fire in the bar makes a welcoming centrepiece.
Look out for local Norfolk Mussels, when in season, Blakeney whitebait, Norfolk game pie, soft herring roes on toast and the superb Cromer crab salads that are such a feature of the area. You can eat in or out, and on hot days the cool from the stream offers welcome freshness. A short but enterprising wine list is well supplied with wine by the glass. On first impressions, The Red Lion at Stiffkey is a traditional Norfolk Pub in almost every sense of the word, from the rustic wooden pews and four log fires to the original stone floor and selection of local brews on offer.
The Moorings at Blakeney Tel: 01328 710 547
www.blakeney-moorings.co.uk
'The Moorings’ offers unpretentious contemporary cuisine in a relaxed setting.
Located at the bottom of Blakeney High Street, a few yards from the quay, you will find us right on the edge of North Norfolk, with its wide skies, muddy creeks and marshes.
We serve fresh simple honest food - fantastic local Norfolk fish, shellfish, game in season, delicious meat and vegetarian dishes, dreamy puddings, and a well chosen wine list.
Booking for dinner, and Sunday lunch, is strongly recommended. Telephone: 01263 740054
Now open for supper on Sunday of Bank Holiday Weekends
The Anchor Inn & Restaurant at Morston Tel: 01263 741 392
https://www.morstonanchor.co.uk/
Just a few miles down the coast road from Stiffkey, is the village of Morston, well known for its sailing and boat trips. On the main road you will easily spot The Anchor, which is well know for its seafood menu. But you can have the best of both worlds because you can either book a table in their tasteful but relaxed restaurant or grap a table in the bar area of the inn which is charming. We often just call in for a bowl of chowder and some crusty bread which is reasonable priced and delicious.
The Three Horseshoes at Warham Tel: 01328 710 547
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Just a mile or two inland is the village of Warham,
A Genuine and traditional Village Pub.
The history of the Three Horseshoes as an ale-house can be traced back to 1725. For almost 300 years it has been a genuine and traditional North Norfolk village pub, serving the beautiful North Norfolk village of Warham.
With gas lighting, stone floors, scrubbed wooden tables, and open fireplace, the Three Horseshoes is a lovely old place set in tranquil surroundings. A rambling clutch of old rooms feature sturdy furniture and an abundant collection of antiques and knick-knacks.
Outside, there is a beer garden and a covered courtyard. There are ample parking facilities.
The Three Horseshoes is renowned for unfussy, fairly priced food which is cooked with care. Beer is local and sparklingly fresh.
We can cater for parties, buffets and sit down dinners, even outside catering. Bed & Breakfast accommodation is available next door. » find out more about B&B at the Old Post Office Cottage
Set into the ceiling of the pub is a curious green and red dial. This is the Norfolk Twister with which you can play village roulette, an ancient pub game and it dates back to 1830.
Try your hand at an original one-armed-bandit, circa 1936 which accepts 5 pence coins.
The cosy, warm atmosphere is made complete by the surroundings of period photos, posters, clay pipes and local ephemera. Ticking away in a corner is a Grandfather Clock which was made in East Dereham in 1830.
Renowned for the best puddings in Norfolk, the Three Horseshoes has a loyal following. Leave plenty of room for meals, as portions are generous.
The Three Horseshoes is renowned for Good, home-made foodSoups and pies dominate the menu. Soused herrings might precede game and wine pie. Alternatively, choose from the blackboard menu by the bar. From here, creamy artichoke soup can be followed by a seafood and salmon pie bountiful with fish, fresh mussels, cockles and prawns. Equally praiseworthy are the vegetables, the own-made puds (date and syrup pudding, marvellous) and the no-chips policy.
We pride ourselves in being a Real Ale pub serving the best of local and national cask-conditioned ales. Owner, Iain Salmon ensures a superb selection of guest Real Ales is always available alongside our regular favourites, Woodfordes Norfolk Wherry and Greene King. They are all kept in first-rate condition. We usually have a number of ales serving from the Cask or Hand pump.
Morston Hall at Morston Tel: 01263 741 041
www.morstonhall.com
Morston Hall is an intimate country house hotel with its origin in the 17th century. It is located 2 miles from Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast. Morston Hall has won great praise from regional and national press, including East Anglia Small Hotel of the Year, also for its outstanding cuisine and high standard of accommodation.
It is the only restaurant with both 3 red rosette's and Michelin Star award within a 50 mile radius. The spectacular North Norfolk Coast provides an ideal place for guests to relax and recharge themselves. On the local information page are listed a number of interesting places to visit, for example Sandringham, boat trips to the seals, Langham Glassworks or charter a sailing barge with Charlie Ward, Morston’s specialist boatbuilder.
Things to do in Stiffkey
STIFFKEY STORES & DELI - Also operates a post office, but this extremely attractive building is no ordinary village store, the main body of the store is large ,with exposed timber roof trusses and offers good quality food and vegetables, on into the store are racks of staples and refridgerated food and milk, but most importantly this fine establishment offers an array of delicious fresh cakes which are served daily along with coffee or tea ! There is an adjacent barn where gift items can be purchased and central to these buildings is a delightful sunny courtyard set out with tables and chairs where one can sit a while with cake, coffee and newspaper. Great to pop in with the dogs on the way back to the cottage after a walk down to the sea.
STIFFKEY LIGHTING & ANTIQUES - Fascinating indeed is the Stiffkey Lighting Shop, located in a former chapel and housing the most extensive catalogue of antique lights, door furniture, and brassware one is ever likely to see, it must be one of the largest selections of these items in the country and any of you that might be in the process of renovating a period town house, cottage or grand manor should have a chat with Colin the proprietor for surely no man will know more about matching up your neo classical brass finger plates..fluted Palladian knocker..or how to rewire your dear old granny's chandelier. To be honest I just called in the other day to buy a light bulb for the cottage, but Colin certainly could not have been more helpful.
North Norfolk Beaches And Coast Walks
STIFFKEY– There are various little beaches nearby. A suggestion is to walk (or drive – quite a long walk for children) out of Stiffkey towards Morston (east). Before leaving Stiffkey (just after the church on your right) there is a rough track on the left down to the marshes. Drive or walk down the track and then follow the path straight out towards Blakeney Harbour. You will reach a lovely area of shallow creeks and sandy beach which is great for young children.
However, this track can get very rutted and too rough for some cars after a lot of rain. An alternative route to the same beach area is via the Greenway (left along the coast road until you are nearly out of Stiffkey and after a row of pretty cottages set back from the road, Greenway is on the right). This lane leads past Stiffkey campsite. When you reach the edge of the lane take the track to the right along the edge of the march (this is almost always drivable during the summer) and follow it until you reach the track mentioned above to your right. Park here and walk straight out towards the harbour, over some bridges until you reach a lovely sandy area with creeks and wonderful views over the harbour.
To reach Stiffkey Freshes it is best to drive east along the coast road towards Morston and park near a farm building on your left on a bend at the top of a rise. Walk down to a white bridge with a footpath on the left which follows the edge of a stream. This footpath takes you on top of the sea wall. From here follow it to the right until you reach an area where you either follow a grass path all the way to Morston or cross the creek (at low tide) onto a wonderful little sandy beach. Be warned – you can only cross this creek at low tide so please read your tide table before you go (if you need any assistance with tides, etc, please don’t hesitate to phone the Wards). From the bridge to the beach is about a 10/15 minute walk.
Dogs can be walked off the lead except near nesting birds (areas are well marked and roped off).
WELLS ON SEA BEACH – Similar to Holkham with pine woods and a flat sand beach. Also prettily painted beach huts (privately owned) lining the border of beach and woods, which photograph well in low light.
This beach is busier in the summer than Holkham but a relatively short walk to the west will get you clear of the crowds. Parking is at the end of the road signed to the beach. It is then a short walk up and over wooden steps and walkway to the sandy beach or across the road to a shingle beach close to the lifeboat house.
Be aware of the marked channel when swimming – the current is extremely strong with the incoming and outgoing tides and the channel is used extensively by fishing and large charter vessels as well as private yachts.
Dogs are not allowed on the main beach area (near the car park) but can be walked along a track to the west at the back of the woods and then onto the beach away from the beach hut and busy area.
HOLKHAM BEACH– Our favourite beach in the area – a vast sandy bay with dunes and pine woods. Perfect for children and generally uncrowded. On windy days you always find a sheltered spot in the dunes and when the weather is cold and blustery there are long walks through the woods and plenty of trees to climb, etc. Parking is on Lady Anne’s Drive, a privately owned driveway almost to the beach and a slatted walkway through to the beach. It is therefore possible to get pushchairs and wheelchairs to the beach without much difficulty.
There is endless scope for walking (hard sand at low tide) to Scolt Head Island to the west and Wells beach to the east – wonderful for dogs and horse riding! Swimming at high tide is perfect for children but very shallow due to the huge expanse of flat sand which is probably no more than knee deep. However, for deeper swimming you need to wait until low tide and then walk out to the edge of the sea where there is gently sloping sand into deeper water (WARNING – at low tide this is a long walk from the car park for young children, but it’s perfectly possible to push 3-wheel buggies over the sand to the sea).
Dogs can be walked off the lead once on the beach, or in the woods.
There is excellent biking along tracks running alongside the pine woods, on the opposite side to the beach.
CLEY/SALTHOUSE/WEYBOURNE – Shingle beach, steeply sloping in places. Wonderful walking on a wild, windy day! Popular for beach fishing and if you strike lucky you might see traditional Norfolk Crab Boats being pulled up the shingle banks by tractors on Weybourne beach. Swimmers should be very wary of steep sloping edge, strong undercurrents and breaking waves. Sand is at low tide only so walking is often hard for young children on deep shingle. Parking in each case is right at the beach.
A good hard walk is from Cley west towards Blakeney Harbour, stopping for a breather at the Watch House (a little house on the top of the shingle bank seen easily if you climb the bank every so often) and walking all the way to Blakeney Point and the seals. One way will take at least 2 hours. Return the same route. The walk can be done at any stage of the tide but is much easier at low tide when some sand is exposed.
Dogs can be walked off the lead until you near the Watch House (summer only) due to nesting birds.
SCOLT HEADISLAND – This is a wonderfully unspoilt area similar to Blakeney Point. It can be reached at low tide by walking from Burnham Overy Staithe quay across the creek, over the marsh, across the sand area that is the harbour area at high tide and to the island. Please be aware that you must walk back before the tide flows.
Alternatively you can take a ferry from the quay to the island and back during the summer months. Please contact the Boat House for local advice and ferry times, etc. Tel………….
BLAKENEY POINT – A 3 mile ‘finger’ of land sticking out towards the west starting at Cley beach. It is a famous National Trust bird sanctuary with an all year round seal colony. There is a vast area to explore with many large sand dunes. Walking on the Point is very restricted during summer months if you have a dog due to nesting birds (on the lead only).
Blakeney Point can be reached by walking from Cley Beach as described above.
Blakeney Point is most easily reached by one of the many ferries that leave several times each tide from Morston Quay during the summer and once a tide in Spring and Autumn. Leaflets are in the information box in the cottage but they run largely identical trips at the same cost. Although some operators take bookings from Blakeney all the boats now leave from Morston Quay. You will need to take waterproof jackets if you have them (the harbour can get quite rough) and plenty of warm clothing because it is always much cooler on the water than inland. The marsh walk to the boats (only a matter of a couple of minutes) can get quite muddy after rain or high tides so it might be an idea to take wellies with you in case. If you book with Temple ferries from the Anchor Inn at Morston and collect your tickets in good time you may be able to borrow waterproof jackets from the booking office in the pub. Most ferry operators do not provide life jackets unless in emergencies, so if you have young children or would feel happier in a life jacket please let us know and we will drop them in to you (no charge).
If you want to spend the day on Blakeney Point it’s best to go out on a seal trip on a morning tide (make sure the seal trip is landing on the Point as well as viewing the seals) – tell the ferry skipper that you are not planning to return by ferry and then you can spend the day exploring the sand dunes and bird sanctuary before walking back to Morston Quay at low tide before the evening tide flows. However, it is very important that you get local advice about tide times and routes to follow back across the marshes – so please feel free to phone the Wards and we will give you all the advice we can. You will be amazed how the visitors disappear at low tide and even in high summer you may have the place almost to yourself!
BRANCASTER BEACH Access via road, you drive through the marshes with thick reed banks either side but with some lovely footpaths. Carry on to the end of the road and there is a large car park. This beach is glorious, sandy and stretches off into the distance. Most subathers congregate nearer to the beach entrance, but walk down the beach and find yourself a secluded hidaway in the sand dunes, spend a day in the sun, i've had a sun burn in April before ! so sun protection a must, the kids playing in the dunes, packed lunch and even a barbeque later watching the sun go down.
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