Countryside Cottages, Norfolk

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North Norfolk

Norfolk has a quiet understated charm that has allowed the coast and countryside to remain remarkably unspoilt. Around every corner you will find pretty villages and historic churches, miles and miles of unspoilt beaches, countryside and rivers teeming with wildlife and vibrant market towns with eclectic shops.

There is interest for all seasons - summer wraps the ancient mellow villages with verdant splendour; in quiet country lanes, verges and hedgerows billow with summer flowers and offer wildlife tranquil refuge - crisp Autumn days bring a rush of exhilarating sea air laced with the aroma of woodsmoke; cosy inns beckon ( see Links) .

In Winter skeins of geese knot the skies echoing their emotive cry; windswept creeks and quiet backwaters offer scenes of solitude and sweeping wild views (NWT at Cley Marshes and Pensthorpe at Fakenham).

Spring's first course is a swathe of snowdrops (Walsingham and Blickling Hall) and to follow is the vibrant colour of bluebells which thickly carpet local woods.

Many rural crafts still survive; reed cutters harvest for thatch in late summer, local fisherman still bring in crab and lobster selling to local restaurants and ‘shellfish bars’ ( try ‘Joyful’ Wests in  Sheringham High Street and Cookies at Cley). Traditional market towns, trading local produce thrive with not a high street chain store in sight.

From isolated bronze age barrows and ruined medieval castles to the exceptional country houses and stately homes; all have added threads to a rich tapestry no one can resist exploring.