North Norfolk - the area and attractions

For Saddlery and Hillside Cottages ...
The coast and countryside around Fakenham are characterised by a number of features: salt marshes and expansive sandy beaches, brick and flint buildings and palatial stately homes.

Houghton Hall, built by Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, lies a few miles away, and to the north, near Wells-next-the Sea, is the majestic Holkham Hall situated in a 3,000 acre deer park and home to the Earls of Leicester.

Fakenham is the home of Fakenham Racecourse, one of the finest rural National Hunt courses in the country. Frequent meetings are held from February to December. The Colkirk cottages are part of the farm that is joined to the reacecourse

Pensthorpe Waterfowl Park, home to one of Europe's finest collection of endangered and exotic waterbirds is located in the beautiful Wensum Valley on the edge of town. This and many other attractions, and accommodation of all types to be found in and around Fakenham, make this market town a good base for exploring North Norfolk whatever time of the year.

For Laneway Cottage ...
Wide, sandy beaches washed by safe shallow waters are a delight for sunbathers, naturalist and ramblers, and pretty flint built villages bordering the coast road are well worth exploring for their pubs, churches and crafts and antique shops.

This part of the coastline forms part of the largest coastal nature reserve in England and Wales. Bitters and terns, oyster catchers, avocets and marsh harriers are among the species which make this part of North Norfolk a prime site for birdwatching.

A visit to Blakeney Point, a nature reserve and bird sanctuary and home for both the common and grey seal is a must for any visitor, young or old. For the energetic, the point can be reached on foot from Cley-next-the-Sea, a 4-mile walk to the tip. Boats take passengers from Morston to Blakeney seven days a week according to the tides. - See the Attractions Section for further details.

Wells-next-the Sea with its mixture of quayside work and holiday bustle, Georgian elegance and a tree-fringed green has a unique charm that is noticeable as soon as you arrive.

A short distance from the Wells-next-the-Sea is the pilgrimage centre of little Walsingham. Here many religious buildings can be seen, including the abbey and hostels used by the pilgrims over the centuries. Both the Anglican Shrine built in 1931 and the Slipper Chapel a few miles away at Houghton St. Giles can be visited. The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway the longest ten and quarter inch railway in the world runs between Wells and Walsingham.

In the delightful small village of Binham the extensive remains of an early 12th century Benedictine priory can be visited. The original nave of the church is still used as the parish church.