Hindringham Barn

Hindringham Barn enjoys a fabulous rural location, 6 miles from the wonderful Wells-next-the-Sea. Hindringham itself is a picturesque delight. Hindringham Hall neighbours Hindringham Barn. It is a delicious little moated manor house straight from a story book. It boasts a medieval moat dating from 1150 and delightful fishponds, a working walled vegetable garden, formal and informal borders, all wrapped around a brick and flint Tudor Hall. The stunning gardens are a water encircled wonder and are open to visitors twice a week, on Wednesday and Sundays, between April and October. It is a lovely afternoon out. You can take a guided tour, take tea in the charming cafe beside the moat, smell the roses, watch the black swans, listen to the birdsong and you can even hire the tennis court. The Guardian has described the gardens as being ‘Amongst 12 of the Best Secret Gardens in the UK’. The beautiful house was built by Martin Hastings, a courtier to Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII.

Six miles away you will find the gorgeous seaside town of Wells-next-the-Sea. It boasts a family friendly feel with novelty shops, lots of fish and chips which can be eaten on the great quay wall, a fabulous sandy beach and fragrant pine woods. The pretty, painted beach huts that line the beach in front of the pine wood are wonderful. The mammoth sandy beach sprinkled, with dunes and grasses, leads you all the way to Holkham. Wells’ lovely leafy green ‘The Buttlands’ is home to several gastropubs. You can take the Wells to Walsingham Light Railway for an afternoon excursion.

Holkham’s beach is totally unspoilt with a glorious semi-circle basin filling to form a spectacular shallow lagoon at high tides. The beach is famous for the closing scene in Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘Shakespeare in Love’. The 25000 acre Holkham Estate is rich in history, architecture and wildlife. Holkham Hall is the seat of the Earl of Leicester, an 18th century mansion still lived-in as well as open to visitors. There are 6 acres of walled garden, walking and cycling paths, lakes, deer, a tree top high ropes course with its swings, bridges and ziplines, rowing boats, canoes and kayaks on the lake and a woodland play area.

The famous, picturesque village of Blakeney offers a pretty harbour, unique shops including fishmongers, butchers and galleries, gastropubs and its amazing landscape of marshes, sand hills and mud banks. Within this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Blakeney National Nature Reserve offers uninterrupted views of the coastline and you are very likely to spot migratory birds as well as the seals at Blakeney Point. You should try one of the fresh crab sandwiches from the mobile van in the car park at the harbour. They are delicious! Trips can be taken from Blakeney and Morston Quay to visit the seal colonies. The pups are born during November to early January with over 2000 seal pups being born each year. It is a wonderful family outing.

A few miles away is the enchanting village of Cley-next-the-Sea which boasts fabulous vistas across the marshes, an outstanding deli, several art and pottery galleries and a smoked fish shop. The marshland was used for horse races up to the early 19th century as well as being a regular haunt for smugglers. The area is excellent for birdwatching so look out for ringed plovers, oystercatchers, brent geese and common teal.

The Georgian market town of  Holt is home to some excellent art galleries, antique and book shops, butchers, greengrocers, delicious eateries and a maze of 18th century Georgian buildings hiding in wonderful courtyards and alleyways.

Also worth a visit is the fascinating village of Walsingham, famous for its religious shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary. It contains the ruins of two medieval monastic houses including the abbey which looks spectacular when the snowdrops are out.

Found in the East of England, Norfolk’s charms are as broad as the famous network of rivers that run through it. With an abundance of natural beauty and wildlife, this is one county where you can really kick back and enjoy some quintessential English countryside.

But it’s not just a rural idyll – there’s loads of stuff to see and do, which we’ve all put together in our handy Norfolk travel guide. And don’t forget, if you need a place to stay our luxury cottages in Norfolk offer everything you need for an amazing family holiday.

Download our Norfolk Travel Guide >>