Ok so you think Norfolk is flat?    We may not be the Highlands of Scotland but anyone who has cycled around our lovely quiet lanes may not agree!  Whether you are an experienced cyclist or one of the wobbly kind like myself, the North Norfolk area lends itself to a bit of pedal power.  A network of peaceful lanes and bridleways lead you through varied landscapes and pretty villages, never far from a decent watering hole to sample the local ales and food.  If you want to go further afield the Coast hopper bus which runs right along the coastline is a great asset.  Bike as far as you can then get the bus back. 

Cycling gives you time to stop and stare, something we all need to do occasionally.  You never know what is going to be around the next corner, a glimpse of the sea, a blood red poppy field, or the perfect tea shop selling fabulous scones.

The Norfolk Coast Cycleway offers several well mapped routes for you to follow,  of varying mileage, maps can be downloaded and tell you of all the interesting things you are going to see on the way.

Bikes can be hired from Deepdale Bikes (next to the Norfolk Hideways office). Or Bircham Windmill

The Holkham estate has recently started seasonal bike hire , a fabulous way to see the red deer herds that are in abundance on the estate. 

Happy Christmas Everyone!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/rKpKX04tQDq0yAENG8Zw

This year it is due to take place 25th, 26th & 27th November. Slightly earlier than in previous years as we have to fit in with the tides - which unfortunately even the Carnival Committee have no control over!!!

THere is the usual great line up including a Cocktail evening on Friday 25th and a festive film on Sunday 27th November. The main event will once again take place on the Saturday (26th November) and will start at 12 noon will the bells of St Nicholas ringing in the start of Christmas Tide. There will be a Xmas market and cafe, the Living Nativity, fireworks, illuminated fancy dress and lantern procession and the arrival of Father Christmas by sea at around 6pm. This year we will also have a skating rink set up on the Sackhouse carpark behind the Maltings from 12 noon till 7pm. Further information will appear in the November edition of the Quay.

Wherever possible entertainment is provided free of charge although some of the activities are of minimal cost. The carnival committee therefore relies on sponsorship and donations to cover additional expenses. If you would like to help towards costs or would like to be involved please either contact Shirley Golding on 07990 720887,or a donation can be made, securely, online via the Wells Carnival website

This year if you send a donation of £5.00 or more they will hang a Christmas Bauble with your name (or your business name) on it on our tree to be displayed in Staithe Street during the event.  They have already sold a number of baubles including local B & B's, self catering properties, individuals & local businesses and even one in memory of a grandmother who loved Wells. If you have a specific name or business you would like on your bauble please send a note with your donation or email to:wellscarnival@live.co.uk.

Dear All,

Just to say what a wonderful time we had staying at Samphire. The cottage is in a beautiful area and we went somewhere new everyday. Our Patterdale terrier “Weller” especially loved all the fantastic beaches and the weather couldn’t have been better. The dog friendly pub “King William” was a great find and only a 5-10 minute walk from the front door. From making our first enquiry to leaving “Norfolk Hideaways” were truly brilliant and we won’t hesitate in using you again and recommending you to all our friends. Thank you for making this little slice of heaven available to mere mortals & their four legged friends.    Victoria

Weller Enjoys the water in Norfolk.

 Jonathan Hazell, Chair of the Wells Hospital Trust said:      "I am delighted that having received Care Quality Commission registration the Mermaid Centre is open 6 days a week and our first 3 patients are enjoying a wonderful holiday in Wells.. Starting with patients on holiday is a necessary and important prelude to offering this service to local patients, and this is something we shall now be focussing on. Holiday dialysis opens the North Norfolk Coast to over 20,000 patients in the UK who currently rely mainly on available spaces at NHS hospitals for holiday breaks." 

North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb is to open the facility officially on July 22nd. He is also raising money for the Wells Community Hospital Trust, and other local charities, by cycling from Norwich to Arnhem with former Norwich City footballer Jeremy Goss. 

It's great news for anyone wanting to enjoy a proper holiday independently in one of the many lovely holiday cottages in Norfolk.  There are so few places that patients requiring dialysis can easily go on holiday.  For more information visit the hospital website on www.wellshospital.org.uk.

There is also a great video with information on You Tube, just follow the link below:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhcb-taLz6k

It’s the end of a long and busy summer here at Norfolk Hideaways, a time when the beaches in Norfolk are quiet and haunting.  It’s the perfect time to hire a beach hut with your Norfolk Hideaways cottage.   What could be cosier than a long walk on the beach followed by a brew up in the shelter of your little hut overlooking the sea?  Sheltering down from the wind it is a very inspirational place to be.   It also gives you the opportunity in less clement weather to stay on the beach without getting your ears ripped off!

I decided to hire Beach Hut 68 on Old Hunstanton beach for the weekend and I was rewarded with amazing sunsets, clear starry skies and a wonderful few days with friends just doing simple things.    I couldn’t wait to get home from work and as I am lucky enough to live in Hunstanton, pack up my bag and walk down to the beach.  It was a balmy evening, incredible for September, people were still playing cricket on the beach and families were enjoying the last days of the school holidays.   I opened the big double doors to the front and stepped out onto the veranda.  All my stress of the day just melted away.  Of course I opened my bottle of fizz and sat down to read my book.  My friend arrived an hour later bearing some food and was completely speechless as we watched the sunset.  Silhouettes of people still paddling at 10pm in the rapidly approaching tide and wonderful cloud formations in so many different shades of blue, indigo and pink made it magical. Then the sky cleared and the stars came out.  I wish I could say we then witnessed a meteor shower but we had to make do with a couple of shooting stars!   Reluctantly we pulled ourselves away at around 11pm.

The following day I wanted to share this with my friends so 6 of us went down that evening with the most delicious picnic, two very excited dogs, lots of champagne and the number of a taxi firm to pick us up later!  We set up the deck chairs to watch the tide rush in and find pictures in the clouds. I think we all felt very priviledged to be there. Even though we all live close to the coast, having the beach hut gave a completely new dimension to being on the beach.  We had a little gas stove and made coffee as the night grew cooler.  Again it was with great reluctance we left to go home

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Sunday bought a complete change in the weather, strong winds and rain!  Not to be deterred I plodded down to the hut with my hood firmly around my ears.  Opening the doors revealed an angry sea with white horses charging down the beach.  It was so exhilarating.  The beach was deserted.  I got out my book and listening to the rain lashing down on the roof and the wind rattling the doors I sat for a peaceful few hours out in the elements, being perfectly dry and warm!

When I left later that afternoon I realised that the beach is a place to be enjoyed all year round, and you can if you have a beach hut.   Rain and bad weather only make it more exciting; watching a storm out to sea would be stunning. They are a place for reflection, contemplation and for writing that novel or painting that picture you always promised yourself you would.

I can’t wait to use it again.  In fact I think I might very well buy my own!

If you want to book a beach hut in conjunction with your holiday cottage please see the Beach Hut section on the home page.  Or call us here in the office.  They cost £125 per week.  01485 211022

I am so excited, Mum & Dad said that they are going on holiday to somewhere called North Norfolk and I’m allowed to go too.  Apparently they have booked a beautiful cottage that accepts “dogs”, I mean why would somewhere not accept us “dogs”, that's discrimination.  Mum said she understands as some people have allergies, whatever they are, and I MUST be on my best behaviour and be clean and tidy – yeah right!

Mum’s getting stressed already and shouting at Dad, she always does this when they go away and she starts planning and packing.  She’s already taken my bed and put it in that washing machine and  has taken all my toys and packed them away.  I am so excited I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight, I wonder if I can sleep on the bed at that holiday home like I do here!

It’s here, it’s morning, I’m going to wake them up.   We’re all packed , I hope they’ve packed my tennis balls, frisbie and dog snacks as we have a long car ride ahead.  I have heard them talking about a nice garden and lots of beaches, can’t wait, I might even meet a handsome dog and we can run into the sunset together.  Apparently there are a lot of pubs In Norfolk which I am allowed in so we can have lunch and dinner together and I don’t have to be left in the car which is really dangerous when it’s hot.  Also there is a Coasthopper bus and I am allowed on that too, how exciting I have never been on a bus before.  My friend told me that his Mum & Dad took him on a boat trip to see the seals at Blakeney and he really enjoyed it, they even bought him a life jacket, how cool! 

Wow, the cottage is lovely but there are instructions there saying that I am not allowed on the furniture or even go upstairs, how boring, but I do understand as I am moulting quite badly at the moment.  Also Mum & Dad are not allowed to leave me in the house alone, so that’s great I will have to go everywhere with them.

We have planned our week, we have quite a lot of beaches to get through, there’s Hunstanton but apparently that has a “dog” restriction and we are not allowed from the power boat ramp to the northern extremity of the Promenade where the cliffs are.  Then there’s Old Hunstanton, Brancaster, marshes at Titchwell, Holkham and Wells-next-the-sea.  Wells also has a small restriction and I’m not allowed to go between the lifeboat house and the first fifty beach huts.  So now we know we can pretty much go anywhere and everywhere, we’re off to enjoy our “dog friendly” house and our “dog friendly” pubs and can’t wait to run and swim on the beautiful “dog friendly” beaches.

I will let you know all about it when I get home!

This year due to all the uncertainties in the world, I am going to be Master of my own destiny. On the warmest day in March for years, when the sea and sky were blue, I decided to have a Staycation.   Of course I have a bit of an advantage.  I live within sight of the sea in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, North Norfolk.   Biased, oh yes!

So, I am going to visit the seals from Morston Quay on Mr Beans boat then have a fabulous lunch at Morston Hall.  Yesterday I had lunch in The Neptune, our Michelin Star restaurant in Hunstanton, which was stunning, thanks Kevin!  Other plans for my holiday include a visit to Norwich Castle, sea fishing from Cley beach and I am going to be brave and play a round at Royal Cromer Golf Club which looks terrifying!  Simple things I take for granted like rock pooling and crabbing are on the agenda and I am going to have fish and chips from French’s at Wells.  A long walk around the coastal path will clear away the cobwebs and go a little way to getting rid of the calories I have consumed!

I have bought a new windbreak and picnic rug and am going spend the day reading on Brancaster beach and I think I may buy a kite.  My friend has just started Kite surfing which at 53 I think is very inspiring, or maybe just daft!  Hunstanton Watersports do great one to one tuition but I am not sure I am brave enough. Although I have paid my subs to The Lifeboat Association incase I need rescuing. Kayaking, hired from North Shore in Brancaster, is something I have always wanted to do.  Paddling the creeks around Brancaster Harbour looks like a lot of fun.  I intend to visit lots of local Art galleries that I generally drive past with the view to stopping another time.  Lunch at Cookies Crab Shack at Salthouse with a nice crisp Chablis overlooking the saltmarsh is a great favourite. I shall go on The Coasthopper bus and might even have two bottles!

So,  I am not going to risk ash clouds, tempest, failing travel companies and airport stress, I am going to enjoy what is all around me in beautiful North Norfolk. And of course it never rains in Norfolk..........

There are lots of Norfolk holiday cottages you can rent out all year round to enjoy this wonderful part of England. Vist our website at www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk  for the latest offers and availability.

Being prepared at the beginning of the season can make all the difference to ensure a successful and trouble free Summer.  Some simple checks apply to all types of property be it a luxury holiday cottage in Norfolk or more basic self catering accommodation. 

The following simple checklist will go a long way to pre-empt common problems that arise in Norfolk holiday cottages:

Increasing numbers of Brits are choosing self catering holidays in Norfolk and other picturesque coastal regions which is great news for Norfolk holiday cottage owners but at the same time there is much greater competition as more and more Norfolk cottages become available as Norfolk holiday lets.  Standards are increasing and the onus is on Norfolk holiday cottage owners to provide a higher standard of accommodation in Norfolk.

Making the effort to ensure your Norfolk holiday cottage is in good working order and sparkling before the season gets into full swing is a great way of ensuring your cottage gives the best possible first impression and secures those all important repeat bookings.

Reasons to stay in Norfolk in Winter.

Norfolk even in August can still be a fairly tranquil place if you know where to look, but out of season when it’s just the geese, the wind and the deserted beaches you can really appreciate the true beauty and wildness of our amazing coastline.

I have lived in Norfolk all of my life and Winter/early Spring are my favourite times of the year. Living in a tourist destination has many advantages in that instead of Norfolk closing on the 2nd of September we just keep on going, albeit without the buckets and spades (unless you have Arctic clothing) in different guises.

Geese and many migratory birds start to arrive on the saltmarshes around October and November. The sky is alive with skeins of geese honking and shuffling about into the wonderful formations that are of constant amazement. They land in a spiral fashion on the fields around the coast to eat whatever they can find, to the farmers dismay. If you are driving about the country lanes and see a field full of geese, (as long as there are no bird watchers about!) get out and flap your arms till they take off in a huge cloud, it is an incredible sight, my children used to love doing this! Snettisham and Titchwell RSPB bird reserves often do early morning guided walks to see the sight of the birds in their thousands leaving their night roosts on the marshes. They return again as it gets dark, the sound is very comforting as you light your fire and prepare for a cosy evening!

The beaches along the North Norfolk coast are very popular in summer but in the winter they take on a new persona. It is very possible to be the only person walking on Brancaster Beach, even though your ears may be being ripped off by the wind! The winter sunsets, if the sky is clear, can be amazing. Pink and purple clouds streaking across the sky will inspire photographers and painters alike.

Less people mean great deals on holiday accommodation. Norfolk Hideaways have a great selection of properties right along the coast from bird watchers retreats to large farmhouses perfect for family winter gatherings. All of course at greatly reduced prices from the peak summer rates. Most of the wonderful eateries along the coast do special deals in the winter. Two courses for £10 can be very tempting in front of a roaring fire after a long day hiking. Titchwell Manor, The Hero at Burnham Overy Staithe, and the Queen Victoria at Holkham all have had great deals this winter on both their rooms and restaurants.

Our favourite winter retreats are The Dolls House at Salthouse, an amazing bird watchers bolthole overlooking Salthouse Marshes. West End Water Mill at Burnham Overy Staithe, with its woodburner and stunning views over the River Burn. Sea Holly in Thornham looks over the marshes and has a lovely log burner. For something completely different have a look at Hunsett Mill at Stalham on the Norfolk broads, a bit out of our normal area but an incredible conversion that has won many architectural awards. Again this house has a wonderful double sided woodburner for cosy nights in.

So if you want to enjoy Norfolk without the crowds Winter and Spring is a good time to visit, great deals and empty beaches. What are you waiting for!

Call Norfolk Hideaways 01485 211022 or visit our website at www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk

Norfolk is synonymous with wide open skies, fabulously desolate beaches, Nelson and of course Norfolk Lavender.  The huge fields filled with fragrant purple flowers from June to August, stretch away into the distance, buzzing with bees and scenting the air.

Norfolk Lavender was founded at Heacham, a village 3 miles to the south of Hunstanton, by Linn Chilvers in 1932, selling bunches of lavender from a kiosk to the passing pre war traffic.  Today the Lavender farm holds the National Collection of Lavender and is one of the regions busiest tourist attractions.  The toffee coloured watermill, built from the local Carr stone, is an iconic landmark on the drive to the Norfolk coast

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There are 39 species of Lavender (Lavandula) but as it cross pollinates easily there are endless variations. The colour of the flowers of some forms has come to be known as ‘Lavender’ although some forms are white or pink, not Lavender at all!  The name Lavender comes from the Latin Lavanda meaning ‘to wash’. In Roman times flowers were sold for 100 denarii per pound which was about a month’s salary for a farm labourer.  Beautiful Roman ladies soaked in their Lavender scented baths believing their skin would be restored by its healing powers.  Today we still enjoy a lovely Lavender scented bubble bath to unwind at the end of a stressful day.

Lavender, apart from its wonderful fragrance, has lots of different uses and is definitely one of nature’s ‘super-plants’.  My mother always keeps a bottle of essential oil in the kitchen for burns and insect bites, folk lore or not we always smelt lovely in pain!  During the First World War Lavender was used to disinfect floors and walls.  Bunches can be hung up in houses to repel insects; it also dries beautifully allowing you to have a little bit of summer in the deepest darkest months of winter.  Having Lavender in your pillow helps ensure a good restful night’s sleep, coupled with an infusion of three flower heads steeped in boiling water drunk before bedtime, you will be comatose in no time! I remember making little cotton bags as a child and filling them with Lavender we had grown in the garden.  My Granny usually got one for Christmas; the smell always reminds me of her.

Lavender also has culinary uses.  In the Tea Shop at Norfolk Lavender you can buy Ice cream or scones flavoured with Lavender, to go with your Lavender tea!  Flowers can be candied for use as cake decorations and it goes well with chocolate in desserts.  Apparently some people think it goes extremely well with goat’s cheese!  Lavender, although widely grown in Provence ,was not traditionally used in French cooking until in the 1970’s a herb manufacturer included it in its ‘Herbes de Provence’ and it’s use became more popular.

To grow Lavender you need dry, well drained gravelly soil in full sun, Norfolk’s chalky soil and dry climate are perfect.  The plants are easy to grow needing little or no fertiliser.  They are happy in pots or in the border.  The flowers yield abundant nectar from which bees make high quality honey, which always sells at a premium.  Having Lavender in your garden will ensure the bees visit making it a very useful addition to any sunny spot.

Norfolk Lavender is situated on the main A149 at Heacham and is open every day from 9am to 5pm. Apart from the wonderful Lavender fields which you can take a tour of, there is a beautiful meadow garden, a rare breeds farm, and a children’s play barn.  And of course a shop selling all things ‘Lavender’!

Just follow your nose!

Norfolk Hideaways have a lovely selection of cottages to rent in the Heacham area.

Brancaster Mussels are harvested from the seabed and bought into the sheltered harbour and placed in ‘lays’ to grow, which can take up to 2 years. When they are grown the fishermen bring them up in the little boats onto the quay and fork them into a riddling machine, you can go and watch them at work, this washes out the small ones which are replaced in the lays. The Mussels are then put into large stainless steel tanks which are filled with seawater circulating through a filter system and infra red light to purify them. Then they are ready for sale. Mervyn, whose house backs down onto the quay, has bags for sale in his shed. Just put the money in the Hellmann's Mayonnaise jar and take your pick! He also sells local Oysters.

Norfolk Mussels are in season when there is an ‘R’ in the month, though this can vary slightly depending on the sea temperature.

To prepare a mussel for cooking is very simple, raw mussels are always sold live and they should be shiny, unbroken and closed. You should smell nothing but the sea! Get them home and cover them with plenty of fresh water, (mussels don’t like tap water and will stay firmly closed, they think the tide is out!) Give them a good scrub and remove any barnacles and the tough stringy ‘beard’. This is a tedious job that I hate and I always feel extremely sorry for the back room chefs having to clean the thousands upon thousands of mussels eaten during a season! Give them a little rap on the side of the sink to check they close, if they don’t discard them. Cook them for the shortest time, 4 or 5 minutes, until they open. Any that are unopened do not eat. Mussels can be eaten with a variety of different flavours, from the traditional white wine and cream to the more exotic Thai flavours.

Moules Marinere

1 kg Mussels, cleaned and debearded

2 Shallots

1 Garlic Clove

Salt and Pepper

Small bunch of Parsley

100 mls of double cream

Heat the oil in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Add the shallots and garlic, fry for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper, add wine and mussels. Cover pan with lid and steam for 4 to 5 minutes, add the cream and parsley and simmer for further minute, serve with crusty bread.

Don’t worry about getting messy eating them, that is half the fun, select a good mussel shell and use it as a pair of ‘nippers’ to eat the rest with, don’t even try to eat with a knife and fork, (I witnessed a very painful episode where a couple were doing just this) Apparently you can buy silver Mussels shells for this very purpose, but I prefer the real thing. This is one food you are allowed to eat with your fingers and slurp.

So if you are braving the wilds of North Norfolk this winter, wrap up warm, brace yourself against the North wind, walk the beach ,then retire glowing and cold to the pub to sample one of Norfolk’s most famous local delicacies. Don’t forget to ask for extra bread for mopping up of the creamy wine liquor, a very guilty pleasure.

Norfolk Hideaways strive for the best standards possible from all our holiday cottages and with this in mind we decided to involve the skills and expertise of the Visit Britain team. They are the tried and trusted independent body setting the quality benchmark for all shapes and sizes of holiday accommodation. Whether it is a caravan park or a castle, Visit Britain have a standard for it and will look in every cupboard, under every bed and run a finger over every wardrobe top!

Understandably some property owners may feel a bit defensive about having a strange person (although Julian from Visit Britain was charming not strange!) review their pride and joy, but the statistics speak for themselves, an extremely high percentage of people book accommodation on the strength of an independent review, be it from another guest or a star rating from an impartial assessor.

Julian Wooldridge has been working with Visit Britain for probably too many years he would care to admit to, and had the dubious pleasure of being accompanied around about 80 of our properties by a different member of our team each day during a very hot week in June. A task that did not seem to daunt him, especially with the prospect of a delicious lunch or afternoon tea at The Village Deli in Thornham our sister company!

So armed with a clipboard and a supply of Werther’s Originals we set off around the coast to the first of our houses for the day. I asked Julian what he was going to be looking for. ‘Eggcups’ he replied with a twinkle in his eye. ‘I like boiled eggs so I always check if the owner has thought of eggcups!’ Luckily the property has several eggcups so we got off to a good start. Julian was very thorough which filled me with confidence his rating would be a fair one. Other places he checked were the top of microwaves, a place apparently we all forget to clean, under beds for the dreaded abandoned socks and worse! and the mirrors for smears. Mattresses were pressed, curtains drawn and very importantly smoke detectors were tested.

Julian explained that the whole procedure was a positive one, he was not looking to ‘trip people up’ and any negative points were raised in a very full report in a constructive way. Home owners were given an opportunity to rectify any small problems that prevented them achieving the next star up, before the rating was made, again a very positive procedure.

Once I had been to a couple of properties, Julian tested me and asked me what star rating I thought a house would get, I soon got to know certain key points, lamps beside every bed and good storage for instance. After a tiring day Julian retired to his hotel room (I did ask if he told them what his job was to ensure the Penthouse Suite!) and wrote the reports. We waited along with the home owners, nervously, for the reports to come in. It was rather like waiting for your A Level results! The certificates and Plaques (although some people did insist on calling them plagues) duly arrived in an enormous pile which we tripped over for several weeks.

Everyone in the Norfolk Hideaways team found the whole experience very informative and now feel able to guide new holiday property owners on the right track to achieving a good star rating. We actively encourage our homeowners to join the grading scheme and have had excellent feedback from guests. We are extremely proud of the fact that such a high percentage of our properties achieved 3 or more stars, and two of them achieved the highest accolade of Five Star Gold, 5 Ivy Farm Barns in Stanhoe and Hunsett Mill in Stalham. The cottages that were graded by Visit Britain now proudly display their England Quality Rose symbol on their details page , 4 star and above are in our Prestige Properties section. Properties are also advertised on the Visit Britain website which attracts a huge amount of hits every year. Guests booking graded holiday accommodation can be confident, thanks to Julian and his all seeing eye; they are getting exactly what it says on the tin.

Further details of the grading scheme, its standards, and all graded properties can be found on the Visit Britain website.