Picture: Holkham Beach in North Norfolk, © Getty Images
The stretch of Holkham Beach that Gwyneth Paltrow strode across in the closing scenes of Shakespeare in Love has ensured that the Earl of Leicester’s estate receives a steady influx of visitors, but there is more to this East Anglia county than an (admittedly very beautiful) Nineties film set…
Where to stay
In the well-heeled town of Burnham Market, choose the Hoste Arms and its various outhouses across the green or on the coast for their combination of cosy, B&B-style comfort, stylish furnishings (freestanding bath tubs, four-poster beds) and lively areas to dine in. Having expanded to include a spa a few years ago, the Hoste – an inn since 1651, that once enjoyed the patronage of Lord Nelson – will soon feature a gym and cinema as well.
The Hoste Arms, from £155 a room a night (01328 738777; thehoste.com).
For a party
A series of former farm buildings converted to exacting standards, Barsham Barns, in a tiny hamlet of the same name, cater to groups that vary in size from four to 14 (if there’s several of you, book them up in bulk to sleep a total of 48). Once a granary, the Great East Barn is now the grandest offering on the estate, with an open-plan living area that lends itself to parties, a double-height window, wood-burners and six double bedrooms, most of which have a king-size bed. The Moroccan-inspired High Barsham has assorted Middle Eastern flourishes, including a huge filigree lamp hanging between the ceiling and the mezzanine lounge.
For more information, visit barshambarns.co.uk.
Picture: the exterior of a Barsham Barn
Where to eat
On the water’s edge in the Norfolk village where the best mussels are farmed, the White Horse at Brancaster is a pub with rooms that offers up some seriously good seafood. The oysters on the menu will have travelled no more than a few metres from where they were picked from the seabed; and the salmon is smoked locally. Typical dishes include baked cod with creamed celeriac and thyme, served with savoy cabbage, pancetta and crispy sage, and pan-fried gurnard with kedgeree-style quinoa and a quail’s egg – but be sure to keep an ear out for the specials: we enjoyed that Saturday night’s lemon sole with glistening, lemon-soaked potatoes.
What to drink
As a local hotel owner (The Crown in Wells and The Ship in Brancaster), whose husband is a chef and patron of the Norfolk Food and Drink Festival, it was perhaps inevitable that Jo Coubrough forayed into the world of food and drink. But it was only on a whim that the former primary-school teacher decided to try her hand at brewing – the result is Jo C’s Norfolk Ale, now served in pubs across the country and regularly decorated at beer festivals.
For more information, go to visitnorthnorfolk.com.
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