Best hotels for walking in Norfolk

‘A wonderful reminder of the delight a well-run, imaginative hotel can offer,’ reads one of many good reports of this family-friendly hotel with shimmering vistas over estuary and salt marsh.

Morston Hall, Holt

Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston’s Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.

Cley Windmill, Cley-next-the-Sea

‘In an idyllic spot’, amid 'reed beds on the former quayside on the River Glaven’, this five-storey, 19th-century tower mill is home to an unusual B&B.

Beechwood Hotel, North Walsham

Agatha Christie memorabilia, murder mystery weekends and Art Deco touches set the tone at this creeper-clad hotel, former home of doctor friends of Christie, in a bustling market town.

The Crown, Wells-next-the-Sea

At ‘a dream address on a square of Georgian houses overlooking a green’, this former coaching inn ‘feels busy, jolly, and as popular with the locals as with visiting guests’.

The Rose & Crown, Snettisham

As ringed plovers and pink-footed geese flock to Snettisham’s shingle beaches, lagoons, tidal mudflats and cattle-grazed salt marsh, so happy families and their dogs flock to Jeannette and Anthony Goodrich’s friendly pub.

The Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market

‘A fun take on a gallery crossed with an old boozer and a good-value one at that’, a former steward’s house in a 1,000-acre deer park is now an ‘anything-but-traditional’ pub-with-rooms, say inspectors.

The Dabbling Duck, GREAT MASSINGHAM

They have all their ducks in a row at this wisteria-decked gastropub-with-rooms overlooking the green in a village where mallards glide on old abbey fishponds.

No. 33, Hunstanton

In the only west-facing resort on England’s east coast, Jeanne Whittome's B&B appeals to those seeking space and freedom, without cosseting, live-in hosts.

The Harper, Holt

You don’t have to blow a fortune to stay at this ‘relaxed yet refined’ hotel in converted barns, former home of Langham Glass, with many fun nods to its heritage.

The Saracen’s Head, Erpingham

Hidden down country lanes, Tim and Janie Elwes’s inn is in ‘a beautifully rural setting’ yet close to the North Norfolk coast.

The Pheasant, Kelling

In the heart of a sprawling estate of woods and parkland, this country house hotel is a relaxed, unstuffy retreat.

Bank House, King's Lynn

In a ‘fine waterfront setting’, this ‘distinguished’ Georgian building, and former bank is within strolling distance, along cobbled streets, of historical buildings and squares.

Magazine Wood, Hunstanton

In a swath of green countryside, Pip and Jonathan Barber’s chic B&B looks over the village towards the Norfolk coast.

The Brisley Bell, Dereham

Just the place for watching a Friday-evening cricket match, this 17th-century inn faces the village green.

Anna’s House, Thornham

On the north Norfolk coast, Thornham’s saltmarshes and unspoiled beaches are a paradise for birdwatchers and walkers. Every bit as blissful, is this chic bolthole with a garden hot tub near the town’s artisan shops, restaurants and pubs.

Strattons, Swaffham

There is ‘an air of a chic curiosity shop’ about this singular hotel with café/deli, centred on a Palladian-style villa, up a narrow lane, where resident cats sun themselves on the front lawn. As the Guide went to press, Stratton’s announced it was being sold.

The Neptune, Old Hunstanton

It is 16 years since Jacki and Kevin Mangeolles opened their restaurant-with-rooms, inspired by the little places you happen on in France, run with passion by a husband-and-wife team.

The Lifeboat Inn, Thornham

Gaze out to the sea and over the salt marshes from this 16th-century beer house, which takes in the changing landscape from its ‘spectacular’ location facing the north Norfolk coast.

The Victoria Inn, HOLKHAM

‘Perfect for exploring the north Norfolk coast’, this Victorian flint and brick inn on the Earl of Leicester’s Holkham Estate has been transformed into a genteel hotel and restaurant.

Hotels not in the Guide that you may want to consider

Heacham House

Heacham

Overlooking the village duck pond, this B&B in a red brick Victorian house is a 15-minute stroll from the wide sands and salt marshes of north Norfolk’s ‘sunset coast&rsquo. Pretty bedrooms are supplied with bathrobes and facecloths, fresh milk and home-baked biscuits; a posy of garden blooms makes a cheery welcome. There’s home-baked bread, home-made granola, local honey and freshly ground coffee at breakfast. The enthusiastic hosts can offer advice from stately homes to seal safaris.

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bird_watching
garden
good_value
parking
seaside
veganfriendly
vegetarian_friendly
walking
wifi

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Best hotels for walking in Norfolk

Hotels not in the Guide that you may want to consider

Best hotels for walking in Norfolk

Heacham House

Heacham

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