Holidaying in Norfolk

A couple of weeks ago, Rob, my brother Patrick and I drove from Leeds down to Norfolk with a car full of wine, cheese and good cheer.

We headed to Salthouse where we met my Mum, her husband Stuart, my grandma and her dog Harry and my sister Rachel and her boyfriend James. Rachel and James live in Norwich and as they’re always making the (long, boring and tiring) journey up to Yorkshire, we decided to bring the fun down to them and have an early family Christmas in a windswept beach cottage.

I’ve never been to Norfolk before and to be honest, I was quite surprised by its beauty. As a country, we’re always banging on about the beauty of Scotland and the Cotswolds and the Yorkshire Dales, but Norfolk rarely gets a mention despite being a truly lovely place.

Our cottage was right on the beach and although the winds were whipping and the temperature freezing, we enjoyed a blustery walk to the seafront along the pebble beach.

On Saturday afternoon we went seal spotting. So. Much. Fun! Look at their little faces! I die.

After an hour of squealing, snapping and waving at seals (they look right into your eyes!), we headed back to the harbour just as the sun started to set.

On our way home we stopped in the tiny town of Cleve to pick up supplies for the night’s feast – my mum is an amazing cook so we were very excited at the prospect of mussels!

While dinner was cooking, we headed out to Holt – on the way into Norfolk we drove through the town and I was totally mesmerised by the lights. Every shop was beautifully twinkly – not a waving santa or scrap of tinsel in sight.

After taking in the lights, we made our way home to a roaring fire, a four-course meal and far too much wine, with a quick fire quiz and three hilarious rounds of the Celebrity Name Game thrown in for good measure.

I love discovering new parts of the UK, and Norfolk was a real hidden gem for me. Have you ever visited?