The Malmo & Moss Guide to the North Norfolk Coast

I am the kind of person who, come the 2nd of January, likes to have their holidays mapped out for the year. Places I had wanted to visit in 2020 included Byron Bay and Bali. Places I actually visited: Worcester, Hunstanton and Truro. However, whilst things may not have panned out as originally planned (owing to the small matter of a global pandemic) we still had a great Summer, revisiting some favorite spots in the UK and adding some new ones to the list as well. With restrictions on UK stays looking likely to be lifted later this Spring, I wanted to share one of my favourite places to holiday at home with you: the North Norfolk Coast. We have been coming to this part of the world for over 10 years now drawn by huge sandy beaches, wide open skies, pretty flint villages and a winning combination of nice places to eat, drink and shop.

Where to Stay

There are so many great places to stay and something for every budget. From self catering to great gastro pubs with rooms, chic bed & breakfasts, glamping spots and comfortably grand hotels. If you are looking for all the advantages of self catering with all the luxury touches of boutique hotel then look no further than Ford House Norfolk.

Ford House Norfolk serves up some serious kerb appeal

It is located in the pretty village of Docking, which is located just ten minutes drive from Burnham Market, one of the buzziest places on the coast and within easy access of two of my favourite beaches: Holme Dunes and Brancaster. It has three bedrooms (two doubles and one bunk room) two bathrooms, a gorgeous kitchen diner with an Aga keeping it cosy and living room with brick built hearth, woodburner and the squishiest of sofas. Outside you have the choice of two gardens, lawn to the front with a kid pleasing trampoline or a lovely courtyard garden at the back with table and chairs and a fantastic mud kitchen to keep the kids entertained whilst you are soaking up the sun!

A sunny spot in the rear courtyard garden with a lovely mud kitchen for the kids

Ford House is beyond well equipped. Every single thing you could possibly conceive to make your stay as comfortable, luxurious and relaxing as possible has been thought of. It starts in the kitchen with a welcome hamper waiting for you when you arrive packed with useful basics and delicious extras, jars of sweets for the kids on the counter and a chocolate traybake awaiting you in the fridge. As a dedicated tea drinker I loved the choice of gorgeous ceramic mugs hung above the kitchen counter for your morning tea or coffee.

In every room there are scented candles from Join and bath foam from the same independent Suffolk brand when you want to run yourself a long hot bath at the end of a day on the beach. If you settle down in the evening in front of the fire there are a host of magazine and interiors books to tuck into and plenty of board games and dvds to keep the kids entertained should the Norfolk weather not be on your side. I am not kidding when I say there were days when we struggled to leave the house as it catered to our every need! I don’t know where Amanda (the owner) sources the duvets on the beds from but it was like going to sleep in a cloud every evening.

It is impossible not to sleep well whilst staying in the beautiful bedrooms at Ford House

The cosy living room has plenty of interiors books and magazines to keep you occupied

If Ford House is booked up (as I know it often is!) then why not try one of these great Air BnB options saved to my North Norfolk wishlist which I know had some Summer availability left (if you are quick). There is a handsome townhouse in the beautiful village of Cley, 5 mins from a great beach), the sweetest two bedroom cottage with great rustic industrial interiors near Holkham, a newly renovated barn with a hot tub for 4 guests near South Creake or a Scandi Rustic chic cottage in the beautiful market town of Holt. If camping is your thing then this Summer, in a secluded corner of the Holkham estate, there’s a new pop-up campsite called Camp Elwood with space for grass pitches, bell tents and a dining hall with a restaurant and fully licensed bar.

For relaxed bed and breakfast in a gorgeous grand country house, book into Stay at the Whitehouse . They have spacious suites that offer plenty of privacy and the breakfasts are worth dragging yourself out of bed for.

Beaches

If you can prise yourself away from the house then within a ten-twenty minute drive are two absolutely beautiful beaches. A new discovery for me this time, Holme Dunes is by all accounts a little bit of a North Norfolk secret so I feel slightly bad for sharing it here! From the car park make your way down to the beach through windswept sand dunes to find a gently shingled beach. There is no cafe so pack a picnic and find a good spot in the sand dunes to hunker down and enjoy the view out to sea. If you want a beach with more facilities, Brancaster slightly further along the coast towards Wells is also one of my favourites. There are vast open stretches of sand, and a hut selling ice creams, coffees, buckets and spades. Although it is more popular than Holme Dunes it never feels crowded because it is such a big beach. Also if you wanted to combine the two beaches in a day you could start at Holme Dunes then stop off on the way to Brancaster in Thornham where the legendary Thornham Deli awaits. From hearty breakfasts to amazing afternoon teas they do it all with plenty of tasty options to takeaway as well. There is also a great playground next door and playing field, always good to know if you have kids like mine who need to burn off labrador like energy levels!

The tranquil sands at Holme Dunes

If you want to venture further field then Wells by the Sea has lines of iconic pastel coloured beach huts , a minature railway leading down to the sea, a cafe serving breakfasts and lunches, and ice cream van and even a mini off shoot of Joules! My other favourite has to be Holkham. Norfolk is famous for it’s wide open skies and nowhere is that more true than on Holkham beach. You make your way down to the beach through pine trees and then come out onto great expanses of sand stretching far out to sea. It is impossibly wild and beautiful and once you have blown the cobwebs away you can head back up the beach to the Victoria Inn. A fantastic foodie pub with goregous rustic interiors. My other favourite beach has to be Cley by the Sea. You make your way towards it through a pretty flint village with it’s own Windmill and a new sell out bakery Pastonacre. The road leading down to it gets water logged at high tide so be careful how you time your visit (I ended up with very wet shoes and socks) but it is a lovely place for a walk as the sun goes down.

Places to eat and drink

There are so many great options that it is truly difficult to know where to start! So maybe I will break it down into different categories to make it easier - although several are great whatever meal of the day you are wanting to eat!

Breakfast & Brunch

I have to start this category with Byfords, a Norfolk institution and rightly so! Located in the pretty Georgian market town on Holt inside a beautiful old building with crooked floors and think wooden beams. There are tables hidden away in every nook and cranny and the breakfast/brunch menu will fill you up for the day. I always have eggs benedict whilst the pancakes are a firm favourite with the kids. On your way out stop into the deli section and pic up a home cooked meal for the evening or a doorstep size slice of one of their many delicious cakes. They also have rooms for overnight stays but make sure to pack elasticated waist trousers!

On the road out of Holt is another one of my favourite brunch spots: Back to the Garden. Located in in a converted barn with huge soaring ceilings it is set around a pretty courtyard garden with brunch options featuring lots of delicious local produce. If you want a more casual breakfast then you can’t do better than a trip to Stiffkey Stores for coffee and freshly baked pastries (more on that below).

Casual Lunches

There are so many great places to choose from in this category that it is hard to narrow it down! Here are some of the ones I enjoyed the most on our most recent trip. If you are visiting Holkham beach then add on a trip to Holkham Hall, a grand stately pile up from the beach with an excellent (and free) forest adventure playground for the kids, huge grounds to roam around in and, during the Summer, a outdoor food market on Fridays and Saturdays. In the shadow of the hall there are vintage style vans selling everything from cheesy chips (my fave) to burritos, burgers, wood fired pizzas and much more.

Wiveton Hall is on a smaller scale than Holkham but in amongst fields and a farmyard they have opened a wonderfully colourful cafe serving casual meals using lots of local produce. Even better for those with kids there is a mini recreation of the hall for climbing and playing hide and seek in.

When it comes to delis from which to source the ingredients for a tasty picnic your cup overfloweth. I have already mentioned Thornham Deli and Byfords in Holt but a couple of others which deserve honourable mention include Gurney’s at the Brancaster Village Store and Picnic Fayre in Cley Next to the Sea. The former is next to a playing field, communal tennis courts and picnic tables and the latter is in a beautiful Old Forge within walking distance of a beautiful beach.

Throw the diet out the window when in North Norfolk! There are so many great delis to pick up local produce

Evening meals

If you don’t fancy cooking your own dinner then there are plenty of great options for evening meals ranging from fish and chips through to fully on fancy fare. Erics Fish and Chips just outside Thornham has rapidly become a local institution with it’s modern take on fish and chips. They do all the classics, including gluten free options but also have some knock out side specials like pesto arancini balls that have to be tasted. There is loads of outdoor seating and last time we visited they have also added an ice cream van.

If you want something a little fancier then would really recommend Socius in Burnham Market which offers a British take on tapas with a delicious selection of small plate dishes. We have not yet managed to get a table, but The White Horse in Brancaster Staithe comes highly recommended by others with a stunning terrace overlooking lobster pots, oyster beds and saltmarshes out to Scolt Head Island and the sea beyond. For simple pub fair with boho style interiors (and a huge slide in the middle of the beer garden to keep the kids happy) head to the Gin Trap Inn. Two more great pubs with playgrounds (if you are eating early with the kids) include the Kings Head in Letheringsett and The Victoria Inn, Holkham. The food at the latter is seriously delicious.

Socius in Holt serves up great mini plates of food in British tapas style

Shopping

I could probably dedicate this entire section to my favourite North Norfolk shop: Stiffkey Stores. It is part general store, part cafe part amazing interiors shop in what was once the local post office. The L Shaped building frames a pretty courtyard garden where there are plenty of places to sit with the newspapers, freshly baked croissants and a coffee. My kids love the selection of sweets stocked inside which always buys me a bit of time for browsing in the interiors section of the store. The owners have an amazing eye for display, pulling together a selection of homewares that sits perfectly against the white wash and brick walls, wooden beams and stone floors of the building. In summer they often have plants and flowers to buy displayed in old iron bath tubs outside the front of the store. It’s a truly lovely place to while away an hour or three.

I challenge you to come home from Stiffkey Stores without making a purchase

Burnham Market has a nice selection of independent shops stocking a mix of fashion, jewellery , gifts and homeware and is a nice place to pass a happy hour or two browsing shops like Anna, Norfolk Living, Foras and Barefoot Living.

Another favourite shopping destination of mine is Holt, a handsome market town set slightly inland. It is a great place to stock up on provisions with an Adnams shop for those seeking locally brewed beers as well as butchers, green grocers and delis. There used to be a fabulous vintage store in a converted shop which was great for a rummage but that has sadly closed. A new find for me on our last visit was Sprout offering homewares right up my Scandi Rustic Street.

I loved the displays at Sprout in Holt

Just outside Thornham, another favourite shop of mine is Joyful Living. A treasure trove of gorgeous interiors products, from cushions to candles and everything inbetween that are not outrageously priced. It is great for combining with a trip to Eric’s Fish and Chips which is just next door.

I hope you love North Norfolk as much as we doo.

There is so much more I could share with you about this amazing part of the world but I will leave it there for now!

I received a small discount on my stay at Ford House Norfolk but with no obligation to blog about our stay.

Best Places To Stay UK: The Fife Coast

Do you ever get stuck in a holiday rut where you end up packing your suitcase to head back to the same places over and over again? When it comes to UK staycations we have fallen into the habit of heading South-West in search of Cornish beaches, cream teas and the opportunity to potentially spot Poldark indulging in some topless farming. However this Easter we headed North rather than South of the border after a chance conversation with my Sister lead me to discovering a secret the Scots have been keeping under their Sporrans: the East Neuk of Fife. This stretch of coast between Leven and St Andrews is where well heeled Edinburghers come to spend their Summers drawn by the miles of sandy beaches, gorgeous little fishing villages and some of the best food and drink in Scotland.

Beautiful Elie our base for the holiday

The harbour in Pittenweem

Granted you may have more chance of spotting Gordon Brown paddling in the sea with his trousers rolled up than Poldark tending a field with his top off but that is pretty much the only drawback of visiting this beautiful part of the world. We travelled up from London by train (which takes about 4.5hrs) and then hired a minibus from Edinburgh for the final hour or so of the journey. Before you start thinking that I am a secret mormon with enough children to fill a bus I should point out we were travelling with friends so there were 12 of us in total. I would highly recommend getting the train as the stretch of the journey north of Morpeth runs alongside the sea and includes coastal views stunning enough to cause kids to look up look up from their I Pads.

Ruby Bay beach in Elie which our holiday house led directly out onto

Where We Stayed

There are four or five different places to choose from as a base on this stretch of coast. St Monan’s, Elie, Anstruther, Crail, Pitenweem and St Andrews itself are all charming.  We chose Elie after I lucked out and found a stunning contemporary house right on the beach.  For all of you who asked for the link  click here.  Midrock House sleeps up to 12 and has a wonderful open plan layout downstairs with floor to ceiling windows to take advantage of the stunning views out over the beach. 

The entrance to Midrock House with bags of coastal kerb appeal

The design of the house maximised its stunning coastal location

The back of the house and the path down onto the beach

This side of the house has a bedroom with 4 beds for kids and a separate living space and TV to keep them entertained

There are polished concrete floors throughout, an open plan kitchen/diner, five double bedrooms, three bathrooms, three living rooms, a utility and boot room. Everything is built around the stunning views which in the Winter you can enjoy snuggled up inside in front of the beast of a log burner.

I loved the concrete seating bench which also housed a woodburner

Plenty of room on the sofa for six

We lit the woodburner one of the colder nights and cosied up watching the sea as the sun went down

There is an amazingly well equipped kitchen at the centre of the living space that had every pot and pan you could ever desire and then there is a gorgoeus (and enormous) vintage farmhouse style table for dining at. This is positioned to take full advantage of the views and in the Summer there is an outdoor seating area on the terrace that runs the width of the house that is steps from the beach.

There is a huge island in the centre of the kitchen which makes it a really sociable space

We easily fitted all 12 of us around the vintage farmhouse style table

The open plan living/dining space. There is a further seating area with TV beyond the wall behind the table

When the sun was shining you could open up the doors and eat outside on the terrace

Upstairs the bedrooms have been designed to take full advantage of the view. The decor is fresh, white and neutral but huge picture windows flood the rooms with light and offer an outlook over the bay and beyond. I can’t tell you how soothing it is to fall asleep at night with the blinking light of a lighthouse reflecting at you over the sea. There is almost an annex/separate wing of the house that is designed as a cool kids crash pad with four single beds and a separate living space with its own tv.

One of the bedrooms with views of a lighthouse

Another bedroom which had an enormous picture window running the width of the room

Five things to see and do

Exploring Elie

We chose Elie as our base mainly because the house just completely bowled me over but when we got there I realised it was actually a great choice for a number of other reasons as well.  If you come out of Midrock House and turn right you come to the huge, flat main beach and, most importantly, The Ship Inn.  This lovely pub has great interiors that have just the right amount of nod to the nautical and is the place to eat in Elie.  The menu majors on amazing locally caught seafood and they have just added a new outdoor Gin Bar for 2019 which means that you can sit outside, drink in hand watching the sun go down whilst the kids play happily on the beach just metres from you. 

The famous Ship Inn which was just 3 mins from the house

The house itself looks over the second beach which is the more sheltered Ruby Bay (so called because garnet stones have been known to be found on the beach). And beyond Ruby Bay you can follow the coast around to the lighthouse and explore a ruined temple. For the more adventourous (who do not have a toddler hell bent on throwing himself in the sea) there is the Elie Chain walk. We didn’t do it because of aforementioned toddler but is basically a bit like coasteering but with chains to help you navigate the rocks.

We loved doing the walk around to the lighthouse from the house

Even if it was a little windy

There is also the option of further exploring the coast on the Elie Chain Walk

The Bowhouse Market

Ten minutes up the coast from Midrock House is the Bowhouse.  A monthly food and craft market in a super cool converted agricultural building that gathers together some of the best local food and drink producers and adds in some great local designers and makers so that you can chow down on a freshly baked Creme Egg Brownie whilst perusing locally made ceramics and jewellery.  There is a brilliant atmosphere with lots of great stalls.  The are big communal wooden tables to sit, live music and some great food demonstrations.  It is an absolute must visit

I loved the concrete planter in the entrance to the market

Just some of the great stalls to peruse

I loved this jewellery stall

There is a great and lively bar area

And a separate barn with huge communal wooden tables and more great food trucks

When at a farmers market dress like a footballing farmer?!

St Andrews

Hands up anyone born between 1983 - 1986 who considered popping St Andrews on their University application form to have a go at #WinningaWindsor.  Prince WIlliam is long gone but this great little town is definetely still worth visiting.  It has great beaches, oodles of lovely architecture, golf if you are that way inclined but most importantly of all in Janettas potentially the best ice cream parlour I have ever visited (and I am a veteran #parlourpurveyor). 

Scotland’s Hidden Bun ker

Whilst the Fife Coast is Scotland’s sunniest spot this is still Scotland so you will get the odd overcast/rainy day.  In which case this place is defo fun to visit.  Declassified in the 90s it turns out that in a non descript field in the middle of nowhere there is in fact a huge underground bunker built to withstand a nuclear attack from which the cold war was being fought.  Well I say fought, it mainly seemed to involved lots of men looking at maps and practising their morse code every now and again.  If you are used to London Museums where the cafe is part of the attraction you may want to adjust your expectations before visiting though as the err facilities are more of the formica table and vending machine than avocado on toast and filament bulb variety.  Although the vending machine did sell Wham bars which I am pretty sure may have been outlawed some time around 2003 on account of their e-number account but which I would still happily lose a tooth to eat.

The err retro cafe which looks like it is still trapped in the Cold War era

Young secret agents in the making

Craigtoun Country Park

If you are, like us, in possession of kids who seem to share their DNA make up with Labradors and thus require exercising everyday in wide open spaces then Craigtoun Country Park is great.  It is about 30 mins from the house and great to combine with a trip to St Andrews.  There are loads of different adventure playgrounds and activities to choose from as well as the park itself being rather beautiful and it is the number 1 visitor attraction in Fife for good reason

A couple of soft southerners struggling with the Scottish breeze at Craigtoun Park

Anstruther

There are lots of lovely villages to explore on this stretch of coast with lovely fishing harbours, sandy beaches and pastel and sand coloured houses but Anstruther might just edge prize of the prettiest.  It has some nice indepdent shops and an award winning fish and chip shop (the Anstruther Fish Bar) right in the beach to round off your visit. 

Best Places to Eat and Drink

I should probably caveat this heading as best places to eat and drink if you have kids with you who have a maximum restaurant concentration time of 25 mins.  Any meal that takes long than that to arrive  and be eaten usually ends in carnage so unfortunately I am not able to offer my review of some of the more fine dining establishments ( Seafood Restaurant and Craig Millar @ 16 West End  both look amazing).  However the beauty of this stretch of coast is that there are loads of great farmshops so even if you are not eating in restaurants you can still fill you tum with fabulous food.  One of the best is Adross Farmshop and it is just five mins from Midrock House.  Here is my round up of my favourite places we chowed down

Cocoa Tree in Pitenweem

It doesn’t look very promising from the outside and the decor does have a slight feel of Mystic Meg’s dressing room but this is the best place for a Hot Chocolate for miles around.  It is part chocolate shop part cafe run by the Pitenweem Chocolate Company so you are guaranteed an amazing chocolate experience.  They have a stove in the winter that creates a cosy feel and a sheltered courtyard garden to enjoy in the Summer and the owners were extremely friendly and accomodating of our party which included 6 kids between us.  Pitenweem itself has a lovely little fish harbour and pretty pastel houses and buildings.

The pretty streets of Pittenweem

I loved the pastel coloured houses

The perfect place for a hot chocolate

The Cheesy Toast Shack

Mr Malmo tends to take a back seat when it comes to our holiday planning but every now and again he comes up with a gem out of the blue that makes me think he would make a very good substitute #ModernRusticJudith Chalmers were I to retire.  The Cheesy Toast Shack is one such gem.  A chance read of a Jay Rayner review in the Observer led 20 of the best minutes of my life sat in a steamy mini bus looking out to sea whilst eating a macaroni cheese filled toasted sandwich which may have furred my arteries but was worth every ounce of cholesterol.  I cannot recommend this place highly enough.  No pretty flat lay for you of this one just a full frontal shot of the melted cheese magic.

Best cheese sandwiches in Scotland

Sex in a sandwich

The Ship Inn

I have mentioned it already but I am going to mention it again because we had such a great meal here.  If budget had allowed I would happily have eaten here every day of our stay.  Seriously amazing food in a lovely relaxed atmosphere.  In the Summer the Ship Inn also organises beach cricket tournaments with a barbeque. No pressure but they have been known to attract ex professional cricketers from the West Indies so make sure to pack your cricket A game.

The upstairs dining room with great views of the beach

The Millhouse Pizza Company

Whilst the Bowhouse market that I mentioned is only on once a month, there is a permenant woodfired pizza restaurant in the same building that is open 6 days a week and serves up the most delicious pizzas in a gorgeous beamed ceiling space.  They also do coffee and cake if you are not in the mood for pizza (if that is even possible).

So there you have it my round up of the best of the Fife Coast. I would put this in out top 5 holidays of all time. I loved it that much and we are already planning a return trip next year having spotted these amazing looking Cath Penny Safari Lodges just outside Elie.  We also added a night in Edinburgh into the mix on the way back which I would highly recommend. Although I would probably not recommend climbing Arthur's Seat with a toddler who (within 1 minute of starting the ascent loses all of the power in his leg batteries).

No leg batteries but a big smile at least