Anyone for tennis?

EAST ANGLIAN holiday lettings agencies Suffolk Secrets and Norfolk Hideaways have served up a selection of properties with tennis courts. 

Here are some of them …

The Cart Lodge, Brettenham, Suffolk: This restored, traditional property has not only a tennis court but also an outdoor swimming pool. One bedroom, from £358 a week.

The Garden House, Lound, Suffolk/Norfolk border: Formerly a garden centre seed house and sitting in the grounds of Lound Manor, this has been turned into a luxurious bolthole where guests can play tennis. They get a sauna and swimming pool, too. Sleeps two, from £470 a week.

Walnut Barn, Gunthorpe, North Norfolk: A barn conversion in the grounds of the 17th century White Horse Farm, it has a grassed tennis court. Larger groups can book any of the other three barns on the site. Two bedrooms from £950 a week.

West Barn Cottages, Knodishall, nr. Aldeburgh, Suffolk: One of two -restored traditional barns, West Barn Cottage has a large, fully-equipped kitchen. When not playing tennis on the hard-court, there are large grounds for garden games. Larger groups can book the adjacent East Barn Cottage for parties of up to twelve. The beaches of Thorpeness and Alderburgh are two and three miles away respectively. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one dog allowed. Rates from £575 a week.

The Old Rectory, Stanfield, North Norfolk: With a private hard tennis court and games room, this Georgian house is in four acres of gardens. It has a large farmhouse kitchen, formal dining room, and four bathrooms. Five bedrooms, from £1,195 a week.

www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk
www.suffolk-secrets.co.uk

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Catching crabs 101!

RESEARCH by Visit North Norfolk has revealed that many adults and children do not know traditional skills such as using a compass or flying a kite.

To address this knowledge gap, Visit North Norfolk has created a series of films and guides showing how to carry out traditional outdoor pastimes, what you will need, and where to go.  Its campaign, 'Nip to North Norfolk' has six films focusing on:

• Spotting and naming clouds 
• Building a sandcastle 
• Catching a crab 
• Mooring a boat 
• Beachcombing 
• Using a compass. 

Accompanying the films are downloadable guides.

To see the films go to www.visitnorthnorfolk.com

Kayla Dunne at Visit North #Norfolk said: ‘We were quite surprised our research findings highlighted that many people did not know have these traditional skill. Activities such as beachcombing, finding your way using a compass, crabbing or building a sandcastle, are enjoyed by all ages and are a great way to enjoy the North Norfolk #coast and the #countryside.’

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Picture Credit: Crabbing via photopin

When in North Norfolk …

HOLIDAY letting agency Norfolk Hideaways has searched for what it thinks are weird and wonderful activities families can enjoy when taking a break in its part of East Anglia …

Alpaca Trekking, Wells-next-the-Sea – The Inca Trail it is not, but for those wanting to have a unique coastal adventure, exploring the countryside and beach by Alpaca ticks all the boxes for family fun. Choose treks of between one and four hours. More kid friendly than Llamas (which have a tendency to kick and spit). Price from £28 per hour for a group of three. www.alpacatrekking.co.uk

Snail racing in Congham – Congham might have few claims to international fame but, surrounded as it is by salt marshes – a favoured breeding gastropod ground – it is home to that most thrilling of sports, snail-racing. The rules are simple: snails are placed in a small red circle in the middle of a round table and the first to make it to the outside ring is the winner. The time to beat? Two minutes, 20 seconds, a world record established here in 1995. www.scase.co.uk/snailracing

Davenport's Magic Kingdom, North Walsham – One of the largest collections of magic memorabilia and curiosities in the world. The interactive family experience takes visitors through 500 years of magic. http://davenportsmagickingdom.co.uk

Holkham Hall and Estate – Very few visitors to North Norfolk miss a visit to Holkham Hall and Estate, but this year, the events team has chalked up some new attractions: kayaking, Canadian canoe trips, and Zorbing across its expansive lake. Starting from July 11 and running until the end of the school summer holidays, Zorbing costs from £5 for a 10-minute, tummy-tumbling experience. www.holkham.co.uk/visiting/lake-activities

Langham Dome – Langham Training Dome, which opened in 2014 tells the story of the important contribution made by RAF Langham to the defence of Britain in WW2 and the Cold War. It’s a small building with a big story. https://langhamdome.org

Fairyland Fair, Sennowe Park, Guist – This year's fair (May 29-30) has music, Fairyland Trust workshops, storytelling, puppet shows, free woodland activities, pirate games, and craft workshops. Tickets £10, under three's free. www.fairylandtrust.org

Leigh's Bees beekeeping workshops – A must-do for anyone with even the slightest interest in apiary. Flexible workshops and demonstrations in various sites in North Norfolk, with protective gear provided. You'll learn how honey is made, what a queen bee looks like, and what bees do as well as practical advice from the structure of an empty hive to hands-on time looking through a working honeybee colony. Prices from £80 per person to £200 for a family of four … and you get a free jar of honey. www.leighsbees.co.uk

www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk

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Haven launches Deck Houses

HAVEN has introduced an accommodation alternative at its Caister-on-Sea Holiday Park in Norfolk. Its Deck Houses have large open plan living spaces with 40” flat screen TVs and Bluetooth speaker, family dining rooms, and balconies or patios.

The bedrooms are en-suite and the kitchens are fully-equipped.

Deck Houses are available with two or three bedrooms that sleep up to four or six people and come with their own allocated parking spot.

Prices for a four-night break start at £329 based on a family of up to four.

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Norfolk, Suffolk target the Dutch in tourism drive

#NORFOLK AND #SUFFOLK tourism boards are targeting overseas visitors in their 2016 campaigns. 

Using a combination of new marketing techniques and off-peak prices, tourism businesses in the regions are hoping to attract high-spending overseas visitors. 

Visit Norfolk, working with Visit East Anglia, is taking the lead with a £150,000 New Year tourism campaign to attract Dutch visitors to the two East Anglian counties.

Executive director at Visit East Anglia, Pete Waters, said his team hopes to capitalize on the direct transport links already in place between this region and the Netherlands to increase Dutch visitor numbers by 5%, generating an estimated £2.3 million boost to the local economy.

The campaign would capitalize on the Stena Line ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and Norwich Airport to Amsterdam. Last year, 198,507 overseas visitors spent £100.82 million in Norfolk – approximately 3.3% of the overall £2.97 billion visitor economy. More than 210,000 foreign visitors spent £86.11 million in Suffolk. 

Chairman of Norfolk Tourist Attractions Association Martin Dupée said: ‘It’s not as hard to get into Norfolk as it once was, but we have still got a way to go. Having that link with European partners is an opportunity that can bring in the international market.’

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Free Wi-Fi in Norwich city centre; Mahler & Shakespeare in 2016

TOURISTS and shoppers in Norwich’s city centre can now access free Wi-Fi, after an £100,000 investment led by the local Business Improvement District (BID). Download speeds of up to 5MBs per second are available in some of the city’s key shopping areas, and the service will be expanded in the coming months.

Nick Bond, head of tourism at VisitNorwich, said: ‘Tourists increasingly expect to be able to access digital information on the go. Free Wi-Fi provided by the Norwich BID in the centre of the city helps visitors get the very best out of Norwich’s tremendous shopping, culture, heritage, and food and drink offer.’ 

Events in Norwich in 2016 include a Norwich Philharmonic performance of Mahler’s 8th symphony (May 21) at the Royal Norfolk Showground Arena, and the British Art Show (June 24-September 4) at Norwich University of the Arts and Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery. 

To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Maddermarket Theatre will be performing ‘Shakespeare at 400 mini festival’ (March-April), and Norwich Cathedral will host Shakespeare in the Cloisters (July 15-16).

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Take a break on the wagon

Angela Suter enjoyed a half-term break in East Anglia

‘It was perfect!’

OUR October half-term get-away was in an old showman’s wagon in rural Suffolk, surrounded by the orange, red, and yellow colours of the changing seasons. On the edge of the Stour Valley and overlooking hills and glades,it was perfect!

The wagon stands in its own small garden complete with table, chairs, and a barbeque, and with access through a gate to the 150 acres of Coppins Farm, once a working farm but now a wildlife and wild flower reserve with 57 bird species. Wildlife includes deer and badgers including Butler as named by our daughter Sophie(7) who visited every night for his peanuts!

The wagon has been restored from an empty shell with a leaking roof to a cosy holiday home sleeping four. The kitchen/living room is in the middle of the wagon, with clever storage, a full-size cooker, and a small fridge. A bonus is the half-size bath, not just the shower I expected to find.

The owner, John McGlashan, has thought of everything a family would need, including a microwave stored in the wagon’s underbelly, should one be needed.

For holidaymakers, the farm has two showman’s wagons, and a converted Victorian railway carriage.

www.coppinsfarm.co.uk

Places to visit nearby:

Lavenham… a medieval village founded on the wealth of the wool trade with more than 300 historic buildings. A farmers market on Sunday mornings in the village hall sells local products from meat to bread and soaps.

Clacton Pier … for old-fashioned family seaside fun and only an hour’s drive away in neighbouring Essex. Buy the saver wristband giving unlimited rides for £14.

Sudbury … an historic market town with a range of buildings from timber-framed medieval houses to 19th century silk weavers’ cottages.

Cambridge … the ancient university city has beautiful buildings, The Fitzwilliam Museum (free) and punting on the river – perfect for visitors who love architecture, history, and atmosphere.

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Picture Credit: Andrew Suter

Seaside celebration

THE Great Yarmouth #MaritimeFestival (September 5-6) celebrates the town's seafaring heritage, with visiting ships including the Götheborg (the world’s largest wooden sailing ship) and the Jubilee Sailing Trust's Lord Nelson, plus a full programme of international shanty and folk music, street entertainment, military re-enactments, arts, crafts, children's activities, and opportunities to learn more about the Norfolk Broads (England’s latest designated National Park) and local nature reserves.

Other vessels on show include the third last ship leave Dunkirk in 1940.

Festival activities and entertainment on South Quay are free, but a donation of £1 per visitor towards festival costs is welcomed.

Visitors in wheelchairs are advised to use the Middle Gate or the South Gate to access the event, since there is a 100-yard-long cobbled stretch towards the North Gate which some wheelchair users may find challenging to cross.

www.maritime-festival.co.uk.

The Götheborg is a replica of the original ship which was built in 1738 in Stockholm for the Swedish East India Company. It made three voyages from Sweden to China, and in 1745 sank in Gothenburg harbour having returned from China.  

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/56433265@N04/9712361100">Ostindiefararens akter</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Luxury in Suffolk

THE latest holiday property at the Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk is The Farmhouse, a luxury six-bedroom (all en-suite) house with 17th century origins.

Extended and transformed using local materials and traditional construction methods, it has been re-thatched using locally cut long-straw and reed, and the timber frame meticulously repaired. Its drawing room has an open hearth, and a large country kitchen has seating for 14.

Bay windows open onto a replanted orchard and out to the Wilderness Reserve’s Arcadian pleasure grounds including a tennis court, a naturally-filtered swimming pool, and a lake.

Rates for the Farmhouse start from £695 a night.

The Wilderness Reserve comprises a manor house and luxury cottages for holiday lets – on an exclusive-use basis – in a 4,500-acre estate a short drive from Southwold and Aldeburgh.

The manor house – Sibton Park – is a Grade II* listed, 5-star Georgian country house in hundreds of acres of parkland, woodland rides, lakes, and pleasure grounds. The house can be rented with a chef, butler, waiting staff, and daily housekeeping.

www.wildernessreserve.com

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Picture Credit: www.wildernessreserve.com

Go east for culture

IN a bid to attract more tourists to East Anglia, Norfolk and Suffolk county councils have hired a design agency to deliver a three-year programme to promote cultural tourism in both counties.

Tourism in the region is currently worth £4.6 billion annually, with approximately £2.8 billion and £1.8 billion generated by Norfolk and Suffolk respectively.

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Get close the nature in Suffolk

VISITORS will be going to Minsmere in Suffolk in a few months' time to see the stars of BBC’s Springwatch for themselves, but the county has many other locations for birdwatching.

Aside from Minsmere, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) manages a number of other reserves in the area including Havergate Island, which has a second nature reserve on what is the largest vegetated shingle spit in Europe. 

Inland, RSPB Lakenheath Fen is one of the few places in the UK where golden orioles breed.

Not far from Southwold, Suffolk Wildlife Trust manages Benacre Broad, a great place to see winter waders on the River Hundred. A few miles down the coast, you might see East Anglian favourites including avocet, bittern, and marsh harriers at the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve (NNR). Open all year round, the site has a public footpath and bird hide. The NNR also covers Dingle Marshes where otters, one of five species of deer, and natterjack toads can be seen.

The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is open to the public all year round. As well as providing critical care and convalescence for injured wild owls and other birds of prey, the sanctuary has more than 80 raptors. Fully wheelchair-friendly, it also has a sensory garden and gives visitors to get lose with various species of owl, as well as a family group of meerkats, and a number of red squirrels.

www.takemetosuffolk.com

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Picture Credit: "Flying geese over Marsh Farm - geograph.org.uk - 1396242" by Dave Croker via Wikimedia Commons.