A weekend break in Norfolk with Scout the Holiday Hound

I love taking Scout away to the countryside where he is free to run as wild as he fancies. Seeing him bounding away like the wind in an open field or towards the breaking waves on the beach with a look of pure happiness on his face is so enjoyable to me.

I sourced a dog friendly property from Rural Retreats with whom I have booked with for the last two years. They always come up trumps with something suitable for my needs and affords me a true home from home experience. Why go away and settle for less than you already have? Living and working in the city I look forward to getting away to the peace and quiet of the country for a few days.

I chose 'The Treasury' a gorgeous one bedroom cottage on the Wolterton Hall Estate with about 500 acres of fields and woodlands in Norfolk and about 10 miles south of Cromer on the north coast. It has all you could want for a mini break - a lovely cosy sitting room with an open fire, a fully fitted kitchen, a spacious bedroom with ample storage, and a fabulous bathroom with a claw foot bath, a vaulted ceiling and under floor heating. They owners even provide a hamper with essentials like bread, milk, butter, eggs, cheese, tea, coffee, granola and preserves. 

There are shops within a few minutes drive away for anything else you might just want or you can bring your own supplies which is what I like to do. 

Scout could be walked anywhere on the grounds of the estate although they do suggest dogs are walked on leads near the livestock. The entrance from the road to the Hall is about half a mile along a pretty tree lined road with fields of sheep on either side.

About 5 minutes walk from the entrance of the estate is the Saracen's Head pub where they do bed and breakfast, lunch and dinner. They allow dogs into a separate part of the restaurant near the bar so Scout was allowed to come to dinner. I made sure to contact them a few days prior to going and they suggested reserving a table to ensure Scout could be accommodated. Bear in mind if you come to this part of the country that there are no streetlights so everything is virtually pitch black at night. Either drive or wear high visibility clothing for the walk and bring a torch.

The forecast rain stayed away for the most part which was fortuitous as it meant Scout and I had a beautiful walk around the estate in the morning before heading out for lunch at the Gunton Arms about 20 minutes drive away.

This dog friendly pub was once a country house in the 1,000 acre deer park surrounding Gunton Hall. Converted about 10 years ago, it is now a traditional pub with bed and breakfast with the room interiors designed by Robert Kime.

The owner's passion for art is seen throughout and you can see works by Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud to name but a few. The surrounding parkland also has sculpture by well known artists.

The current partners in the business previously worked at Mark Hix restaurants in London and have brought with them the principles of using local and seasonal products including seafood. In fact you will find that ethos a lot in this part of the world. It's so refreshing.

The Elk room of the restaurant has a magnificent set of antlers over the range where they cook venison from the deer park. I can only imagine the size of that giant specimen when he was alive!

I love fresh seafood and just had to have a Cromer crab salad to start followed by fish and chips. It was accompanied by their delicious version of mushy peas which was served slightly al dente with mint. 

The next day we drove to Cromer beach so that Scout could have a good run and a swim if he wanted. He did take a dip but I suspect the waves and maybe the cold put him off an actual swim. I love the joy in his face and his enthusiasm when he's beside the sea. I'm with him on that though. I adore being by the sea at any time of the year. There's something about being by the water that makes me feel positive and elated.

The great thing about staying in a self contained cottage is the ability to treat is as your home so that if you fancy a cozy night in you can cook yourself a meal and relax by the fire with a glass of wine which is exactly what we did for the last night of the weekend. Scout was pooped from his beach adventure and happily stretched out on his bed and slept like a baby.


Before leaving the next day we had one last walk around the estate on a beautiful, crisp cold, misty morning. There was not a sound to be heard other than our footsteps on the carpet of fallen leaves. No cars or planes flying overhead - the silence was almost deafening and only sometimes punctuated with the cry of a bird or a sheep baa-ing in the distance. 

It was a wonderful retreat from the constant hum of the city and I would love to come back to this area again and spend more time exploring. There is so much to see and do in this part of the country and we only touched on a small portion of it. 

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Rural Retreats - Self catering luxury cottages in the UK and Ireland

https://www.ruralretreats.co.uk

Wolterton Hall - Historic Georgian Estate

https://www.woltertonpark.co.uk

The Saracen's Head - 200 year old Georgian Inn, Wolterton

http://www.saracenshead-norfolk.co.uk/index.php

The Gunton Arms - Traditional pub with bedrooms, Thorpe Market

https://www.theguntonarms.co.uk

Cromer Beach - Traditional Victorian seaside resort

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g609059-d4424648-Reviews-Cromer_Beach-Cromer_Norfolk_East_Anglia_England.html

Norfolk's top 10 beaches
https://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/inspire/top-10-beaches.aspx

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