The Three Horseshoes, Warham
RENOWNED for the best puddings in Norfolk, the Three Horseshoes has a loyal following. Leave plenty of room for meals, as portions are generous. For entertainment, try the old-fashioned fruit machine. This pretty 18th-century free house with stone floors and low ceilings gets packed in the summer, but there is a pleasant courtyard outside. The rooms are in an adjoining building, and are a B&B bargain.
Residents have their own comfortable lounge and are offered a huge breakfast. Only one room is en suite — the others share a bathroom. Children under 14 not accepted.
Details: Three Horseshoes, The Street, Warham (01328 710547). Doubles from £48, B&B. Singles from £24.
The Saracen’s Head, Wolterton
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GOOD directions are essential — the Saracen’s Head calls itself Norfolk’s lost pub — but the effort is worth it. The cooking is excellent: the chef and owner, Robert Dawson-Smith, heads an innovative team using local ingredients.
The pub feels like an antiques shop, with its pink walls and scattering of all sorts of memorabilia. Local beers are well represented and Robert has a large whisky collection. For warm days there’s a large square courtyard. There are only four pretty rooms, decorated with wrought iron bedsteads and patchwork quilts as well as the usual facilities — television, radio and alarm. Rooms have baths, but not showers.
Details: The Saracen’s Head, Wolterton, Near Erpingham (01263 768909). Doubles from £75, B&B.
The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe
THE best place to watch the sun set in Norfolk. Pull up a glass and a chair and adjourn to the deck. Views from the restaurant are pretty good too. From there you look out over the estuary and watch fishermen bringing in their catch (quickly transferred to the kitchen). The best room is the Room at the Top, a split-level affair with French windows, and a telescope for bird-watching or stargazing.
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The pub itself has bar billiards, wooden floors, pine tables and a fireplace. Favourites from the menu are Cyril’s mussels, Cromer crab and deep-fried fish with green pease pudding and chips.
Details: The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe (01485 210262). Doubles from £84, B&B.
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()The Lifeboat Inn, Ship Lane, Thornham
DOWN to earth and friendly, this 16th-century former smugglers’ haunt was my old local when I lived in King’s Lynn and is an ideal place to hole up with a pint and a huge bowl of mussels. The old bar with its gas lamps is still my favourite part of the pub. Or the restaurant in the newer extension serves up a swankier menu.
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For chilling out, there’s a big wood fire near the front door. The 14 rooms upstairs are not as grand as some, but they are comfortable, spacious and clean. Request a sea view: it’s great to wake up and see waves in the distance, and take a stroll down to the sea before a huge fry-up beckons.
Details: The Lifeboat Inn, Ship Lane, Thornham (01485 512236). Doubles from £88, B&B.
Rose and Crown, Snettisham
THIS friendly local has whitewashed walls and climbing roses. Take a pew in either the back or front bars; both have fireplaces. Low ceilings, winding corridors and uneven flooring help to create the excellent atmosphere.
Adnams and Greene King are on tap, and there’s a large garden. Rooms are reasonably spacious and well equipped, even with modem points. The North Face (rooms have names rather than numbers) is particularly big, with space to set up a travel cot.
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The menu has excellent versions of favourites such as ham, egg and chips as well as fancier fare including saffron linguini and a Bloody Mary salad.
If you are a walker the owners can usually organise a pick-up from Peddars Way.
Details: Rose and Crown, Old Church Road, Snettisham (01485 541382). Doubles from £80, B&B.
The Hoste Arms, Burnham Market
PAUL WHITTOME, the Hoste’s owner, took over in 1989, and now runs an 11-chef establishment. The celeb count is higher here than in any other pub in the county and it’s best to book ahead. The menu is packed with local fish as well as more exotic fare.
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Rooms are either in the more traditional main building or in a new annexe decorated in an African theme. Sink a pint in the bar at the front of the main building, dominated by a stunning photograph of nearby Brancaster.
Details: The Hoste Arms, The Green, Burnham Market (01328 738777, www.hostearms.co.uk). B&B doubles from £98, singles from £78.