Former fashion designer, Lynne Johnson and her lighting consultant husband, John, have lavished both their skills on this cluster of five homely but stylish converted barns near the glorious beaches and sophisticated market towns of the North Norfolk coast. The Johnson’s parenting experience is evident in the balance they’ve achieved between style and family-friendly comfort with simple contemporary furnishings that easily ensure stress-free living- even with toddlers in tow! These cottages are ideal for families who enjoy independence and privacy but will appreciate the strikingly beautiful indoor heated pool, toddlers play house and pre-bookable service that aid relaxation when it comes to holidays with toddlers.
Accommodation Overview - Coot Cottage
Coot Cottage is small but perfectly formed, 2-bedroom bolthole ideally suited to a couple with a child and/or baby. Being set all on one level means its especially great with crawlers/new walkers and easy an eye on adventurous littles ones. The open plan sitting/dining room has a comfy sofa and armchair plus triple aspect windows and glazed doors leading onto a pretty enclosed courtyard with bbq, dining set and lovely views over farmland. Interiors are light and bright thanks to its vaulted ceilings and exposed beans, plus neutral colour scheme, which gives it a Scandi-chic vibe. The galley kitchen is fully equipped with a fridge freezer, hob, oven, dishwasher and microwave. Guests also have access to an onsite laundry room equipped with washing machines and LPG tumble driers. The main bedroom boasts a Zip'n'Link super-king/twin bed, whilst the second bedroom has a 3ft single and space for an additional child’s z bed or a wooden cot. The cottage has a wooden cot, high chair, stair gate and changing mat. Other baby friendly extras can be booked in advance. Along with its private courtyard, guests can also enjoy the fenced communal rear gardens, tennis courts, play areas, indoor heated pool and games room.
Kids love the local steam railways, wildlife centres, dinosaur park, aquarium and seal spotting boat trips. Lynne can arrange cycle hire with tag-alongs and baby seats. A number of nearby National Trust houses have family friendly restaurants, play areas and playgrounds. Other family-friendly dining options include lunches at The Victoria, Holkham and The White Horse at Brancaster, or excellent fish and chips on Wells Quay. Nearby Walsingham Farm Barns sell a fantastic range of speciality foods direct from small suppliers, along with some excellent fresh-made ready meals. Alternatively, use pre-bookable baby-sitting and try the excellent Galton Blackiston's Michelin starred Morston Hall.
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Check-in time: 17:00
Check-out time: 09:00
Reservation Deposit: 35%
Balance: 60 days prior to arrival
Check-in time: 17:00
Check-out time: 09:00
Reservation Deposit: 35%
Balance: 60 days prior to arrival
Unlet dates within 14 days are discounted by £5.00
John and I moved
from cosmopolitan Islington to this wonderful peaceful backwater in 1998. John had family ties with North Norfolk along with many happy memories of childhood holidays here and we wanted to bring up our
daughter in a greener and more relaxed environment.
Over the past 11
years we have lovingly restored what was a dilapidated
farmhouse with a pile of ramshackle barns into award-winning luxury eco-cottages, preserving many of the
historic features and recycling original materials along the way. With the recent acquisition
of the surrounding 168 acres of farmland and Natural England’s Higher Level
Stewardship scheme we are revitalising the landscape too.
We had very little
experience of the tourism business when we first opened: I trained at the Royal
college of
Art as a fashion designer
and John is a specialist lighting consultant lighting art galleries around the
world. Our backgrounds have bought a unique edge to our business and certainly
John’s engineering skills have been essential in developing our unique
combination of renewable energy technologies at Home
Farm.
We never seek to impose
ourselves on our visitors but we are available to offer first hand experience of
discovering the best places to visit and experience. We deliver discreet and
friendly service and someone is usually on hand to deal with life’s little
emergencies. We constantly look for ways to surpass expectations whether it is in
supplying baby friendly extras or locally produced food delivered to your door. We focus on high quality with a
strong green ethos as part of our sustainable lifestyle strategy. We aim to
deliver a memorable Norfolk holiday experience for all who visit
and offer somewhere great to stay.
Lynne Johnson
We have a passion for boating so Norfolk really comes alive for us from April once the sailing season begins. However we also love the wide open sandy beaches and sultry marshland walks in the winter months. We were not birdwatchers before we settled here but with all of our hedgerow and tree planting we are continuing to notice a myriad of new visitors to the fields and gardens. Other favourite things include the wonderful autumnal tree walks held at Blicking Hall and Sherringham Park. A picnic on Holkham beach is pretty hard to beat but the excitement of horse racing at Fakenham has also provided a number of memorable days out with friends. Pensthorpe and Sculthorpe Moor are also favourite haunt - I could go on and on, best to come and see for yourself.
What’s not to love; miles of golden sand, empty beaches, steam railways in the image of the Thomas books, Boggle and friends and Bewilderwood, Bug trails and pond dipping at Pensthorpe, bike riding through Holkham deer park and Blickling Hall gardens. Our daughter Emily is now rather too grown up for these things and far too cool, however she will admit to enjoying a visit to Pensthorpe and of course a beach picnic with friends on Scolt head island which is such a hip place to hang out in the summer months. Crab racing down the slip way at Burnham Overy makes hauling out sailing boats at the end of the tide a perilous affair, but local families have enjoyed the pastime over many generations. A recent 4 year old niece’s birthday party in a beach hut at Wells was great fun, even if it did rain briefly. Ferry trips and seal spotting is a fantastic way to see the coast on a good day but a walk with bucket and spade and a picnic from one of the delis in Burnham Market or Wells is pretty unbeatable too.
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Sleeps 3 plus infant , 2 x 3ft zip & Link beds - 6ft 7" long bed (Available as twin beds) 1 x 3ft single bed in bedroom 2 |
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![]() | The coast is just a short drive away. |
![]() | The pool at Cranmer is beautiful with huge windows offering lovely rural views. The water temperature and that of the changing rooms is kept comfortable for babies and toddlers. It should be noted that babies under 12 months are unfortunately not permitted to use the pool. |
![]() | Babysitting by a police-checked and approved local sitter can be arranged. |
![]() | This child friendly cottage has cots, high chairs, baby baths, night lights, baby monitors and children's utensils. There are microwaves and hand blenders provided in the cottage kitchens. |
![]() | A selection of DVDs, toys and bedtime story books suitable for all ages are available. |
![]() | There is a games room with pool tables and table tennis. |
![]() | Delicious fresly prepared ready meals and hampers of local produce can be arranged. Alternatively, buy them direct from the Walsingham Farm shop nearby. |
![]() | There's a new timber outdoor play area at Cranmer and a wendy house for younger children. |
![]() | Treatments via a visiting local beauty therapist can be pre-booked |
![]() | Cranmer is primarily self-catering but meal deliveries and private chef services can be arranged, see below. |
![]() | Stairgates |
![]() | Coot has a private terrace. |
![]() | There are 2 all-weather tennis courts onsite |
![]() | Several cots and highchairs are available on request |
Please click the text to scroll through reviews.
Lovely property for our very first family holiday. Very much enjoyed our time.Review dated 21/03/2016
We had a brilliant time! I would thoroughly recommend Cranmer to anyone - esp with young family. The Cottage was lovely, pool fab, and great location for lots to do in North Norfolk. Review dated 03/11/2009
*Ratings by verified BFB guests who stayed here with young children.
Rated by 3 guests.