Hippersons Boatyard

East Anglia Norfolk Beccles

  • From £120 a night
  • 6 Pods & Houseboats
  • Quirky & Unique

Cosy and comfortable floating pods and houseboats near Beccles in the Broads National Park

Visit Website

Get the best rates with no commission when you book direct with our partner

Everyone knows there's nothing quite so much fun as messing about on boats, but what if you just want to enjoy the water without actually going anywhere? Welcome to Hippersons Boatyard, whose cosy floating hideaways mean you can enjoy all the fun of the Broads National Park while staying in one place. These little nests of waterborne calm offer the best of both worlds – a proper back-to-nature holiday experience, with easy access to all sorts of aquatic activities, and the terra firma delights of the lively Suffolk town of Beccles, which offers plenty of shops, pubs, restaurants and local life to enjoy from your base on the peaceful Waveney River.
 

You can choose from a couple of floating pods – Secret Water and Wild Cat Island – and three more traditional-looking houseboats (Swallows, Amazons and Coot Club). If being on the water doesn't, er, float your boat, there's also a very funky land-based pod available (Secret Garden). Ingeniously designed, both Secret Water and Wild Cat Island can comfortably sleep up to four people – the former in a double room and a bunk room, the latter in a double and a twin. Secret Water has a well-appointed kitchenette with a hob, microwave, fridge and toaster, plus a bathroom with a WC, sink and showers, and even underfloor heating. Wild Cat Island has a small living room with a sofa and Smart TV, and a full galley kitchen – oven, hob, microwave, fridge and toaster. Bed linen and towels are provided, with both pods complete with large sundecks for enjoying the river.

The houseboats also each sleep four, and are similarly well-equipped and comfortable, with a living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom, while the land-based Secret Garden is just footsteps from the water and, like its water-based counterparts, sleeps four people with ease. Complete with a lovely kitchenette with a hob, fridge, microwave and toaster, it’s ideal for a family holiday. Dogs are welcome on the houseboats and in Secret Garden; there's plenty of parking on-site, and trollies are available to transfer your luggage on arrival. Beccles also has its own train station, so this makes for a great car-free option too.

Owners Mary and Simon are the best of hosts, with lots of enthusiasm for the local area and suggestions for things to do and places to eat and drink. They can recommend lots of local eateries for breakfast and dinner, and lovely delis for the al fresco meals out. Each accommodation (including Secret Garden) has its own rowing boat for getting about on the river, and you can also hire SUPs and canoes from Hippersons. Active guests will also be pleased to know that there are plenty of circular walks on your doorstep – exploring the marshes nearby or following the river up to Gillingham and Bungay or downriver to the Carlton Marshes nature reserve on the long-distance Angles Way.

You could also happily just mooch around Beccles itself: it's a handsome Georgian town, and the busy centre is a five-minute walk away. There's a great outdoor swimming pool, the Beccles Lido, and if you want to explore further you can hire a day boat from Hippersons and travel upstream to the iconic Broadland pub The Locks Inn, or downstream to Oulton Broad where art lovers can discover a Banksy hiding in the local park. Or just make yourself comfortable on your deck while the life of the river glides gently by.

Make Enquiry

Get in touch with our partner directly

Details

Open

End of March–early November.

Pricing

From £360 for a 3-night stay.

Why Book Direct?

With Cool Places you pay no commission or booking fees. Cool Places links you directly to the property owner, so you always know that you are getting the best prices.

  • You’ll get the best rates, avoiding hefty fees and hidden costs
  • You’ll deal direct with the business or property owner who can answer all your questions
  • You’ll get the flexibility to tailor your trip, free from the restrictions of other booking platforms
  • You’ll be supporting independent UK businesses and the passionate people behind them

Visit Website

Get the best rates with no commission when you book direct with our partner

Location

Contact Website  01502 712 166  Hippersons Boatyard, Gillingham Dam, Beccles, Norfolk NR34 0EB

Show Map

Features

  • Parking
  • Wifi
  • Dog-friendly
  • Family-Friendly
  • Short walk to pub
  • Walking
  • BBQs
  • Catering available
  • Quirky
  • Bicycle Routes
  • Car-free option
  • Fishing
  • Outdoor Activities
  • Romantic Retreat
  • Something Different
  • Waterside
  • Cabin/Lodge

Related Guides

See Self Catering in Beccles

Reviews

Be the first to leave a review!

Add Your Review

List Your Property

Do you have a Cool Place you'd like to tell us about?

Join Cool Places

Other Cool Places near Hippersons Boatyard

What Customers say about Cool Places

Everything I needed for a stay

I'm already looking forward to going again and would highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the area. It definitely deserves a five star rating!

Nathan, Verified Customer

6 out of 5!!!!

This place was amazing… I could not recommend this place enough, I’ll be singing their praise for many years to come and we are going to book again soon.

Barbara, Verified Customer

Easy to navigate

Great site that offers a really broad range of places to stay across the UK. Easy to navigate and book holidays.

Patrick, Verified Customer

Such a great variety of properties

Found this website when looking to book a staycation for later in the year. Such a great variety of properties and the website is really easy to use. Already shared with my family and friends.

CT, Verified Customer

Great, simple, straightforward

Great, simple and straightforward. I will definitely be using Cool Places again.

SM, Verified Customer