Hippersons Boatyard

East Anglia Norfolk Beccles

  • From £120 a night
  • 6 Pods & Houseboats
  • Cabin

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

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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. It also has a Swedish eco wood-fired hot tub. 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.

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Details

Open

End of March–early November.

Pricing

From £360 for a 3-night stay.

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Location

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

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Features

  • BBQs
  • Catering Available
  • Fishing
  • Microwave
  • Parking
  • Smart TV
  • Wifi

Looking For...

  • Activities
  • Car-free Option
  • Cycling
  • Dog-Friendly
  • Family Friendly
  • Rural Retreat
  • Short Walk to the Pub
  • Something Different
  • Walking
  • Waterside

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