Norfolk Coastal Cottages with mYminiBreak

A two-minute walk inland from Heacham’s South Beach, Norfolk Coastal Cottages is a rustic complex of self-catering, B&B and glamping properties that couldn't be better located for a beachside holiday. It's a wonderfully unique place, a small collection of cottages and rooms that is the result of the careful conversion of a former dairy farm. With chickens pecking around a communal courtyard and exposed stone and brick walls throughout, it feels wonderfully rural, but it’s the coastal location that provides the big draw. That, and the wide array of accommodation choice at your disposal, all of them offering country cottage appeal in a location that’s couldn't be closer to the sea.

The vast sands of Heacham Beach are one of just a few places on the Norfolk coastline which face west. That means sunsets over the sea while you walk your dog across the sands, eat fish and chips on the beach or enjoy a glass of wine from a picnic blanket. This location has long been attracting holidaymakers but most of them head for the seaside resort of Hunstanton or the nearby caravan parks.

The Old Barn sits at the heart of the complex, a dog-friendly, self-catering cottage sleeping four (in a double and a twin bedroom), with an open-plan living and dining room and a well-equipped kitchen too. It has been cleverly designed with a connecting door to an optional annexe, The Churnery, which offers an extra en-suite room for two. If booked separately, The Churnery is one of four B&B rooms at Norfolk Coast Cottages, and there are four self-catering rooms as well. Each offers a compact, characterful room with its own front door.

The Dairy the largest self-catering cottage – formerly a working dairy, and lovingly restored to house three bedrooms (a double, single, and one with funky and modern bunk beds), a large family bathroom, a fully-equipped kitchen, and a downstairs shower room. Relax on the sofa in the spacious living/dining area while enjoying the sun set across the vast open skies beyond. And on warm days, chill out in the garden, where you'll find wicker patio furniture, a barbecue, fire pit, and fantastic views of the scenic Norfolk countryside towards Wild Ken Hill.

All of the accommodation has access to a shared courtyard with outdoor seating and a fire pit. If that sounds appealing, you may be interested to know that part of the adjacent former grazing land that is now a cute little camping site. Owner Nigel also has a couple of shepherds huts here for rent – a taster perhaps of the more luxurious and self-contained shepherds huts at his glamping site near Holt.

This former farm site is the buffer zone between Heacham village and the countryside. It sits on the edge of the rewilding project on Wild Ken Hill and isn't far from RSPB Snettisham. You can walk to the beach in a couple of minutes and then it’s a ten-minute stroll to Heacham where you can buy fish and chips or head to shops, cafés and pubs. The seaside resort of Hunstanton is three miles to the north, Sandringham is seven miles south and the whole of North Norfolk is within easy reach for day trips.