Border Cottage

The impeccably appointed Border Cottage is quietly sat on the edge of the peaceful village of Briston, North Norfolk. This pretty cottage is ideal for a couple seeking a quiet break in the Norfolk countryside. The typically Norfolk red-brick and flint exterior gives a wonderful sense of charm from the moment you arrive.

Lounge and Dining Room

The traditional cottage feel continues inside, once you have walked through the lovely front garden complete with a small pond and hand-pump. Throughout the property, structural woodwork is exposed in both the walls and ceilings, complementing the property’s age effortlessly. Border cottage is a high standard finish cottage refurbished with charm and period features aplenty. The comfort and warmth are reflected in the welcoming living/dining room with exposed woodwork and a quality wood-burner. A great place to relax on the comfortable sofa and large TV, after a day exploring the Norfolk countryside.

The Kitchen

Leading from the living/dining room is the fully equipped kitchen. Once again expertly blending traditional décor with modern practicalities, this kitchen provides its guests with plenty of work-surface space, an induction hob and modern oven, microwave, fridge, and wine cooler. These modern conveniences, though, have not stopped it from retaining its (probably original) coal-fired range which has long since been retired. The traditional look is complemented by its copper pots & pans, butler’s sink, and a fantastic pair of rustic, ten-foot-long, oak-slab shelves that are affixed to the exposed-flint wall.

All in all this kitchen is a very pleasant and practical place indeed to prepare a full meal, should you so wish.

Conservatory

The conservatory that the kitchen windows look into and out of provides a lovely place to sit and reflect looking out of over the cottage garden and the open fields beyond. You will want to spend some time in the conservatory with a book and or a glass of something, a great relaxing place. When it is warmer you can open the patio doors to eat alfresco or just sit outside and experience the great outdoors.

A WC, also to the rear of the cottage provides a welcome convenience downstairs.

Upstairs

To gain access to the upper floor you use a ‘Norfolk Twister’ staircase with a hemp rope bannister. (Personal mobility is required for this). As Border Cottage dates back to the 1800s this staircase is a charming period feature that adds to the authenticity of this period cottage.

The bedroom is located upstairs. The large bedroom has a warmly carpeted floor and contains a king-sized bed, a pair of bedside tables, and a full-length mirror. Additionally, there is ample wardrobe space to make oneself at home and the comfortable room is completed by its en suite, with a lavatory, hand-basin, and shower. It is easy to imagine oneself having a very peaceful night’s sleep in this cottage and awakening, refreshed, to birdsong from the surrounding countryside.

The second room upstairs contains only a sofa, and makes for an ideal ‘dressing room’, or if needed ample space for a travel cot. The view across the fields to the rear of the cottage is wonderful from here.

Surrounding Area

Within the village, there is a bakery & butcher’s shop, a fishmonger, a grocer’s, and a Co-Op convenience store with Post Office.  (The bakery & butchers, ‘Graves’, sell cracking bacon (and sausage rolls as well as, of course, fresh meat and bread and are well worth walking down to.
There are two public houses in the village. The Three Horseshoes, a 16th-century Inn with open log fire and oak beams sits to the edge of the village only 200 hundred yards from the front gate, while on the opposite side of the village is the ‘Explorers Bar’.

Suggested places to visit

Border Cottage is situated in the quiet North Norfolk village of Briston. There are fields and woodland as far as the eye can see making this a peaceful and quiet retreat. However, it is only a short drive from the historic market town of Holt, a regular haunt of the Royal family when in Sandringham. There are many boutique-style shops worth exploring.  Additionally, there are some award-winning cafés, several pubs, a good selection of antique and book shops, and even a take-away or two!

Nearby are Morston (bird reserve and seal viewing trips), Blakeney, Cley, and Salthouse. A little further along the coast are Sheringham, Cromer, and Wells-next-the-Sea (in the opposite direction).  The North Norfolk Railway runs steam trains past the golf course and through the countryside between Sheringham and Holt.

Norfolk’s main city, Norwich is a 40-minute drive away to the South East as is the (equally historic) Kings Lynn to the South West. The National Trust’s Blickling and Felbrigg Halls, and the privately-owned Holkham estate are all places well worth visiting.