Travelling with kids in the UK must be treated with care…we can’t always rely on the weather, so wherever you decide to go it’s a good idea to factor in other actives you can do. And we found the perfect place to stay for any weather!
Last month after work on a Friday evening we drove to Pembroke Cottage in Norfolk for the weekend with my sister Bonnie, my bother in law and their two children and luckily for us the weather was top notch!
Pembroke Cottage and Annexe is set in an acre of garden overlooking the sea, flanked by the extensive grazing marshes of Salthouse. The views are breathtaking and the cottage is beautiful, spacious and super kid friendly situated walking distance to a gorgeous country pub (already a box ticked for a weekend away with kids).
Pembroke Cottage can sleep six (+4) and its unique layout caters for couples, friends or families comfortably. Sleeping arrangements are across the main house and the Annex accommodation which has its own king size bedroom, sitting room with a sofa bed , bathroom with shower and coffee station. The sleeping arrangements worked out really well for both families – as we both had our own houses for sleeping in… perfect when trying to get excited cousins to sleep!
Jody, the owner of the cottage has thought of everything for the guest – a real home-from-home feeling; somewhere that removes the most tiresome aspect of self catering: remembering to bring all you need for your stay. A hamper of Norfolk produce awaits your arrival and they stocked up on logs for the wood burner, coffee pods and fruit teas, hot chocolate, bubble bath and marshmallows for a hot chocolate, among other things.
The outside space is INCREDIBLE. The kids were all over it immediately. Swings and a trampoline as well as a football goal with enough space to play an actual football match AND a games room. To be honest we could have stayed at the house the entire 3 days we were there and the kids would have been fully entertained, but Pembroke Cottage also comes with a beautiful pink beach hut (at £5o per day) on the Wells Next The Sea, Norfolk.
The stunning sandy beach made our trip even more wonderful – and again the brains behind Pembroke Cottage had thought about what families would want in the pink beach hut such as buckets and spades, a kite, chairs and even a kettle… I highly recommend taking some beers and prosecco with you too to chill with.
Before we got to the beach, we headed to Blakeney for some crab catching. I never did crabbing as a kid – I was excited as our kids were, although shouting out ‘I’VE GOT CRABS’ as an adult isn’t recommended. All the equipment you need is at Pembroke Cottage but you can also hire buckets and nets on the sea front for a very small price. We caught SO many crabs and the kids LOVED it! Please remember to put them back in the sea afterwards!
After this we caught a fantastic toy looking train to take us to Wells Next On The Sea to the pink beach hut – and yes of course there is a great cafe with clean toilets not far from the beach hut – oh and brilliant playgrounds either end of the train track to kill time in whilst waiting for the train.
Back at the cottage with satisfied and exhausted kids, we ate our supper and cracked open the prosecco whilst looking out onto the vast space that comes with the cottage. Then once the kids were asleep, the adults lit the wood burner and played some board games and enjoyed some valuable adult time.
The whole weekend seemed to glide perfectly well. From a mothers’s point of view, it felt effortless, simply because the kids always had something to do and easily exhausted themselves out from all the activities and open space to play in.
If you’re interested in visiting Pembroke Cottage – my fantastic readers get a great deal!
Norfolk I thank you and Pembroke Cottage I salute you for ticking all the boxes.
Thanks for reading and see you next week
Louise x
