The beach! Crabbing! Finding that dead catfish! These were the answers that rang out when, cruising home along the motorway, I asked our three girls what they had most enjoyed about our long weekend at the Bath House in Cromer, on the north Norfolk coast.
Situated right on the esplanade, halfway between the pier and the lifeboat museum, the iconic yellow Bath House used to be a spa for Victorian bathers before being turned into a hotel and pub. Today, it houses four airy two-bedroom flats. Ours is split over two floors and has been thoughtfully and beautifully restored – think “haute nauticalia”. When I spotted the swanky kitchen, Scandi sauna and vast crimson bath on cottages.com, after a day that I can only describe as frazzling, it looked like my salvation. Open space, big skies and plenty of sleep beckoned.
The Bath House (yellow building, centre right) sits on Cromer’s promenade which links the beaches and pier. Photograph: Getty Images
Just a few yards from the Bath House’s front door, you can see 14-year-old Winston Churchill’s verdict on Cromer, inscribed into the promenade – “I am not enjoying myself very much”. Fortunately, his sentiment wasn’t echoed by our children Daphne, 10, Olive, eight and Daisy, four, who, within minutes of arriving, were down on the beach playing football, gulping down sea air faster than I could uncork the cava that had been kindly left as a welcome gift. As we sat back on the living room’s huge corner sofa, double doors on to the prom flung wide, we realised we had bagged the ultimate people-watching spot. Or perhaps that should be dog watching. From old sea dogs to pomeranians in pushchairs, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different breeds ambling along an esplanade. As we’re currently debating adding a dog to our pack, this meant much of the weekend was spent shouting: “How about that one?” and accosting canine passersby for a quick pat.
It’s not until we decamp somewhere else for a few days that I realise how bad I am at sitting down and relaxing in my own home. At the Bath House, the neverending, nagging to-do list that comes with having three young kids, a busy job and an admittedly lazy approach to life admin, melted away. Instead, I felt my shoulders relax for the first time in weeks. I got through chapters of my book in the master bedroom’s breathtaking bay window during daylight hours (almost unheard of), and James, my husband, even took the children to try some fresh Cromer crab so that I could get my podcast fix while strolling along the beach. Small pleasures that felt hugely therapeutic.
Cromer offers the classic British seaside experience but with an ever-improving foodie scene. On our first night, we packed into No 1 Cromer, an award-winning fish and chip restaurant with panoramic sea views. It didn’t disappoint – crispy haddock, kids’ fish and chips served in buckets and spades, and knickerbockers for dessert. Then it was back home to relax in the Bath House’s Japanese crimson bath, which has the benefit of windows on all sides so you can gaze at the twinkling lights of the theatre at the end of the pier while you wallow, chest deep, in bubbles.
The next morning, the girls were up early and down on the beach searching for sea glass while I cooked a full English breakfast. Among other “treasures”, the kids returned with a foot-long dead catfish and an urgent need to buy crabbing nets. With the weather forecast on our side, we decided to first head west along the coast to Holkham, where the late Queen Elizabeth and her children famously enjoyed many family holidays. Holkham, which has been home to the Coke family since the 17th century, is a vast estate that comprises farmland, a nature reserve, an imposing 18th-century Palladian stately home built by Thomas Coke, the first Earl of Leicester, and two miles of unspoilt sandy beaches. We hired bikes plus a trailer for Daisy, as she’s only four, so that we could fully explore the area, and headed out on a three-mile cycle to nearby Wells-next-the-Sea. With pine forest to one side and the sea just beyond, it’s the perfect flat ride for kids – and apparently it felt like “a real adventure”.
Activities included a trip to Holkham Hall, crabbing on the pier and, of course, relaxing at the Bath House
After a windy sand-in-the-sandwiches picnic on the beach at Wells we returned to Holkham Hall, where a food fair was in full swing in the courtyard. Fuelled by beef jerky and cider (us), and ice-cream (them), we did a quick loop around the lake before heading home to make good on the promise of crabbing nets. Even when the sun’s out, a weekend in Cromer is a salty, windswept affair. And after an hour of catching absolutely zilch on the end of the pier, we decided it was time to warm up, courtesy of the Bath House’s sauna and wet room.
North Norfolk boasts plenty of established gastropubs and restaurants that make this stretch of coastline a haven for foodies. The Gunton Arms in Thorpe Market, Socius in Burnham Market and the White Horse at Brancaster are all well worth a stop, but book ahead or you may struggle to get a table. Fortunately, we bagged the last table for Sunday lunch at the George and Dragon in Cley, a pretty village that’s a 20-minute drive to the west. Celeb trivia fans like me will enjoy discovering that Cley’s famous windmill was singer James Blunt’s childhood home (and it is a beautiful sight) but the girls were more interested in racing each other along the wooden boardwalks that cross the reserve’s stunning marshes.
Despite some fantastic trips out by car – we also squeezed in seal-watching at Blakeney Point – the joy of staying at the Bath House is being right in the heart of things. The older girls loved the freedom of roaming along the front; watching surfers, picking up gem stones from the pier’s shop and giving us regular dog updates via walkie talkie. And when the weather took a turn, they could easily pop back for a burst of Netflix while the rainclouds passed. A few days here and you’ll feel transported to the holidays of your own childhood – where the days felt as neverending as the horizon. What was Winston thinking?
To book a stay at the Bath House, or to find your perfect holiday cottage, go to cottages.com
