In: Self Catering Breaks
22nd December 2013
Exciting plans for 2014
2013 has been a very busy and enjoyable year for us at Cranmer Cottages.
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| Snowfall at Cranmer in early 2013 |
The early winter months brought plenty of snow, the whole area looked picture perfect and very tranquil.
When spring arrived, we enjoyed an abundance of snowdrops, crocus, bluebells and daffodils. The countryside was literally peppered with a good splash of colour. Guests enjoyed the spectacular snowdrop walks at Walsingham and there were plenty of Easter events planned locally for families to attend.
Then along came summer and for the first time since 2006, we enjoyed record high temperatures and long, sunny days. Our guests spent their days on nearby sandy beaches and evenings outside playing family games in our large paddock area where children also enjoyed our brand new play area.
The summer extended into the early Autumn months and now we’re in mid December we’re looking forward to the New Year ahead.
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| Late Summer Sunshine Near Holkham |
We’ve got a few exciting things to look forward to in 2014 which we’ve been planning over the past few months.
Firstly, we are delighted to launch our one-hour, on-site farm/ nature walk. This walk is only available for our guests and gives an exclusive opportunity to view our fabulous countryside and get up close and personal to the local nature. We have even created a trail quiz to encourage our young visitors to learn more about the great outdoors and the amazing wildlife we have.
We’ve also teamed up with Pensthorpe Wildlife and Gardens who have kindly agreed to offer our guests a discounted family ticket. For those who haven’t heard of Pensthorpe before, it is an award winning wildlife and conservation reserve that offers something for all ages. The reserve is bustling with birds and wildlife throughout the year, so it’s perfect for birdwatchers and nature lovers. There are also a lot of exciting activities and things to see for families, including their brand new play area, Wild Rootz, which is definitely a winner with the children.
During January, we will be carrying out some refurbishing work on our cottages. We’ll be sharing details of the work we’re doing on our Facebook Page over the next few weeks, so remember to head over and ‘Like Us’ to receive our updates.
Being an eco friendly tourism business, we have worked very hard over the last few years to lower our carbon footprint. On site, we already have a wind turbine and solar panels, which heat and power some of our facilities, but we took a giant leap this year and installed a 100kw biomass boiler. This biomass boiler now means that, other than using a little gas for cooking, we can turn our backs to nasty fossil fuels that we’ve previously had to use. The biomass boiler is fuelled by recycled woodchip, which would otherwise go to landfill. We can now proudly say that our self catering cottages are now ‘powered by nature and nurtured by us’
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| Rescued Grey Seal Pup |
Finally, we’d like to make you aware of a visitor payback scheme, which we’ve just introduced in the wake of the recent floods that affected the seal colonies at Blakeney. We are asking all visitors who book a break with us to make a voluntary donation of £1, which we will match fund, to go towards the RSPCA East Winch branch. This charity is specifically dedicated to rescuing seal pups in the area and rehabilitating them back into the wild. Blakeney is home to large colonies of Grey and Common seals, who breed and bring up their young throughout the year. It really is a magnificent sight to see and one that shouldn’t be missed when you visit the area.
If you book your break and would like to make a donation, simply tick the box on your booking form which says ‘Visitor Payback Scheme’ and our online system will do the rest for you. We will update our website with details on the progress of this scheme over the coming months.
North Norfolkreally does offer something for everyone. From coast to countryside, it is brimming with quaint market towns, extraordinary wildlife, superb visitor attractions and an indulgent selection of places to eat. Once you visit you’ll be itching to come back. Our self-catering cottages are already booking up fast for next summer, so if you don’t want to miss out check our availability and book your holiday now.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout 2013 and we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Best wishes,
The team at Cranmer Cottages.
3rd October 2013
Autumn Half Term Fun
After a very busy summer period, September seemed to pass us by in flash, now it’s the beginning of October it means that the half term hols aren’t very far away. Halloween falls over the half term period this year so we thought we’d share some of the spooktacular events that are taking place in North Norfolk for families to enjoy!
Take a spooky self-guided trail around the nature reserve, playing games and learning about the local history and natural world at this time of year. Also explore the brand new WildRootz adventure play area where there’s over 30 individual pieces of play equipment to play with and enjoy.
Creep through the bygone museum trying to avoid the spiders and creepy crawlies to find mad scientists at work creating spells and potions. Get involved in the weird and wonderful craft making and you can take home a spine-chilling memento.
Visit our walled garden to take a creepy spider hunt, you will also have the opportunity discover lots of spooky facts about these eight legged creatures.
There will be a daily fancy dress parade in the courtyard so make sure you come dressed up for the occasion, gory face painting and carving pumpkins will also be taking place too.
Are you brave enough to ride on the ghost train? Take a daring trip on the North Norfolk railway over half term and you’ll be in for a treat and a few tricks too!
For an extra spooky experience, stop off at Weybourne Station and enter the spook-laden Halloween Hall, a hellish haunt of witches, warlocks and shuddering spiders……. It’s not for the faint hearted!
This magical and enchanting event will celebrate the Halloween festivities with an array of workshops and activities to entertain children and parents alike.
Children will have the opportunity to make a magic wand, a witches pet (a bat!), a wizard shield, a magic potion or a witches messenger (an owl!) in one of the bookable workshops.
There are plenty of other free activities including a walk through the woods to discover the magical power of trees and children can also help make the fairy banquet or some special brew in the witches’ kitchen.
Ghostly Gressenhall
30th & 31st October
http://events.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/public_events.aspx?page=1&event_venue_id=2
30th & 31st October
http://events.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/public_events.aspx?page=1&event_venue_id=2
Don your Halloween costumes and prepare for a spooky evening at Gressenhall where there will be plenty of activities to get involved with.
Help track down a howling hound that’s on the loose and take a ghostly tour of the workhouse. There’s also a shadow puppet show to enjoy, face painting and lots of arts activities to get involved in too.
AND A LITTLE FURTHER AFIELD…..
PrimEVIL
Dinosaur Park, Lenwade
25th October – 2nd November
www.primevil-scare.com
PrimEVIL
Dinosaur Park, Lenwade
25th October – 2nd November
www.primevil-scare.com
Head to Norfolk’s biggest Halloween experience and enjoy 5 frightening attractions including the screaming woods and the maze of mutants! Take the opportunity to carve your very own pumpkin and get up close and personal with an array of creepy crawlies if you dare!
BeWILDerwood will be feeling a little spooky over half term week so come dressed up in your best Halloween gear and take the opportunity to build your own lantern and join in with Snagglefang’s end-of-day Luminous Lantern Parade – it’s a magical way to finish the season!
29th August 2013
Christmas at Cranmer
Christmas at Cranmer is one of out most favourite times of the year. We thrive on the vibe and excitement that families bring when they stay and it’s something we look forward to when the winter months start to creep up on us.
If you’ve considered getting away over the festive period but haven’t quite made up your mind whether to do so or not, here’s a few reasons why you should spend your Christmas with us:
1) Home from Home
Our cottages are family friendly and give a warm and friendly feel that makes you feel instantly at home. Over the festive period, all of our cottages are trimmed with Christmas trees and other decorations to give you that truly festive feel.
2) Lots of Space
Each cottage has been designed with an open plan living space which is perfect for families who want to enjoy time together. We also have cottages with inter-connecting doors, meaning we can accommodate groups of up to 12 people. In addition to this, our fantastic Green Room is available to hire if you are in need of a large dining space to get everyone around a table for a Christmas Day feast!
3) The Great Outdoors!
North Norfolk is famous for big skies, beautiful countryside and a rugged coastline, and on a cold winter’s day there’s nothing more invigorating than a brisk walk and a good blast of fresh air. Seeing as we all have a tendency to over indulge in rich foods over the festive period a good walk is the perfect tonic to pep you up. Our heated indoor pool is always a very warm and welcoming retreat if you are the kind of person who isn’t keen on braving the elements!
4) Festive Activities
From early December the area becomes a hive of festive activity with lots of events and things to do. There are festive markets to browse around, the Christmas spectacular at Thursford is always popular as is the special Santa steam train trips. The local panto in Norwich is fun for a day out, plus there are plenty of places for children to meet Father Christmas too.
5) Festive Feasts
There are a large number of local food suppliers in the area to help you create the ultimate Christmas gourmet experience. Order yourself a famous Norfolk Black or Bronze Turkey for your Christmas Dinner and try out a variety of local cheeses, our favourite being Mrs Temple’s Binham Blue. We are lucky to have a number of local farm shops which stock an array of other local delights including the famous Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies, Gnaw Chocolate and the very delectable Norfolk Cordial.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to slave over a hot stove on Christmas Day, there are plenty of local pubs and restaurants you can book instead, or, we can help you organise caterers who can do the cooking for you in the comfort of your own cottage.
Whatever your needs are, we can help you arrange a very memorable Christmas away from home.