Pubs in Norfolk, Hotels in Norfolk

Pubs in Norfolk are plentiful which is great news for those of you looking for relaxed accommodation, whether it be for

• a pub or hotel with sea views
• a dog friendly north norfolk holiday
• a spa break
• a sporting short break
• a walking holiday
• bird watching break
• a romantic weekend away
• a gourmet few days away
• a smugglers inn  
• the 1940’s weekend
• visiting the grand stately homes in Norfolk

..... to name just a few ideas!

The list of pubs and hotels in Norfolk that we feature below cover all of these categories!  Some will be duplicate as they cover more than one category - in fact I think all of them cover more than one category - which shows how good they are!

This page has a growing list of extremely welcoming, usually dog friendly pubs in Norfolk.  Most of them at the moment are around the coast, which happens to be one of the most popular areas in Norfolk, but we’ll be expanding to cover pubs and hotels all over Norfolk.

Luckily Norfolk is a very rural county so dogs are a familiar sight and there are lots of places to walk and exercise your dog as well as many of the establishments allowing your dog into the bar area and bedroom!

A Map Of Pubs And Hotels In Norfolk

Pubs In Norfolk Close To The Beach

Norfolk has some incredibly wonderful beaches where the tide goes out for miles and you’re left with swathes of golden sand where you can just walk and walk and walk.  Many of the beaches are dog friendly too which is always an added bonus.

Because much of the coast has silted up over the years leaving salt marshes as a predominant landscape, there are only a few pubs and hotels which sit right on the coastline.

• One particular hotel which backs onto the sand dunes at Old Hunstanton is the Le Strange Arms Hotel.  It has fantastic sea views.  Old Hunstanton beach is dog friendly and is a favourite for many due to it being an uncommercial beach.  This hotel has some stunning views out to the sea.

• The Red Lion in Cromer is one of the other pubs in Norfolk which literally overlooks the sea.  Again, there are sea view rooms which you can book.  From the pub you just walk out of the door and down some steps to reach the Esplanade and the famous Cromer Pier and beach.  

Dog Friendly Pubs On The North Norfolk Coast

As I mentioned above, the North Norfolk Coast is an extremely popular destination so we have a few dog friendly pubs and hotels to choose from here.  They range from  pubs in Cromer, Wells-next-the-Sea, Thornham and Holkham and we’ll be adding more over time.

These pubs in Norfolk below are particularly dog friendly (others don’t have quite so many rooms for dogs etc).  

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Other dog friendly pubs in Norfolk along the coast are

• Titchwell Manor,
• The Red Lion in Cromer
• The Victoria Inn at Holkham 
• The Crown at Wells-next-the-Sea.

Romantic Getaways

Norfolk is the perfect place for a romantic getaway, never more so than in the autumn and winter months when the weather is colder and best of all, the beaches are empty!   At this time of year though, the pubs in Norfolk have wonderful cosy log fires to settle in front of after a bracing walk,  or maybe you'll just choose to have a lazy afternoon!

The Lifeboat Inn at Thornham has a really romantic feel to it and is just off the beaten track.  It has a very atmospheric 18th century oak bar with exposed beams and an amazing fireplace and just feels cosy the minute you step into the lounge.

If you’re after a romantic but a more modern hotel with a four poster bed, then take a look at Heacham Manor Hotel.   You can indulge yourself in the Manor Suite and while you’re there, take a few spa treatments at the same time!

Sporting Short Breaks

I’ll be adding some packages shortly, but there are some wonderful pubs in Norfolk where you can stay and play golf, go fishing or kite surf.

Kite Surfing

Kite surfing is becoming an increasingly popular sport and Le Strange Arms is one of the pubs in Norfolk that is perfectly situated for a weekend of being flown around by the wind because Old Hunstanton beach is one of the best beaches to kite surf from in Norfolk.   

Golfing Breaks

There are so many golf courses in Norfolk, but you can’t get better than Heacham Manor Hotel because it has its own 18 hole golf course.  Book in here and they can offer you golf packages to play on some of the other local courses too.

Bird watching

As you may already know, Norfolk is one of the premiere bird watching counties in the UK.  As we’re on the east coast of the UK, Norfolk is the first stop off point when birds are migrating from countries such as Africa and Russia, so we have some spectacular bird watching opportunities here, particularly in the winter months.

And what you'll need when you’ve been bird watching all day is to come back to one of the lovely relaxed pubs in Norfolk, or hotels, and sit in front of a roaring fire, a drink in hand and dinner served to you! 

I would recommend these following pubs and hotels for bird watching as they are close to some of the best bird watching sites.

Briarfields Hotel is a 2 minute drive from RSPB Titchwell Marsh which has some fantastic bird watching, along with a very modern state-of-the-art bird watching hide.

Heacham Manor is perfectly placed to nip along to RSPB Snettisham and watch the amazing Wader Spectacular or the flight of the Pink Footed Geese at dawn.  This is a fantastic hotel with spa and golf course so it features quite a lot!

Le Strange Arms in Old Hunstanton and The Lodge Inn at Old Hunstanton would also be good locations for a spot of bird watching.

Titchwell Manor is also a very short walk or drive to RSPB Titchwell and can also be described as providing some wonderful fine dining.

Walking

With the Norfolk Coast Path stretching all the way along 83 miles of the Norfolk coast, there are lots of fantastic pubs in Norfolk to stay in during your hike, or even just to drop by for a bite to eat.  If you’d like to have your walking holiday organised for you, just let us know – you can find more about what we offer with our Norfolk Walking Holidays here.

The closest pub/hotel to the Norfolk Coast Path is the Le Strange Arms which has its lawns sweeping down to the coastal path.  

The Lodge Inn is also just a short walk to Old Hunstanton beach and from there onto the Norfolk Coast Path which you can follow as far as you like and then catch the bus back (the bus stop is just outside the pub!). 

The Lifeboat Inn at Thornham is so close to the Norfolk Coast Path and Thornham Creek that this makes for a wonderfully coastal rural retreat.  This is a great place to base yourself for walking parts of the Norfolk Coast Path (and catching a bus is always easy once you get to where-ever you want to finish your walk).  This pub in Norfolk is an old 18th century coaching inn and still retains the oak bar but also has a very modern and light conservatory.

The Chequers Inn is also worth mentioning here.  This is a little further along the road in Thornham and is the sister pub to The Lifeboat but has the added bonus of having a “pavilion” where you could hold your own small (10 max) party for an evening meal.  This was recently refurbished.  

The Chequers is right on the Norfolk Coast Path, so why not stop by for a drink and a bite to eat also?

But if you wanted to stay further along the coast for the trail, then Wells-next-the-Sea would be a good pub in Norfolk to base yourself too.  The Crown pub is situated a little back from the harbour wall and overlooks a pretty green surrounded by Georgian houses.

New for 2020, we will also be offering a 3 night/2 day short break walking holiday in Wells-next-the-Sea which you can read about shortly.

Smugglers Pubs!

This one needs a bit of imagination but could be fun! 

Smuggling didn’t just happen in Cornwall.  Norfolk had its fair share too!  Both Cromer and Sheringham were used for smuggling and Weybourne was particularly popular because boats could anchor close to the shoreline, unlike other villages and towns along the coast, and also because of the gap where the cliffs end (or begin) meant they could then transport their cargo onwards more easily.

The Lobster Inn is one such pub in Norfolk that conjures the imagination as its an 18th century coaching inn which has refurbished rooms as B&B, has great rates and also has some self catering fishermen's cottages called The Smugglers! 

Spa Breaks In Norfolk

Some of you love Spa’s.  Well there are a few pubs and hotels in Norfolk that have Spa’s and offer spa breaks.  What better than going away for a relaxing weekend, indulging yourself, being pampered and not having to cook – sounds perfect to me!

Heacham Manor in Heacham is one such hotel.  It has its own Spa called the Mulberry Spa where you can have no end of treatments for a completely relaxing break.  And if you like treatments, and your other half likes golf – this is a weekend made in heaven!

The Hoste in Burnham Market is a boutique pub in Norfolk which has its own spa too.  The Hoste has been a very popular pub over the years and and has changed hands twice recently, the last was in 2019 when it was taken over by the City Pub Group.  This continues to be a boutique luxury pub in the pretty and popular village of Burnham Market. 

Fine Dining

There are a few pubs in Norfolk that provide really excellent food such as The Neptune in Old Hunstanton and Morston Hall in Morston, but one that I feature here is Titchwell Manor.  Apart from having amazing views over the marshes, it’s also dog friendly and definitely prides itself on the food created by head chef Eric Snaith.

1940’s weekend

This is an incredibly popular weekend in September with about 20,000 people descending on Sheringham and Cromer and many of the pubs in Norfolk get booked up very quickly, as you can imagine.   

1940’s dressing up, old buses and the steam railway at Sheringham are fully operational along with a whole host of other 1940’s events.  Don’t miss it!

Two of the best pubs for this would be:

• The Lobster, as Graham Deans, the owner, actually organises the weekend so he’s well in the know!  
• And then in the neighbouring town of Cromer, the Red Lion is also very popular for this weekend.

Pubs And Hotels For Visiting Norfolk’s Stately Homes

You should know by now, having browsed the pages of this website (!), that we are very lucky in Norfolk to have some incredible stately homes which are well worth visiting. 

• Three of these wonderful properties are managed by the National Trust and they are Felbrigg Hall, Oxburgh Hall and Blickling Hall.  
• The others are privately owned and they are Sandringham House, Houghton Hall and Holkham Hall.  So why not base yourself in one of these pubs in Norfolk for ease of travelling and enjoy these special historical houses.

Blickling Hall

For Blickling Hall, you can stay in this rural pub a few minutes’ walk from the Hall and also enjoy a lovely circular 4.5 mile walk around the estate while you’re there.

Felbrigg Hall

For Felbrigg Hall, pop into Cromer and stay in the Red Lion pub which overlooks the sea.  You can even walk from here to Felbrigg Hall along the Weaver’s Way, should you wish.

Holkham Hall

For Holkham Hall, why not stay in The Victoria Inn which is right at the entrance to the drive up to the Hall.  It’s also a stone’s throw away from the fantastic Holkham beach and the Norfolk Coast Path and incredibly close to Wells-next-the-Sea

Houghton Hall

For Houghton Hall, why not enjoy the rustic and relaxed charm of the Dabbling Duck, situated in the middle of a lovely Norfolk village with a couple of ponds.  Houghton Hall is about a 7 minute drive from the pub.

Sandringham House

For Sandringham House, you could stay in the village of Snettisham at the award winning Rose and Crown.  A real English pub with a lovely atmosphere.

Oxburgh Hall

If you would like to visit Oxburgh Hall, try the Bedingfeld Arms.  Again this is another pub which is about a 5 minute walk from Oxburgh Hall and dog friendly.  

We will be adding more pubs in Norfolk over time.  

If you’d like your pub or hotel to feature on these pages, please see our advertising page here.

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