This Bucolic Corner of Southern England Has Never Been Buzzier

The honey-colored stone cottages of the Cotswolds, the windswept beaches of Cornwall, the historical charm of East Sussex—the list of picture-postcard rural getaways in Britain is long. But there’s a new (and fast-rising) contender for the crown: North Norfolk.

Just two hours north of London, but what feels like an entire world away, the region is best known for its vast, dune-like beaches, crumbling medieval abbeys, and grande dame stately homes. Your average day here might involve a morning wandering through the Palladian grandeur of Holkham Hall’s cavernous public rooms, stuffed with classical statues and Flemish tapestries, before venturing out to wander through its 25,000 acres of farmland, forests, and nature reserves—not least the remarkably unspoiled Holkham Beach, where you can ride horses past the colorful beach huts or take a dip in the brackish waters of the North Sea.

Merely half an hour down the road, you’ll find Houghton Hall, another lavish stately home originally commissioned in 1722 by the first British Prime Minister Horace Walpole, and which today—thanks to chatelaine Rose Cholmondeley—has become a beacon for the contemporary art scene, hosting exhibitions by the likes of James Turrell and Antony Gormley. It’s also a magnet for the fashion crowd: Jonathan Anderson, who has a second home in the area, hosted a weekend retreat there last summer to celebrate a Loewe-sponsored exhibition by ceramicist Magdalene Odundo. And that’s without even mentioning the region’s deep-seated royal connections, largely thanks to the Sandringham estate: open to the public seasonally, it’s best known as a Christmas getaway for the royals and the countryside bolthole of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

But the real reason it’s worth making a detour from the more well-worn corners of British countryside for this hidden gem? A new guard of stylish stays showcasing the region’s more refined side. First, there’s The Maltings in Weybourne: just a few minutes walk from the beach, this charming conversion of a complex of malt houses dating back to the 16th century feels like its own little village. Check-in is a breezy stop by an antique desk to be handed your antique key, before you flounce onto a plush floral-print sofa in the drawing room and are served a pot of tea—it may sound like a cliché, but it really does feel like you’ve just arrived in the cozy living room of a friend’s country retreat. The same goes for the rooms, which blend classic English chintz with more laid-back contemporary touches—think hand-thrown ceramic lamps botanical prints on the walls—as well as cozy bathrooms, many of which come with clawfoot bathtubs. (Perfect for a long, hot soak after a chilly dip in the ocean.)

The star of the show here, however, is the food, served in the former grain store—a delightful blend of architectural past and present, with industrial steel beams painted Tuscan red and a sweeping glass and steel staircase, surrounded by the rustic charm of the original stone walls and a soaring wooden ceiling. You’ll want to stay at least a few days so you can really eat your way through the menu, as every dish we tried was faultless. Though, if forced to select a highlight, I’d lean towards the crisp mini tacos stuffed with succulent crab sourced from the nearby coastal town of Cromer, or the perfect, greaseless crunch of the fried chicken with a zingy chipotle sauce on the side. Don’t skip the so-called “Norfolk sharers” either: heaving platters of cote de boeuf with triple-cooked chips and a salad made with local Blakeney leaves, or an eye-popping tray of lobster, Brancaster Staithe prawns, and saffron pickled cockles, sprinkled with samphire—heaven on a plate.

Twenty minutes down the road, you’ll also find Nest Farmhouse, a restaurant with rooms from the team behind the buzzy, Michelin-starred Restaurant St Barts in London, who have now set up shop in a former cattle shed on a 1,000-acre farm outside King’s Lynn. Once again, the emphasis is on seasonal dishes and local ingredients, such as a Wells crab with barbecued green beans, or a particularly delicious monkfish dish served in a fragrant curried lobster sauce and a crisp fennel bhaji, or a genius dessert of a donut stuffed with rhubarb and elderflower custard—all best enjoyed on the barn’s veranda, with the sun is beaming down across the glittering lake and lawns of wildflowers beyond. (The clapboard exterior and spacious porches lend it a delightfully middle-of-nowhere feel—you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d temporarily stepped into an unusually lush corner of the Australian outback.)

Finally, if you’re in the area, don’t forget the handful of Norfolk stalwarts that have been offering design-forward stays long before these newcomers arrived on the scene: not least The Harper. Nestled in the picturesque village of Langham (and once again featuring a top-tier restaurant, named Stanley’s—make sure to try the decadent black treacle-braised short rib), this boutique hotel's vibe is more Manhattan loft than English country pile. Housed in a former glass-blowing factory, its 32 rooms are spread around a central courtyard where you can take afternoon tea, or cocktails under the moody Norfolk sunset skies as the twinkling fairy lights and roaring outdoor fireplaces are lit. (There’s also a speakeasy-style bar complete with a pool table—and another fireplace, naturally—for nightcaps, and a small but perfectly formed spa complex for a post-hike jacuzzi or an Irene Forte facial to recover from the whipping winds of a long beach walk.) Also worth a mention? The Gunton Arms, a converted 19th-century pub owned by art dealer Ivor Braka, where you’ll find works by Damien Hirst and Nobuyoshi Araki lining the wainscoted sage green walls designed by Robert Kime, all lit by flickering candlelight like the kind of old coaching inn you might find in a Daphne Du Maurier novel—albeit with a Tracey Emin neon above the doorway.

But of course, what you really come to North Norfolk for are the natural wonders: from Cley-next-the-Sea, you can hop on a boat to visit the colony of seals at Blakeney Point, while in Happisburgh you can retrace footprints from 850,000 years ago—the oldest you’ll find anywhere outside of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. The region has always been beloved by a certain kind of low-key but stylish city dweller, and all who've come here have sung its praises as the kind of place where you can find both creative inspiration and a genuine sense of peace. Now, it seems the secret is out.