Secluded Picture Postcard Cottage with Heated Pool

YOU'LL LOVE THE IDYLLIC & SECLUDED SETTING HERE… The garden vistas, quiet country lane, in small rural hamlet, yet enjoy being within easy reach of 'Shakespeare in Love' beaches, the rivers and lakes of the Norfolk Broads, walks in Thetford Forest, the charm of the Cathedral City of Norwich. A place that's a sanctuary away from work, peace and seclusion, an antidote to the stresses of modern life… especially after a dip in the heated pool. ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY... Whatever the time of year, the place seems to give you a warm welcome as you arrive … across little bridges, five bar gates at either side of a carriageway gravel drive, there’s an instant feeling of escape from the outside world. Greeted by a few little treats, we endeavour to ensure that you begin to unwind. As the days grow longer through Spring and into Summer, for us, the house has an extra special feel, different from its Autumn and Winter persona, but nonetheless magical. The garden bursts into life and is full of interest, as more and more time is spent outdoors, a sanctuary now out as well as indoors, it gives you a lift, raises your spirits. It's a place where several generations of family meet, friends that live a distance apart gather to catch up, birthdays and anniversaries are celebrated (21 birthdays have been celebrated here in the last 12 months from 18ths to 70ths) , couples escape the pace of working life, visitors from near and far stay to attend an event (wedding stays are popular here and we even had a bride leave here for her wedding last summer) or simply to use as the perfect base from which to explore the many experiences Norfolk has to offer. A RURAL IDYLL WITH ULTRAFAST FIBRE BROADBAND... rarely available across the county, your escape to the country doesn't mean limited or no signal during your stay with us. For your enjoyment we also have NETLIX too. SPACE TO ROAM INSIDE AND OUT... There’s much more space inside than people anticipate, as so many guests comment… light and airy, yet still cosy which, together with the outdoor garden spaces and its poolside appeals. Our fabulous kitchen is a great place to be, socialise, prepare meals, the dining room a more intimate space for impromptu meals or a dinner party, the garden room a lovely place to chill and the living room with the character of its beams, fireplace and focal point wood burner, somewhere to snuggle down with a glass of wine and catch up with your Netflix favourites. INFANTS UNDER 2 ARE ALWAYS WELCOME BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT PROVIDE COTS, HIGHCHAIRS OR STAIR GATES. The breakfast kitchen provides use of an American style fridge/freezer, a range style cooker with electric oven and a six burner gas hob plus a microwave. The usual crockery, cutlery, pots and pans. There's both a Dolce Gusto coffee machine and a Cafetière, so you can choose your favourite capsule or ground coffee to bring with you. We do have a washing machine and tumble dryer in our utility room. If you need to use any of these please let us know and we can facilitate this for you. Here you'll find airy bedrooms with comfy beds including a spacious master bedroom and en-suite bathroom (bath & separate shower) with lovely garden and countryside views. The second bathroom has just been beautifully refitted and features a large walk-in shower with contemporary rainfall head. If you have children within your group, we can provide a Z-bed on request for the master bedroom (this is the additional single bed) and the second bedroom has a comfortable Futon Company single sofa bed. Again, if you have toddlers, please feel free to bring a travel cots, high chairs and baby gates if required. We have a supplement of £15 per night for use of each of the z-bed and futon bed. Outside MAKING A SPLASH... Our heated swimming pool is popular with our guests… “it’s just like being in Provence” some have commented, others “a Mediterranean escape” or “transported from a warmer climate” and yes, private, secluded and for your own exclusive use during your stay here. Please note that we keep the pool open from the 1st April until 30th September, our normal Spring/Summer season. However, outside of this time, the pool may be opened on individual request with advance prior notice - a supplementary charge would apply. The gardens feel sheltered because of the vale location and really well screened established boundaries, underpinned by borders packed with an incredible variety of trees and shrubs. GARDENS TO ENTERTAIN AND FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION... The garden spaces here are designed to entertain and for quiet contemplation. The array of outdoor dining spaces suit breakfasts for two, al fresco lunches with friends and family, barbecues, evening meals at dusk and under the stars. You can imagine how lovely it would be to move around the garden, glass of wine in hand, to sample the different vistas... and of course there's the decked surrounds of the pool, a wonderful place to unwind and wile away the hours. We have five sun loungers and other chairs around the pool. Whilst we have a few pool toys and inflatables, please feel free to bring with you any water wings or buoyancy aids (depending on the age of children and swimming abilities) and any other favourite inflatables. We also have a small BBQ in our 'herb garden' which is adjacent to the pool area - you'll see on the pictures the one showing the table, chairs and parasol , which is perfect if adults want to eat and drink, but still be in close proximity to the children in the pool. Dogs We are happy to welcome your well-behaved dog, but we do ask that you keep them on a lead whilst in the garden and don't allow them on sofas or beds without an adequate blanket. There are walks on the doorstep, popular with other dog owners that you'll find ideal for the morning and evening 'constitutionals'. Please do not allow your dog to use our gardens as a toilet! A pet supplement of £10 per night per dog will apply and is charged separately via a payment request prior to your stay. The price per dog quoted at the head of the listing applies to a 7 night stay... for reservations for shorter or longer breaks the supplement will be amended accordingly. PARKING Our ‘in-out’ driveway affords easy vehicular access to the house, but please park your car at the front of the house in the area from the front door to the gate at that side (as indicated on the site plan in the front hall), especially if there are several cars in your group. Please do not park in front of our lounge window as it detracts from both our and your privacy. It may seem obvious, but please do not park on the lawn areas. THE POOL We are happy for you to share our garden and of course you will have exclusive use of the private heated swimming pool and its decked surrounds - the Pool is open from 10 am until 7.00pm (10.30am until 7.00pm on Sundays). The pool is 24' long x 12' wide and is approx 3'10'' deep… great to cool off, but comfortable for adults to swim - you just need to do more lengths. As with all pools, care must always be taken whilst in use and around the poolside decking, particularly when water can make the surface slippery. Children and non-swimmers must be supervised by an adult at all times. please use your pool towels for around the pool. Our bathroom towels are for bathroom use only, so please bring with you your own towels for use around the pool. We do have some spare 'pool' towels in case the need arises. We live in the other part of the house and are usually around, so happy to have a chat or answer questions about the local area if you wish. We also have an old cat who you might see from time to time wandering around the garden. We will greet you on arrival to let you have keys. Access is from 4pm and departure by 10am please, but we are happy to be flexible (depending on other guest arrivals and departures) if prior arrangement has been made. We will ensure that you have some tea and coffee for your arrival - other than this it is self-catering. Part of our service is managing the pool. To this end, you may see us wander across the garden to the pool later in the evening as we go to switch on the pool heater. First thing in the morning we go to turn this off, then a little later prep the pool ready for opening at 10am (10.30am Sunday). Again, we will cover/close the pool at around 7.00pm. You may also see us occasionally in the garden, particularly across a warmer run of days, in order to water the plants, to try to ensure that the garden is always at its best. At some times, for instance when the weather is inclement or you are going out for the day, you may not want to use the pool early morning. Just let us know when you might want to use it and we will facilitate as best we can for you. You will probably not need the wood burner during the Spring and Summer months, but if you do wish to use it, you will need to supply your own logs and lighting material. If you are not use to lighting and operating a wood burner, we will show you how it’s done. Please do not try to light these if you don’t know how to, as it is likely to create a blow back of smoke into the room. From October to February we do leave a supply of logs for the wood burner, enough for your first evening. We can supply further logs to you at additional cost based on whether you want enough for the day/evening or just the evening. TRANQUILITY WITHOUT COMPROMISING ACCESSIBILITY... A rural hamlet (only 10 houses) just a mile from the village, minutes from the NEWLY OPENED CO-OP Store on the edge of the village, offering a 24 hour 7 days per week service which includes food and drink, a cash point and petrol station. The COSTA COFFEE, which sits adjacent to it, also offers a drive-through facility. So it’s really easy to pick up last minute provisions. Necton village also has another late opening general store and post office, open 7 days a week. It has a reasonable range of provisions, newspapers, wine, beer and spirits etc. There's also a butchers shop here. The Windmill Public House in Necton is a pleasant stroll away from the house – just over a mile away. It has a restaurant and does a good Sunday Lunch. You will also find an excellent children's play area adjacent to the main road through the village (Tuns Road). The market town of Swaffham is just 6 miles away (5-10 minutes by car) and has Waitrose, Tesco and Asda supermarkets. Its market, each Saturday morning, also has specialist fish and cheese stalls. PERFECT CENTRAL BASE... The location here is perfect for travel to different parts of Norfolk. The main A47 Kings Lynn to Norwich Road is a couple of minutes away and this links to the A1065 route up to North Norfolk. Here you can be into The Cathedral City of Norwich (26 miles) in 40-45 minutes outside of rush hours, Wells-next-the-Sea (29 miles) 40 minutes away and Thetford Forest just 20 minutes away. Norwich has both an airport and main line Railway Station to London Liverpool Street. Kings Lynn (18 miles), which is around 30 minutes away, has main line services to Cambridge and London Kings Cross. Dogs We are happy to welcome your well-behaved dog, but we do ask that you keep them on a lead whilst in the garden and don't allow them on sofas or beds without an adequate blanket. There are walks on the doorstep, popular with other dog owners that you'll find ideal for the morning and evening 'constitutionals'. Please do not allow your dog to use our gardens as a toilet! A pet supplement of £10 per night per dog will apply and is charged separately via a payment request prior to your stay. The price per dog quoted at the head of the listing applies to a 7 night stay... for reservations for shorter or longer breaks the supplement will be amended accordingly.