Victoria Goss
Victoria Goss,
7 Bull Street, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6HR.
01263 711627.
Latest: Shop online at Victoria Goss’s NEW website! Lovely gift ideas and treats for you – available to buy online now.
A beautiful boutique named after owner Kay Loombes Grandmother, Victoria Goss in Holt offers an array of gorgeous things for your home, bath, body and wardrobe. Pretty things with just the slightest air of yesteryear adorn almost every inch.
Tucked behind Shirehall Plain on Bull Street in the charming Georgian market town of Holt, Victoria Goss stocks very carefully selected products that are crafted with natural materials (think baby-soft bamboo & cotton bathmats and Irish lambs wool throws by Foxford). It is the ultimate North Norfolk black book secret for sourcing inspired and unique artisan goodies for yourself or your home (also a good place for gifts if you can bear to part with what you buy!).
Visit Victoria Goss in Holt for sumptuous cotton nightwear by the likes of Fair Play, Star Dreamer, Calla Lily and Damask. Combine this with high thread count cotton bed linen, embroidered pillowcases, divine fragranced draw liners and natural wax candles by Max Benjamin and create a blissful bedroom sanctuary you’ll never want to leave.
Pamper yourself with Victoria Goss’s own indulgent range of rose-based toiletries. Handmade from natural and active botanical ingredients, the range is perfect for normal, mature and/or sensitive skin. As well as skincare and body products, it includes delights such as ‘Bouquet of Roses’ Scented Ironing Water. Just sublime.
Also pick up the Gin & Tonic range by The Littlecote Soap Co. Featuring organic Lemongrass and Juniper Essential Oils and “Made In The British Countryside”, this highly popular collection of goodies is great for general aches and pains and for uplifting the spirits. Not unlike a browse in Victoria Goss then, really.
A brief description cannot possibly do justice to the wonderful selection that awaits inside Victoria Goss. With a friendly and personal service, and plenty to delight, Victoria Goss is like the ultimate old-fashioned bed, bath & beauty emporium, transported to the 21st century.
Gorgeous handmade paper gift-wrapping service available.
Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm (10am-4pm, January & February) (or shop online through the Victoria Goss website at anytime).
Simply Coastal
Simply Coastal.
Quayside, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1AR.
Tel: 01328 710269.
A recently opened fashion and lifestyle boutique in Wells next the Sea where the salt-tinged air and fantastic views are thrown in for free, Simply Coastal is literally metres from the sea.
Inside is pretty, eclectic and airy, with a suggestion of rustic nauticalia. Most importantly though, Simply Coastal is full of gorgeous clothes, accessories, gifts and items for your home. All are stylish and classic, but with a tiny hint of fresh North Norfolk flair about them.
Clothing lines stocked at Simply Coastal include:
- Bohemia (gorgeous!)
- Sandwich
- Ness (the striking tartan knitwear and tweeds in pink, purple and green – we love it!)
- Mudd & Water
- Adini
- Pomodoro
- Intown
- Capri
- Pachamama
- Giggle
To perfect your outfit, you’ll find jewellery, footwear, handbags and scarves in every flavour of desirable. There is a selection of carefully chosen ornaments, picture frames, mirrors and wall decorations so your living space doesn’t feel left out.
We should point out that all of the above also make fabulous gifts. If you can bear to part with them that is. We’d struggle…
Open 7 days (Winter) 10am-5pm (Summer) 10am-6pm.
The Hat Shop
The Hat Shop.
Pentney House, The Green, Burnham Market,
Norfolk, PE31 8HD.
Tel: 01328 738267.
The Hat Shop at Pentney House in Burnham Market is a North Norfolk institution that deserves a visit whether you’re in the market for headwear or not.
If you are looking for a hat, then you’ve come to right place. Pentney House has thousands of ladies and men’s hats on display at any one time, along with a fabulous array of fascinators, handbags, shoes and other accessories. Be it for a formal occasion, such as a wedding or Royal Ascot, or a more casual style for holidays or everyday wear, you’ll find it all here. The Hat Shop stocks leading brands including Olney, Stetson and Bailey as well as many other exciting names.
The Hat Shop staff are friendly and helpful and will be happy to assist and advise with any aspect of your search for the perfect hat – bring your outfit or a swatch with you and they will help choose a hat and accessories that will match perfectly.
If you’re not strictly hat-shopping, go along anyway – the ground floor features a Candle Room, a Greeting Card Room, a Preserve Room and a host of excellent items at reasonable prices, which make ideal gifts and souvenirs. Within the Craft Room, you’ll find plenty of items for the craft maker, many of which start at just £1.
In case you can’t get to Burnham Market, you can now purchase many items from The Hat Shop online via their web shops, menshatshop.co.uk and ladieshatshop.co.uk – with free UK delivery on all items, looking stylish has never been so tempting!
Summer Opening Times:
Monday-Saturday 9am-5.30pm.
Sunday 11am-5pm.
Winter Opening Times:
Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm.
Sunday 11am-5pm.
The Hat Shop is open on Bank Holidays.
EnjoyMent Offer:
- Ten per cent discount off all full-price hats, bags & shoes from the Burnham Market shop (excludes sale items) with an EnjoyMent Card.
Click here to become a member.
Norfolk Home and Garden
Norfolk Home & Garden.
32 High Street, Hunstanton, Norfolk, PE36 5AF.
Tel: 01485 534509.
Norfolk Home & Garden has been carefully sourcing unusual plants and distinctive decorations for the home and garden since 2008. Customer demand has seen the business expand to deliver their wonderful products from a shop on the main High Street in Hunstanton town centre, as well as through their website.
A business run by family and friends, Norfolk Home & Garden is passionate about quality and being able to offer accessories and gifts that are ‘just that little bit different’. Some items in store are locally made, while others (such as the delightful wood carvings) come from as far a field as Indonesia, where they are Fair Trade, being bought directly from the woodcarvers themselves. Around 90% of what you’ll find on offer is hand crafted, making for a really unique gift or talking point for your home or living space.
Wood, and natural materials feature quite heavily on the ranges stocked at Norfolk Home & Garden. The fabulous ‘Driftwood’ collection (as featured on TVs ’60 Minute Makeover’) comprises one-off pieces such as mirrors, clocks and candleholders that are, as the name suggests, formed from genuine driftwood washed up on the North Norfolk Coast.
Norfolk Home & Garden are happy to discuss bespoke items – they make signs to order, for example. If you have something in mind (be it a lampshade, a mirror or a bird house), owner Debbie and team are more than happy to talk it through with you.
A great place to find beautiful and special objects for your home or garden, or to give as a gift, Norfolk Home & Garden is well worth a visit.
Great To Be Green
Great to be Green.
9 Chapel Yard, Albert Street, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6HG.
Tel: 01263 711733.
With its warm, friendly atmosphere and eye-catching displays, Great to be Green in Holt is quickly gaining a reputation for it’s stylish gifts for the home and garden.
Everything within is British made or Fair Trade, from locally grown herbs to beautiful soft furnishings. Add in a healthy serving of vintage collectibles, and you’re sure to find something for every occasion and taste.
Wonderfully, the shop is conveniently located right next to Chapel Yard car park, so there’s no trek back to the car with all those bags! When in Holt, and if you like beautiful things, a visit to the shop is simply a must.
One Internet review that we found of Great to be Green said:
“5 stars. Fabulous shop a real treasure trove of wonderfully diverse things – from hand made cards to beautiful throws. Very friendly staff. This shop is tucked away – but well worth finding.” – C of Norwich (2010).
Couldn’t put it better ourselves…
Made In Cley
Made In Cley.
High Street, Cley-next-the-Sea, near Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RF.
Tel: 01263 740134.
Made In Cley is a veritable gem on the high street in Cley-next-the-Sea, one of the most authentic and charming North Norfolk coastal villages you’re likely to encounter.
Established in 1983 with 3 potters and 1 jeweller, Made In Cley occupies a gorgeous double fronted Grade II listed regency shop building that used to be the Village Store (so nice that it is still operating as a purveyor of local wares). Now with a team of 8 resident potters and a jeweller, Made In Cley exists as a high quality gallery, showcasing work made in the on-site workshops.
Inside, you’ll find a wide selection of stoneware pottery for the kitchen and dining table, ranging from the very functional to the highly decorative. You’ll also find a few one off ornamental pieces. Not only beautiful to look at, the pots, plates and bowls produced here are ovenproof and dishwasher safe. No wonder then, that restaurants in London, Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam use tableware by Made in Cley. Bowls from Made In Cley have been spotted on Simon Hopkinson’s ‘The Good Cook’, shown on BBC1.
In addition to functional pottery, there is an inspiring range of sculptural and decorative ceramics to admire and buy, including tile panels and garden pots.
As well as pottery, Made In Cley sells exquisite contemporary jewellery in silver and gold, often incorporating precious and semi-precious stones and pearls. Each piece is individually designed and handmade and commissions are welcome.
Stunning photography and art prints, predominantly of North Norfolk coastal scenes, by Wolfgang Altmann are also for sale at Made In Cley.
Gift vouchers and wedding list service available.
Open all year round: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm.
Doodle Pots Ceramic Cafe
Doodle Pots Ceramic Café.
1A New Street, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6JJ.
Tel: 01263 713135.
Imagine a place open to everyone – the very young to the very old, that combines the relaxed vibe of a café with the facilities to let you unleash your most artistic tendencies. Doodle Pots is such a place.
Located just off the main High Street in Holt, Doodle Pots Ceramic Café is based on a simple, but appealing philosophy: choose a piece of pottery, decorate it with your own design (go on, go wild!) and then once it is fired and glazed (process takes 3-4 days•) you can take it home to display in all its glory. Remember when your Parents first hung a picture you did on the wall when you were 4 years old? Well imagine recapturing that feeling now. And if you have your own 4 year old, let them unleash their inner Bernard Leach so you can display their fabulous creation with pride. All while sipping a delicious Lavazza cappuccino (you, not the child).
Doodle Pots has heaps of colours, brushes and stencils to select from, as well as books and, of course, the friendly and enthusiastic Café staff.
If you’re visiting the area briefly or want to make something you can take home the same day, you can ‘Make and Take’. Try your hand with mosaics or use acrylics on pottery. The technique of Decopatch allows you to revamp any old object (furniture, photo frames, dishes, trinket boxes…) by covering it with beautiful paper and varnish to create a stunning, long-lasting finish. Recycling never looked so elegant.
Doodle Pots also hosts Children’s parties, Office/Corporate sessions and Hen Parties. Doodle Pots can come to you for parties, youth groups or fund raising events. Please contact Rachel on 01263 713135 for more information.
Doodle Pots also offers a Baby/Toddler Hand and Footprint service to capture those tiny baby hand and footprints forever. The perfect gift for Mothers/Fathers Day or for adoring Grandparents.
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (plus Sundays during the summer).
Group booking at other times.
Closed Thursdays Sept-May during school term time.
Booking is advised during school holidays to avoid disappointment.
*don’t worry – Doodle Pots can also post your creation safely in enough bubble wrap to keep your kids entertained all year!
Bircham Windmill
Bircham Windmill.
Great Bircham, Norfolk, PE31 6SJ.
Tel: 01485 578393.
Found only a few miles from Sandringham and Hunstanton in North-West Norfolk, Bircham Windmill is considered to be one of the best remaining examples of a British Windmill. It is also the only working windmill in the area to be open to the public. Brave visitors can ascend the five floors to the fan stage and, on windy days, you can see the sails and milling machinery turning.
Carefully restored to look just as it did over a Century ago, a visit to Bircham Windmill offers the rare opportunity to experience the history and character of a Norfolk Corn Mill – a phenomenon that was once prolific in this region.
On site is also the original bakery and a baking shop, from which the inimitable smell of freshly baked bread will welcome you if you’re lucky enough to visit on a baking day. The baking shop sells various flours, fresh bread, scones and cakes as well as baking paraphernalia, recipe books and much more. ‘Children’s Baking Corner’ enables children to bake some bread to take home for tea (£2 per child).
Also for Children (and grown-up animal lovers of course!) are the adorable Falabella miniature horses, sheep, pygmy goats, chickens and guinea pigs. With the opportunity to meet the animals and an Under 7’s play area, you can relax in the Mill garden while your kids play.
Bircham Windmill also has Tea Rooms (serving home made cakes, scones and light lunches along with their famous Clotted Cream Teas), an Art Gallery (with a different artist each month), Gift Shop, Family Cycle Hire Centre and trails and walks around the Mill for cyclists and walkers.
With so much to do and enjoy, most of which is free and can be accessed separately to the Mill itself, Bircham Windmill is a novel day out in Norfolk that will appeal to all members of the family.
FREE ENTRY into Tea Rooms & Gardens.
Entry to Windmill: Adults £3.85, Retired £3.10, Children 4-15 yrs £2.00. Season tickets also available.
Open daily from April 3rd 2012 – September 30th 2012 10am-5pm.
Dogs are welcome on leads.
Disabled parking & toilet facilities on site. All ground floor areas are wheelchair accessible.
Vintage Home and Garden
Vintage Home and Garden.
On the main A149 coast road, Drove Orchards, Thornham Road,
Thornham, Norfolk, PE36 6SL.
Tel: 01485 525714.
Bells and Whistles
Bells & Whistles.
Studio G, Creake Abbey Studios, North Creake
Norfolk, NR21 9LF.
Tel: 01485 543173.
Found in the lovely Creak Abbey Studios, Bells & Whistles is self-described as ‘a collection of unique and special children’s clothing and gifts with a nostalgic twist for imaginative and spirited boys and girls up to about 10 years’. Think Christopher Robin, Huck Finn and perhaps the Famous Five. In really lovely clothes.
Inside (and online) are divine items for every occasion, from beach to party wear. The only drawback is that they’re just for kids. Boo.
Designers housed within include:
- D’Arcy Brown (stylish, practical lines from this London-based brand)
- Their Nibs (Retro, contemporary and lots of fun)
- Mitty James (Fab Brit beachwear for all outdoor adventurers!)
- Little Davis (Customised, vintage items underpinned by strong ethical standards. Utterly unique)
- ilovegorgeous (a celebration of fun, fashion and feminity for girls by Harry Enfield’s other half)
As well as sumptuous wardrobe-candy, Bells & Whistles has a selection of night lights, soft furnishings such as cushions, prints and gifts. Some items are locally made here in Norfolk, making them extra-special souvenirs of a much loved summer holiday or a magical Christmas escape.
Open Tues-Sat 11am-4.30pm (and on Sun days during school holidays).
Norfolk Wildlife Trust – Cley Marshes Nature Reserve
Norfolk Wildlife Trust: Cley Marshes.
On the A149 coast road, 1/2 mile east of Cley-next-the-Sea,
4 1/2 miles north of Holt.
Postcode: NR25 7SA.
Tel: 01263 740008.
The original Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve and a blueprint for nature conservation that has since been replicated across the Country, Cley Marshes in North Norfolk is regarded as one of the UK’s best bird watching sites. Deservedly so, with pools, scrapes, trails and hides, this nature reserve attracts water birds in the thousands throughout the year (more than 300 species of birds have been recorded at Cley Marshes, with regular visitors including Avocets, Kestrels, Bearded Tits, Cormorants and Oystercatchers).
The Reserve boasts an inspiring and award-winning ‘eco-friendly’ visitor centre that employs a wind turbine to generate its power and harvests rainwater to flush the toilets, among other fascinating green innovations. Inside, the café and gift shop provide protection from the elements on chillier days, whilst still allowing a fabulous view of the Reserve through a vast observation area along one side of the Centre (complete with telescopes and audio-visual presentations).
Nature Reserve and visitor centre open all year (except Christmas Day) 10am-5pm (10am-4pm 1st Nov-1st Mar).
There is a small charge for entry to the Reserve (about £4) but entry is free for children and members of Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
Boardwalks provide access for wheelchairs and pushchairs throughout the reserve and the visitor centre is accessible to wheelchair users via a lift.
There is ample parking in front of the visitor centre.
Other Norfolk Wildlife Trust sites across North Norfolk that are well worth a visit include Salthouse Marshes (just along from Cley Marshes), Foxley Wood, Thursford Wood, Ringstead Downs (near Hunstanton), Syderstone Common and Booton Common.
The Shop at Cley Windmill
The Shop at Cley Windmill.
Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR25 7RP.
Tel: 01263 740209.
Historic Cley Windmill is arguably one of the most memorable and delightful places to visit in Norfolk.
An imposing early 18th Century windmill in the heart of the charming coastal village of Cley, it offers an unrivalled experience in accommodation and dining due to its unique nature and super high-quality standards. As if these were not reason enough to call, the recent addition of an on-site ‘Windmill shop’ only increases the draw of the place.
The shop specialises in locally sourced gifts, souvenirs and general loveliness alongside thoroughly useful items such as Ordinance survey maps and wildlife guides.
The ‘Cley Windmill’ own-branded items including ‘Juicy Jelly’ preserve and gorgeous handmade soap are just adorable. Our personal favourites are the ‘I’d Rather Be At Cley Windmill’ china mugs.
Gorgeous jewellery that is exclusively stocked within the shop is handmade by a local Cley resident. What better reminder of a fantastic visit to the Norfolk coast?
