Large Holiday Cottages in Norfolk

Large holiday cottages Norfolk: where should your group stay?

Most of our big cottages sit within a few miles of the North Norfolk coast, a long run of sand, salt marsh and flint villages from the Wash round to Mundesley. The rest are split between the Norfolk Broads and the quieter farmland of west and south Norfolk.

Choose the sea or the river first.

The western end: Brancaster, Thornham and Holkham

This end faces west across the Wash, so you'll watch the sun set over the sea, a rare thing on England's east side! There are 18 big homes around Hunstanton, plus barn conversions and farmhouses in Thornham, Ringstead, Docking and Sedgeford. Wells-next-the-Sea and Blakeney have the harbours, the crab sheds and the boat trips out to Blakeney Point.

• Best for: walking groups, birdwatchers at Titchwell Marsh and a large family after a pub lunch in Brancaster

The eastern end: Sheringham, Cromer and Mundesley

Further east the sand sits under soft cliffs, and the towns are proper seaside ones, with crab pots stacked on the shingle, a pier show and chips on the prom. You'll find 8 big cottages in Cromer, 4 in Sheringham and a cluster of barns and farmhouses in the countryside behind, round Roughton, Southrepps and Bacton. The cliff path has sea views most of the way.

• Biggest: Southrepps Lodge, sleeping 18 in eight bedrooms with an enclosed garden
• Best for: families with buckets and crabbing lines, and friends arriving by train
• Days out: Felbrigg, the Blickling Estate and the North Norfolk Railway's steam trains to Holt

The Broads and Great Yarmouth

Inland, 125 miles of lock-free waterways wind past reed beds, windmills and riverside pubs in the Broads National Park. Our homes near Wroxham put you a short drive from the boatyards and from Bewilderwood's treehouses at Hoveton.

Back on the sea, Clover Court sleeps 18 in 12 en-suite bedrooms, with a dining table that seats everyone, the beach at the end of the road and the Pleasure Beach rides along the front.

King's Lynn, the Brecks and south Norfolk

West and south Norfolk are quieter and often cheaper. There are 11 big homes around King's Lynn, a short drive from the Sandringham estate, and the Rural Coach House for 14 in Pentney is two homes side by side with a swimming pool, a games room and a wood burner, a touch of luxury well away from the busy coast. Further south, Thetford sits beside Thetford Forest's bike trails and Go Ape, while Diss and Dereham are quiet market towns. The north coast is an hour or more away.

Which part of Norfolk suits your group?

• Beach crowd: the east, for sand, rock pooling at West Runton and the pier
• Walkers and wildlife lovers: the west, with salt marsh, sea views and Titchwell's birds
• Three generations: the Broads, where the kids can take the wheel on the river
• A celebration or hen weekend: a barn a taxi ride from Norwich, like Shorthorn Barn in Attlebridge with its open plan kitchen-diner and island, or the seafront at Yarmouth
• Bigger group, smaller budget: the farm villages round King's Lynn and the Brecks

The biggest homes in Norfolk

Only nine of our large Norfolk holiday cottages take 12 or more, and three take 18, so they're booked first for the school holidays.

Southrepps Lodge is Grade II listed and full of character, close to the Felbrigg and Blickling estates. Want the luxury of a bathroom each? Clover Court is the one. Sleeping 12 or fewer? Browse our holiday cottages for 12 across the UK.

Dogs, pools and hot tubs

Norfolk cottages are easy with a dog. In all, 53 of our 65 are pet friendly, plenty have the space to dry off a muddy spaniel, and Holkham welcomes dogs on the sand all year, with leads only in the roped nesting areas from 1 April to 31 August.

Pools are rarer. Nine homes have one and 16 a games room, but only one has a hot tub, so if a tub matters more than the county, see our group cottages with hot tubs or our dog-friendly group cottages across the UK.

Prices start from around £58 a night, and a typical big self catering holiday home is nearer £192 a night before you split it.

Days out that work for ten or more

• On the water: Broads Tours' standard day boats seat up to 8, so a group of 14 needs two, or their 11-seat electric one plus a small one
• Horsey Gap: grey seals have their pups on the beach from November to January, so watch from the roped viewing areas as the Friends of Horsey Seals wardens ask
• Holkham: follow the boardwalk through the pinewoods to the beach at Holkham, then eat on the quay at Wells
• Stately homes: Blickling, Felbrigg and Sandringham all have parkland walks and tearooms
• Norwich: the cathedral and the market, then dinner in the Lanes

In August, book the river trips and any restaurant table for 16 early.

Getting there and when to go

• By train: London Liverpool Street to Norwich takes just under two hours, and the Bittern Line runs on to Sheringham
• By car: the A11 comes up past Thetford, and the A47 crosses from Peterborough to King's Lynn and Norwich
• Nights out: book a minibus taxi ahead, as village buses stop early

School holidays book first, often a year ahead for homes sleeping 14 or more. May, June and September bring long evenings on quieter beaches, and winter suits a family reunion by the wood burner.

Of all the large holiday cottages Norfolk has, the North Norfolk ones are the easiest pick for a mix of family and friends. Still deciding? Compare big group cottages in Suffolk, browse our UK destinations guide or start again from our large holiday cottages homepage.