Mill Ponds, North Walsham

Norfolk Broads. Sleeps up to 9

Mill Ponds is a fantastic, characterful holiday home overlooking a fishing pond and canal near the north Norfolk coast and the famous Norfolk Broads. It is a superb converted mill, a gem of a restoration project and holiday heaven for groups of friends or a family and up to two furry friends. With a fantastic industrial feel, lavish furnishings, outstanding fittings and historic roots, it is a phenomenal holiday property. With panoramic countryside views from its four storeys, you will totally relax and unwind and feel very special indeed. You will step back in time, appreciating this fine 1800’s building where the original cast iron mill machinery adorns the ceilings. Exposed beams and vaulted ceilings celebrate the building’s industrial past. Mill Ponds boasts four bedrooms sleeping up to nine guests.

Mill Ponds is located two miles from the lively market town of North Walsham at White Horse Common. It sits next to the waterfront, adjacent to Norfolk’s only locked canal. Your holiday will include wonderful countryside walks, visits to the fabulous Norfolk beaches, trips to the popular seaside towns of Cromer, Mundesley and Happisburgh with its iconic red and white striped lighthouse, water adventures on the Norfolk Broads and visits to some wonderful historic houses and gardens such as the National Trust’s Blickling Hall, the former home of Anne Boleyn.

Mill Ponds comes with superb original features and traditional Norfolk materials such as brick and flint blended with contemporary flair. There is a film set feel to Mill Ponds, with its theatre lights, glamorous furnishings and incredible light. The open plan living space enjoys a luxury corner leather sofa arrangement and matching armchair, a gorgeous dining table and modern upholstered chairs and a brilliantly appointed kitchen. You can chuck a log on the modern wood burning stove when a rural chill descends. It is a fantastic space for special celebrations.

When you are looking for a quiet time and some fresh air, you can head out to the balcony to enjoy a cup of coffee while admiring the view and the birdsong. The canal is mesmerising. It meanders out to the horizon, surrounded by nature, water meadows and the mill pond which is stocked with pike, tench and bream. You can fish, spot otters and kingfishers and totally relax in this dreamy spot. Wooden steps lead down to the landing stage where you can take to the water on a rowing boat or kayak to explore the canal. There are dense woods on the doorstep and wonderful walking trails that your pets will love.

Mill Ponds is home to four wonderful bedrooms which enjoy vaulted ceilings, steel and wooden beams, industrial workings and stunning canal views. One room comes with a fabulous upholstered kingsize bed where you can wake up, throw open the doors and listen to birdsong. Another boasts a lovely oak kingsize bed and a balcony with a bistro table and chairs and spectacular views. Then there is a single room and a children’s room with four single beds. This is a fun room where children will have a ball. There are three immaculate, contemporary bathrooms with a mix of baths and showers.

Mill Ponds enjoys a countryside setting in White Horse Common, just two miles from North Walsham. It is very quiet and peaceful. It is within easy reach of the stunning north Norfolk beaches with their huge skies, the Norfolk Broads and many wonderful attractions.

North Walsham is steeped in history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. It became a centre for weaving along with the nearby village of Worstead. The wealth from this enabled the locals to build St Nicholas Church which dates back to 1330. Its tall tower is the second tallest in Norfolk after Norwich Cathedral. There is a Thursday market and plenty of shops, eateries and historical buildings including Paston College where Horatio Nelson spent his school days between 1768 and 1771. Bacton Woods has 280 acres of ancient woodland, an excellent place to hike and bike.

If you want to explore more about Nelson’s links to the area, you can visit Nelson’s birthplace, Burnham Thorpe. A stroll around the village reveals the site of the parsonage where Nelson was born though it was knocked down in 1803. Nelson’s father was rector at All Saint’s Church and there is a lot of memorabilia in the fabulous village pub. It is definitely the place for a good lunch!

Mundesley is a charming Victorian seaside village not far from Mill Ponds. It is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with breathtaking coastal walks including the Paston Way and the Norfolk Coast Path. Mundesley became popular with the Victorians after the opening of a railway in 1889. Southrepps Common is an important area for wildlife with deep fragrant woodland and beautiful wild flowers. A fine nine hole golf course built in 1901 sits on the River Mun hillside with sensational views over the coast and countryside.

Cromer, perched on the edge of the North Norfolk coast, is famous for its delicious Cromer crabs, wide open beaches, its lighthouse, its proud tradition of RNLI service and its iconic pier. It boasts many small local independent shops and restaurants and feels a little as though you have gone back in time.

You can take a trip to the National Trust’s Blickling Hall, a breathtaking Jacobean mansion in 4600 acres with ancient yew hedges. The garden and historic park are magnificent. There are excellent marked walks as well as cycle routes. It is also a wonderful place to go if you have your dog with you.

Close to Mill Ponds, you will find the very pretty East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens and its excellent tea room. You will not regret visiting!

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