Anyone able to advise on the following areas in Norfolk/Norwich...

MySweetMarie

Gosh, I had no idea but judging from your responses, now I am wondering if I should avoid Holt altogether. I so appreciate your honesty because this is something that truly needs careful thought for us. I will take into account the 'barnyard smells' since it wasn't something I thought about before, so that's good advice. Also, I'll have a look at the better tearoom you suggested and look at other places instead of focusing on just Holt. I did actually notice too, that Holt didn't seem to have a lot of characteristic cottages but that on one side of the town they looked to me like council houses; all the same and newer, boring builds. I wasn't wild about that but then again, it seems where all the gorgeous thatched cottages are, there's not much of anything else. All this advice does help because it shifts our focus toward other nicer places. Cheers! x

mufi

For what it's worth, it's considerably more useful to find a location within a few miles of a Tesco (other supermarkets are available:D), Norwich, and perhaps a decent eating pub rather than being near a tea shop. Actually, I've never found a really good tea shop here, but then I'm very picky.

There are very few parts of Norfolk to avoid, particularly as you seem keen on the north side of Norwich; may I suggest renting a cottage up here for a week, exploring, then posting again with your findings.

mufi

MySweetMarie wrote: »

it seems where all the gorgeous thatched cottages are, there's not much of anything else.

Correct, though you'll find more flint with slate roofs than thatch here.

Sublime_2

I'll pm you, if ok.

MySweetMarie

Yes, please do. Thanks

MySweetMarie

Hello, Mufi, Thank you for your help. I just wanted to say that really, I do believe there are no right or wrong answers here and because I am interested in going into my own holiday cottage business, I think I'll have to go with the sort of place I would personally want to stay. So, I'm still wondering if Norfolk will be the way to go or if Suffolk could be my answer. You are right about seeing for myself but right now, my house is on the market and some of my family will be coming from America for a visit next month. We were there last October and loved it but still didn't really get to know any one place in particular since all we did was drive all over the place, trying to get ideas. I'll tell you what I am looking for.....I loved some of the tearooms in Norfolk (Byfords, the Owl Tearoom) and Suffolk and I know there are pubs everywhere but not posh tearooms everywhere. I want the sort of little cottage where my guests can have the choice to either make themselves a cup of coffee or tea right there or to take a morning stroll through a closeby, beautiful village where they can stop at any cafe and to sit there and read the paper....something along those lines. I am looking for a bit of elegance for my location, basically and I can't help but still think about Holt since I've heard it being referred to as the jewel in the crown of Norfolk. I was thinking of looking into Lavenham, Risby, Ixworth and Walsham le Willows as well, down in Suffolk since I know someone who lives there and she said they were lovely places as well. I think you're right though, about getting ourselves down there and that's what we shall do. Once again, thanks everyone and have a good evening. I'm sure we'll figure something out by the time our house sells....that is, IF it ever does in this lousy market!

GDB2222

I may be wrong about this, but I think that what people will pay for their stay will depend mostly on what you offer, rather than on how expensive your property is to buy. On that basis, it seems to be logical to buy in a cheaper area, so you'll get more holiday cottages for your money.

"I think I'll have to go with the sort of place I would personally want to stay." You are better off doing more market research, asking around as you have done here.

"take a morning stroll through a closeby, beautiful village where they can stop at any cafe and to sit there and read the paper" I think that you are going to struggle to find a place like this. Most of the beautiful villages are pretty dead. I can't think of any that have even one cafe, let alone several to choose from. What you are describing sounds a bit more like Holt town centre than a pretty village.

I'd also look at the planning regs quite carefully or speak to a local surveyors about PP. It's almost impossible to get planning for new building in rural areas in N Norfolk, but there's a limited dispensation for certain types of business, including holiday cottages. That means that you may possibly be able to get the land pretty cheaply, although you'd have all the costs and hassle of building the property yourself.

Have you done a rough sort of business plan that you can refine later on?

mufi

GDB2222 wrote: »

"take a morning stroll through a closeby, beautiful village where they can stop at any cafe and to sit there and read the paper"

The only places I can think of are Horning and Blakeney. May come up with a few more later...

MySweetMarie

Thanks, Mufi!

MySweetMarie

By any chance, has anyone ever heard of an area called Chelsworth in Suffolk? It is absolutely stunning and the only concern I have is that it's about 12 miles or so from Stowmarket, which I heard was really rough. Is 12 miles far enough away from there?