Narborough Hall

About six miles outside the small Norfolk town of Swaffham, the elegant country house of Narborough Hall is the home of Joanne Merrison, who moved here a dozen years ago and has spent a decade reinvigorating the gardens, establishing new borders, rescuing the old kitchen gardens and opening it up to the public. It's a beautiful, special place, and the good news is that you can now stay for longer, staying in one of the rooms upstairs (Joanne lives in a cottage in the grounds) and eating in the Hall's lovely restaurant, which is supplied by that now burgeoning kitchen garden. There are 5 rooms in the hall and a cottage in the grounds, which you can rent on a self-catering or B&B basis. The hall rooms are quirky and in keeping, with elegant antique furniture and big comfy beds; 3 have big bathrooms with baths and showers (one just has a very nice bath); a couple share a bathroom and are consequently that much cheaper. The vibe is one of a country house, but this is no country house hotel – more of a posh yet relaxed B&B and restaurant that just happens to inhabit a grand building amongst remarkable grounds. Joanne is usually around and you'll come across the chefs picking veg and herbs from the garden for your dinner that night. You can eat a lazy breakfast on the terrace, loaf about with the papers in the comfy sitting room or just stroll around the grounds, enjoying the beautiful borders in summer, following the path around the lake and entertaining the kids in the treehouse or checking out the estate's own cricket pitch. All in all it's a blissful place to spend a long and lazy weekend – and if you can tear yourself away there's loads to do in the surrounding area, which is very rural and unspoilt.  Finally it is quite rightly a popular place for weddings, and like all such places can get pretty booked up during summer - book well in advance to avoid disappointment!