A delightful stay in Norfolk.

Some years ago I did a 100 mile circular ride from Norwich. I haven’t been back since, which was nothing to do with the ride or the scenery. Louise, who studied at UEA, booked us in to The Beechwood Hotel, North Walsham, 15 miles north of Norwich. Don Birch and Lindsay Spalding bought the hotel in 1993 and have a loyal following as most of the other guests we discovered had stayed there before. The property in a past life was visited on a regular basis by Agatha Christie and the layout of this 17 room hotel, lounge and restaurant would make a perfect Poirot setting. Steven Norgate, the chef since 1995, delivered some excellent dishes from a daily changing menu including a delicate Lowestoft sea bass on saffron and prawn risotto, with wilted greens, tomato fondue and basil reduction and some full flavoured Haddock fishcakes which made you realise what a poor job some gastro pubs are doing. The star of the New Years Eve menu was Phillip Roofe’s local fillet of beef (all products are locally sourced), with the disappointment a poorly executed trio of desserts.
The wine list is diverse with Don and Lindsay including a dozen wines from Austria’s award winning producer Willi Opitz. Over the three nights we enjoyed: a superbly balanced and dry white Pinot Blanc Spatlese Trocken 2008, Austria, Willi Opitz; a well structured and accessible Cotes du Rhone Syrah Vielle Vignes 2007, France, Domaine du Jas ; a really traditional intense, oaky Rioja Tinto from Marques de Murrieta Ygay Reserva 2004,Spain, which is still youthful.
A couple of quibbles are the guys need to be make more of the midnight celebration as this passed with a whimper and they should offer guests a complimentary glass of champagne for the passing of the old into the new.
Overall, if you want to stay at a hotel where you can socialise with people or not, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, the attention to detail in terms of design throughout the hotel, quality food and wines, a

nice crowd on New Years Eve and a good base for exploring Norfolk then book up. A three night stay with dinner on each night including a New Years Eve black dinner was £600 (excluding drinks).
Cley next the Sea is 15 miles away and is a good starting point for a coastal and marshes walk. Also, whist in Cley, nip into the well known Picnic Fayre Deli and don’t forget to buy some Yetman’s Beer abv 4.2% from the nearby Holt Brewery. On New Years Day we had a planned stop off at Fakenham Races for their jumping fixture, which had a great close to the action local feel. At the track I tasted my best Pork Pie of 2011 made by Bray’s Cottage!