Wiveton Hall Café, Shop & Fruit Farm

Sitting among the strawberry fields and raspberry canes of Wiveton Fruit Farm, this beachy café has one of the most fabulous views in the UK. Looking out over the haunting loveliness of the wild marshes to the distant sea, it’s a real one-off. Where else would you find the owner celebrating autumn with a Pumpkin Hurling Trebuchet Event? It really is ‘Normal for Norfolk’, as the gourd flinger is eccentric gentleman farmer, Desmond MacCarthy, star of the BBC Documentary.

You can join Desmond on tours of the gardens but most come for good homemade food in a relaxed yet breathtaking setting. Sandy ground and bright coloured tables under the pines give you the feeling of being in some wonderfully secret part of the Mediterranean. The bold decor is by local design maven Annabel Grey, making the whole place irresistibly cheerful.

Opening arrangements can be weather dependent so always double check the situation. All being well, there’ll be wood fired pizzas, the sizzle of local meat on the BBQ, or maybe tapas and live music in summer. It’s licensed, so settle in for a few sundowners since, if you’re staying at Wiveton, Cley or Blakeney, it’s a lovely walk home. Any further and you might want to draw lots for who’s driving.

You can stay at the Hall in the Marsh Land holiday cottages or the in the West Wing. You never know who you might meet. Once we bumped into Alan Bennett in the car park and had a lovely chat about strawberries, maps and hip replacements before he drove back to Camden.