The Norfolk Beacon

• Sleeps: 8
• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 2
• Minimum stay: 3 nights

A beautifully converted 18th century lighthouse, The Norfolk Beacon is anything but ordinary.  

Featured on Channel Four’s ‘Homes by the Sea’, the circular retreat stands proudly on the Norfolk coast, by the glorious sand dunes at Winterton-on-Sea – an atmospheric village in which the writer Daniel Defoe had Robinson Crusoe experience his very first shipwreck.

The lighthouse was later used as a lookout tower during World War Two. You’ll see why when you clamber up to the lofty lantern room, with views that lead your gaze over the countryside and the sandy beach, all the way out to the North Sea beyond.

Discover the sociable living space and open-plan Garden Room, complete with a well-equipped stainless steel kitchen, at ground-level. There’s a huge, welcoming picture window that faces the garden (hence the name!), with a wood-burning stove, butter-soft seating, and a stylish Ercol dining table and chairs.

When the weather is fine, you could wander through the folding doors, out to the furnished cedar terrace and mature garden – an ideal spot for that first coffee of the morning.

Meanwhile the lighthouse tower features a cantilevered staircase that leads to an elegant, light-filled, gently curved room on each level, starting with a stone-floored lounge on the ground floor.

The first floor is home to a timber-panelled bedroom with sea views. Here you’ll find four bespoke-crafted single bunks that are ideal for the kids (or giggle-fuelled adult sleepovers, you decide!)

At a glance

• A glorious conversion of an 18th century lighthouse, featured on TV and nestled on the Norfolk coast, by the sand dunes at Winterton-on-Sea.
• Living, dining, and bathroom spaces are at ground level, with curved-wall bedrooms housed on each floor of the tower itself, sleeping 8 guests in total.
• There’s a four-bunk bedroom and two doubles – if you’re brave enough, claim the sleeping platform at the very top, with jaw-dropping 360-degree views!
• There’s a third-floor library to relax in, and wrap-around seating in the lantern room at the top, showcasing the mesmerising country-beach-and-North-Sea vista.
• Take a circular dune walk, watch seals basking on the shore, or head into the nearby village for a slap-up fish-and-chip supper.

Features

• Dog Friendly
• Large Groups
• Seaside Breaks

More information

Continue up to the second floor, where there’s a cosy double bedroom with rivet steel beams, and three windows that showcase the magnificent land-and-sea vista to perfection.

The third-floor library was once the lighthouse keeper’s equipment room. You’ll now find curved, generously stacked bookshelves lining its walls, along with a staircase to the aforementioned lantern room above.

Relax into the wrap-around seating and cradle your favourite tipple here, savouring that sublime panorama… or if you’re brave enough, claim the double sleeping platform above, with staggering 360-degree views to make you feel as though you’re floating on air!

Stay put and watch seals basking in the offshore waves, indulge in a variety of watersports, or get lost in nature with a long circular walk through the dunes – a designated AONB. If you don’t feel like cooking, there’s a café close by, with a friendly pub (and a fish-and-chip shop!) in the village.

However you decide to spend your time, you’d better make sure you’re back at The Norfolk Beacon just in time to catch that melting golden sunset. It’s a sight you’re sure to remember long after you’ve returned home.

Things to note

Due to very steep stairs, the lighthouse is not suitable for those with mobility issues or very young children. Well-behaved pets are permitted on request.