Local area - Whistle Stop Cottage

Aldborough is one of Norfolk’s hidden gems, nestled deep in the heart of the beautiful Norfolk countryside with plenty of walks and cycle routes nearby. Whistle Stop is located on the edge of Aldborough’s well-known village green, enjoyed by many and which houses cricket matches throughout the summer. On the other side of the village green is a popular village pub, perfect for evening meals, a village shop & post office and a small children's play park.

The village also has a surgery and pharmacy, a Community Centre, the Church Rooms, a Chapel and the Parish Church of St. Mary.

The Cricketers on the Green is a quintessential English pub which prides itself on its warm welcome, great food and chocolate box village location. Dogs are welcome and even get their own treats!

So if you’re looking for relaxation, peace and quiet, a drink or two over a bite to eat then The Aldborough Black Boys is ideal. And it is literally a two minute walk from the cottage! We highly recommend that you book a table if you want to dine in the pub as it gets booked up very quickly. Please follow the link below to see what this wonderful pub has to offer.

Aldborough Village shop & post office

The lovely village shop is full of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as your regular branded goodies. There is also a post office inside the shop which is really handy if you need to withdraw cash. The shop is located on the other side of the village pond, about a 1 min walk from the cottage.

St Mary's, Aldborough

The church itself is early medieval, the tower of which fell in the 18^th century. The inside is worth exploring, with a selection on 15^th century family brasses, along with a range of stained glass, dating from the late 19th- early 20^th century. A display within the church celebrating its treasured wildlife, highlighting the involvement in the NWT Churchyard Conservation Scheme, and a number of resources is currently underway.

Best time to visit

In order to see the greatest diversity of wildflowers, the best time to visit the churchyard is Spring-Summer. For the early purple orchids and pignut, the best months are May-June and to see the oxeye daisy and knapweed, visit around June- September. The summer months are also the best time of you to spot the diversity of butterflies and other invertebrates that visit the churchyard.

Weavers Way is a very scenic footpath which passes through Aldborough, Thurgarton and several adjacent villages on its 61 mile route from Cromer Pier to Yarmouth Pier.

Use is made of public footpaths, disused railway line and some minor roads as it meanders around the county (this is not the quickest route between two points!). Along the way historic railway infrastructure such as station buildings, bridges and crossing cottages are widely observed. It passes a number of fine flint churches, several large country houses, and a large number of wind-pumps as you witness the various different elements of the Norfolk countryside.

Along its route, as well as passing many areas of wildlife interest, the Weavers’ Way takes in several market towns and country house estates and passes numerous medieval flint churches and tower wind pumps that are characteristic of this part of the county.

Named after the once important weaving industry, which flourished in the late Middle Ages around North Walsham, Weavers Way offers a rich contrast of scenery, from the woodlands and mixed farmland of north Norfolk to the grazing marshes and tidal mud flats beside the rivers Thurne, Bure and Yare.

Weavers Way can be subdivided into between 2 and 7 separate sections to be tackled on different days. It is mostly flat, with a wide variety of terrain - open country and crop fields, woodland, dismantled railway, marsh, road (roads tend to be lanes). Quite a varied but gentle experience.