Weekend bolthole

Escape to a cosy inn along the Norfolk coast

What makes The Gin Trap Inn unique?

A relaxed and cosy inn with a dedication to gin just a short drive from North Norfolk’s sweeping Hunstanton beach. Rooms are set around the main building, including a few well-equipped cottages with kitchens for families and groups of friends. The vibe is relaxed: a children’s play area backs onto the outdoor bar, and dogs are made very welcome. A youthful team makes you feel at home immediately – you’ll feel like a local in a lively pub you’ve known for years.

On the menu

Plenty of ‘drinking snacks’, such as guacamole and tortilla chips, and fiery chicken wings, plus a decent burger with buttermilk onion rings and hay roast ham with duck egg, chips and piccalilli to please pub traditionalists. There’s a nod to trends, too, in the more ambitious but hearty charred harissa octopus, charcoal-grilled chicken with ’nduja and smoked saffron aïoli, and a crispy buffalo cauliflower bun. Smaller plates also show the kitchen’s skill – sharing starters like flamed ox heart with green herb sauce and squid with curry leaf and black garlic mayo. Oysters sourced by local fisherman Cyril come with homemade hot sauce and sea purslane. Breakfast must-orders are Staithe Smokehouse kippers, a beautiful cinnamon bun and the smoked salmon bagel with pickled cucumber and soft cheese.

Highlights

There are more than 100 gins on offer, including its own locally made Gin Trap brand. British gins rub shoulders with international varieties including Aussie Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz – drink with tonic, neat or in a post-dinner negroni. The gin theme continues on the liqueurs menu (rhubarb and ginger or peach and hibiscus) and the autumnal house-made Gin Trap sloe.

What you’ll want to recreate at home

The line between modern and classic décor is nicely blurred. In the restaurant there are dark wooden tables and shelves stacked with well-thumbed, classic books. Imposing vintage portraits hang above a leather banquette, while modern light fittings lift the mood. Beyond the main house is the light, contemporary, partcovered outdoor bar with raffia, sage and natural woods, a comfy corner sofa and bench seating. Shelving made from wooden crates houses groups of potted herbs and vines. Cottages are cosy and stacked with games and books, and filled with interesting textures and tiling that provide splashes of colour in the bedrooms.

Fun fact

Some of the new cottages, including Cadaman, have small balconies facing on to rabbit-filled fields. You’ll notice the bunny motif on the website and dotted throughout the inn.

Rooms from £120 B&B; two-bed cottages from £240 B&B; thegintrapinn.co.uk