People come to North Norfolk for its soft, sandy beaches, wild marshland, vast skies and pretty flint-built coastal villages. It is a landscape made for idyllic family holidays where time is best spent boating, crabbing, flying kites, digging for cockles or wading in muddy creeks.

It also happens to be one of the emptiest stretches of coastline in England - with enough space to find an isolated picnic spot even in the height of summer.

But it would be wrong to come simply for the coast. Venture a little way inland and you come across gorgeous unspoilt villages in undulating, rural countryside - ideal for gentle cycling, walking and touring by car. And wherever you stay, you're never far from an excellent delicatessen, a good fishmongers selling locally caught crab and sea trout or a cosy pub serving Norfolk wherry beer.

The places to head for are between Brancaster - with its part-enclosed, tidal harbour - and the old port of Cley-next-the-Sea, with its distinctive windmill, where the sand gives way temporarily to shingle.

Burnham Market, where Victory Cottage is located, is a picturesque village set in an area of outstanding natural beauty close to sandy beaches of the North Norfolk coast. The village green is surrounded by 18th century houses and fascinating shops. These include the famous Hoste Arms Hotel, Satchells wine store, Humble Pie deli, and an excellent local butcher, baker and Gurney's the fishmonger. (see map).

Also worth visiting is Holt, rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1708. It has a good range of antique shops and picture galleries.

Wells-next-the-Sea is a jolly seaside town - a cheerful mixture of amusement arcades and working port with tiny lanes of old fishermen's cottages - many now converted into holiday homes. A few streets inland from the quay lies an elegant leafy square of imposing merchant's houses and this is the focus for many of the festivities organised for the week-long carnival, which runs from July 29 until August 5. Although busy, this is a good time to visit, especially with children, as there are processions, sandcastle competitions, craft workshops and treasure hunts.

Blakeney was a busy trading port in the Middle Ages until the creek silted up and is now perhaps the prettiest of Norfolk's coastal villages, with small flint cottages in the back lanes and a narrow, winding high street. Its quayside is a prime spot for crabbing (or "gillying") and throughout the summer you'll see excited groups of children hauling in crustaceans by the bucket load with bait supplied by the local butcher.