A house built for coming in from the weather.
It was a fisherman's cottage before it was ever a holiday let.
Splashpoint stands on Lifeboat Plain, in the older, lower part of Sheringham where the town has always faced the sea rather than turned its back on it. Houses like this one were built close and low, for families who worked the crab boats hauled up on the shingle a few yards from the front step.
It's run now by Alizon and Mark, who look after it much as it's always been looked after — not dressed up, not overly polished, just kept warm and ready. You'll find their number pinned by the phone, not a booking reference.
Sleeps four, properly.
A double, and a window worth the climb upstairs
The main bedroom looks straight out over the water. There's a wardrobe and dressing table, and a window seat where the binoculars live — kept there for gulls, and for the occasional seal that shows up uninvited. Some guests say they can hear the tide from the pillow. We think that's rather the point of the room.
Twin beds, and somewhere for everything
Two single beds, wardrobes, a chest of drawers, and enough storage that unpacking doesn't turn into a fortnight of living out of a suitcase. A cot's available if the crew's a little younger than usual.
Two sofas that recline, and an electric fire
This is where evenings happen. Reclining sofas, a couple of chairs, a proper-sized television, and a fire that goes on the moment anyone's feet are cold. It's not a room you're meant to sit up straight in.
A second TV, a bookcase, and a table for cards
A table with chairs, a small sofa, another television, and a bookcase stocked with paperbacks and board games left behind by past weeks of rain. Handy for the meals the sitting room's too comfortable for.
Stocked for a proper week's cooking
Gas hob, double oven, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, a water filter jug, and enough crockery and pans that nobody's waiting their turn. Built for cooking a week's worth of meals, not reheating a takeaway.
A proper shower, and its own view
A large shower, basin, and separate toilet — with a window that still finds room for the sea. Useful for washing the beach off before it makes its way into the sitting room.
A terraced seating area, and a proper sun trap
Chairs and a table on the terrace, more seating along the path, and a gate straight out to Lifeboat Plain and the beach beyond. On a clear afternoon it holds the sun longer than you'd expect for Norfolk.
The practical bits
Free WiFi throughout. Electric heating for the colder months. Two televisions. Dogs are genuinely welcome, not just tolerated. There's no on-site parking, but a pay-and-display car park is close by, with weekly tickets available, and there's free street parking within a short walk too.