Fritton Lake, Norfolk/Suffolk Border
Forget Soho Farmhouse, Norfolk and Suffolk now has it’s own unpretentious and sustainable private members club, ideal for all ages and hard to beat on every level..
Fritton Lake sits on the Somerleyton Hall Estate on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and the clubhouse is believed to have been an Inn for smugglers and traders in the 16th century. The red brick clubhouse boasts nine large bedrooms and spacious bathrooms, six on the first floor and a family suite with two rooms and a family room on the second floor. Think relaxed country house; it very much has the feeling of staying at a friend's comfortable, understated, and cosy country pad. Owners Hugh Somerleyton and wife Lara have decorated the rooms with coloured, patterned fabrics and headboards which adorn luxury beds with crisp white sheets and goose-down pillows. Antiques, hand-woven rugs and carefully chosen artwork lend charm, colour and style to the rooms creating a relaxed atmosphere on every floor. Bathrooms are a good size and John Lewis bathrobes, Hildon water and Tea Pigs teas are all provided in the rooms along with freshly ground coffee and a cafetière.
If you’re after more space and some privacy and independence choose from architecturally designed Koto cabins or cedar-clad woodland and meadow retreats. Scattered around the estate in peaceful locations, they all sit in harmony with the surrounding natural environment. With added luxuries including wood burners and hot tubs, staying in a cabin retreat is one of the best ways to enjoy Fritton Lake’s idyllic setting. Forgotten essentials or food? The estate has a shop with luxuries as well as basics.
Cosy up beside one of the fires, enjoy a family argument around the pool table or sit and watch siblings battle it out on the air hockey table! There is a private dining room, an outdoor south-facing terrace and a sitting room, plenty of space for everyone, even four-legged friends.
Stay a night or two and enjoy temporary membership which allows you to enjoy unlimited access to Fritton Lake's sustainable wildland and access to lawn and clay tennis courts, croquet, gym, 22m outdoor heated (28 degrees year round) pool, wild swimming, floating sauna, paddle boarding and much more. There’s a play area for younger children and another with zip wires for older children or adults wanting to be children!
Have you tried wild swimming? Me neither, though it’s on my list of things to do in 2023 here you can go into the floating sauna and jump into the lake directly from there if you’re brave enough! Otherwise, you can wander into the lake from the beach which features a beach bar during the summer.
Foodies and foragers should head outside and find Matthew Stevenson HORT DIP - trained at RHS Wisley (fondly known as Matthew the forager) he leads foraging trips around the lake, jeep sagaris and talks you through the benefit of wild food including foliage, food and fungi while exploring the beautiful, organic environment. A Jeep Safari (2 hours) is a great way of exploring the estate, you may even spot some of the water buffalo (ask Will in reception where they are as he can track them on the app), as well as buzzards, highland cows, pigs, deer and more. Matthew’s knowledge of the estate is in-depth and he is passionate about the re-wilding project (where you let 20% of everything be wild, in tune with nature). He is passionate about horticulture, nature, wildlife and the environment and is a font of knowledge.
‘It’s better to be a warrior in a wild garden than a gardener in a walled garden’
Fitness fanatics needn’t worry, you can keep up your fitness regime in the gym which is open 8am-8pm - the new biophilic gym is designed to bring the well-being benefits of the great outdoors, inside. The different zones focus on cardiovascular, strength and mobility and equipment includes an oak-framed curved treadmill which works against your own resistance, a water rowing machine and a power rack. Stretching and cooldowns are on cork yoga mats, eco-foam rollers, vegan leather benches and mobility balls made from vegan leather.
Enjoy personal training, yoga classes, circuit training and more…
Chris Bartlett has joined Fritton Lake from The Fat Duck in Bray, a three-star Michelin restaurant run by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. Chris, originally from Ipswich, holds a doctorate in organic chemistry and is a former professional road cyclist. His passion, ambition and knowledge are the perfect attributes for Fritton’s thousand-acre nature restoration project where traditional arable, sheep and dairy farming have been replaced with cattle, water buffalo, wild pigs and sheep which roam freely on the wildland. He plans his menu around food provided by the estate complemented only where necessary by produce from only the very best local suppliers, creating a sustainable foodie experience for all guests. Specials include shallot tarte tatin, lightly cured sea bass and aged beef fillet and once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Full members enjoy access to exclusive events and rates all year round, but you don't need to be a member to stay here, though once you have you'll find membership hard to resist. An unforgettable stay for all of the family. Memberships start from £650 for an adult membership, £1200 for a joint and £350 for up to 17-year-olds.
Hugh Crossley (Lord Somerleyton) is the owner of Somerleyton Estate in North Suffolk and Fritton Lake and is a regenerative farmer, a rewilder, a conservationist, a trail runner, a wild swimmer and an agitator for change. He founded Wild East UK Britains’ first regional scale multi-sector climate and nature recovery alliance committed to restoring 20% of Wild East region to the wild by 2050. The focus is to make a decisive impact across the East Anglia region to re-educate, restore and reconnect people and nature to ensure sustainable abundance and greener lives.