WHAT/WHERE?

Hippersons Boatyard is a completely unique, award-winning self-catering holiday destination on the southern tip of the Broads National Park in the beautiful Suffolk town of Beccles. As well as being a working boatyard, this pretty little pocket of the River Waveney is also home to six holiday cabins – three house boats (Coot Club, Swallows, and Amazons), two one-of-a-kind floating glamping pods (Secret Water, and Wild Cat Island) and a cool land-based lodge (Secret Garden) in a field overlooking the water. It’s owned by Mary and Simon Sparrow, who have a long history of living on or near water around the world, and who now reside on a fabulous barge within the boatyard.

THE VIBE

The names of the houseboats couldn’t be more apt. This is true Swallows and Amazons territory – all outdoorsy, healthy fun with plenty of river-based adventures to be had. Arthur Ransome’s fifth book in the much-loved series was actually set in the area in 1934, and today it’s still the perfect place to gulp lungfuls of fresh air, roam free in the charming countryside and spend days on the water letting the magical rhythm of the river melt away your stresses.

Somehow Hippersons manages to allow you to get away from it all, while still feeling like you’re part of a fascinating riverside community. Plus you’re only a short five minute walk from all the amenities of the town. It’s a winning combination for a holiday. You can sit on the deck of your accommodation, feeling a true sense of serenity and seclusion even with boats bobbing past, walkers hiking along the path and birds chattering all around. There’s nowhere quite like it and it’s really rather special.

STAY

We stayed in the newest addition to the boatyard, Wild Cat Island, one of the two floating pods. The neighbouring Secret Water was the very first of its kind in the UK, so the often over-used word “unique” actually applies in the case of Hippersons Boatyard. Wild Cat Island is a two bedroom timber-clad beauty with a stand out red roof, named after the schooner used by Captain Flint to take the young sailors on their first voyage in the Swallows and Amazons series.

As well as space for four to sleep, there’s a galley style kitchen and open plan lounge, a super spacious bathroom and delightful wraparound deck that looks down the river towards Old Beccles Bridge. I was worried my 6ft4 husband might find a stay in a “pod” a bit claustrophobic, but the arch shape of the building meant the ceilings were high and it all felt extremely spacious.

The interiors are well thought out too – pared back and minimalist to make the most of every corner, but with statement colours, cool quirky touches and fun references to the name, with little wild cats on the mugs and as hooks for coats.

The owners have made sure a stay here is very comfortable with plenty of space to hang clothes, little shelves for enjoying a morning cuppa in bed and a really well-equipped kitchen.

The other houseboats and pods are similar in style and decor – all sleep up to 4 people, although if you want to bring your dog you’ll need to opt for Secret Garden, or one of the houseboats.

Each comes with its own private parking space and a rowing boat that you can use for the duration of your stay too. We didn’t get a chance to use our boat – with a two and five year old in tow we thought we might be pushing our luck somewhat. That said, the yard does provide life jackets for even the smallest of guests, so we loved that our toddler daughter could run free around the yard with hers on, giving us a lot more peace of mind. Our kids particularly enjoyed standing by the water’s edge feeding the swans with food provided for free by Hippersons. A swan in the boatyard had laid five eggs that week and we loved walking past each day and seeing if there was any activity in the nest yet.

SCOFF & QUAFF

On arrival there was a little welcome hamper full of local treats like Harris & James chocolate cookies and coffee as well as tea bags, and two packets of sweets. Return guests, (and I imagine Hippersons gets a lot of them), also benefit from a special gift in the form of a bottle of the local wine from Chet Valley Vineyard or Beccles Brew Co Beer.

Handily there’s a supermarket nearby, but completely out of sight, plus plenty of fridge space, so if you choose to cook yourself it couldn’t be simpler. Who wants to wash up on holiday though? You can make life on the river all the more relaxing by ordering a hot cooked breakfast (£14) or lunchtime picnic to be delivered to your door from Beccles Station Café. There’s also the option to order an afternoon tea delivery from Daphne’s Vintage Tea.

Beccles does have several lovely places to eat too, all within walking distance of your pod. Not to be missed is Oakfired at The Royal Oak – one of only three UK pizzerias licensed to make True Neapolitan Pizza. We dined there on a warm sunny Saturday and the incredible pizzas transported us straight to the Amalfi Coast! For traditional pub food, there’s Graze at The White Horse, and for lunches and sweet treats there’s Twyfords Café, Relish Café and the new branch of Two Magpies Bakery.

OUT & ABOUT

As well as self-catering stays, Hippersons Boatyard also has a collection of electric day boats for hire. We jumped at the chance to hire one and had one of those days that feels like it’s straight out the pages of wholesome novel (Swallows and Amazons for example!). The spring sun was shining, the big blue Suffolk skies were peppered with cotton wool ball clouds and buds were bursting into bloom on the banks of the river. And, because gliding down the river on a boat (and occasionally having a supervised go at steering) was such an exciting and novel experience, our children were engaged, happy and good as gold. If you’re after a holiday where kids won’t even remember that screens exist then this has to be it!

Our dog even joined us for this part of the experience and reflected our joyful mood with her ears flapping in the warm breeze as she watched the watery world go by.

The electric boat was super simple to drive and the wonderfully helpful and knowledgeable Steve at the boatyard was on hand to show us the ropes. The boats have a top speed of 5 miles per hour, so it’s not exactly speed boat territory (if it’s high adrenaline thrills you seek head to the nearby coast). Funnily enough, we still managed to get told off for speeding by the River Ranger at a point when we should’ve been sticking to 3mph rather than 5mph. There’s no speedometer in the boat, but handily the amazing Hippersons Boatyard App has one on it – something I learned later!

There are several routes you can take along the river. Wildlife lovers with time on their hands should head through Cartlon Marshes Nature Reserve (known locally as the Broads in miniature) to Carlton Colville to spot kingfishers, water voles and even otters if you’re lucky. Thinking more with our stomachs than our eyes we headed under the old bridge towards Gillingham with the promise of two lovely pubs just around the river bend. We meandered slowly through the Beccles part of the river, admiring the gorgeous gardens of the historic town houses that slope down to the riverside and look like truly idyllic places to live. I’m already plotting my retirement in Beccles. The town soon gave way to endless greenery and fields and we enjoyed spotting an abundance of birdlife and being flanked by swans as we meandered down the river.

After an hour or so we pulled up at The Locks Inn, a community run pub with a huge garden and free moorings. A very short amble to the bar and we were having a pub lunch and G&T in the sun in no time. Heaven! There’s also The Wherry Inn nearby, but the walk from the river bank is slightly longer.

There are plenty of more energetic ways to enjoy the river with Hippersons too, including Stand Up Paddleboarding, guided canoe or kayak tours (day time or twilight) and hiring a pedal boat. And, if you want to actually be in the water, probably best to head to the town’s Lido, rather than attempt any wild swimming!

If you fancy gong further afield, Hippersons Boatyard is just 20 minutes from the Suffolk coast and half an hour from both Norwich and the pretty seaside town of Southwold. A couple of days here isn’t enough to even scratch the surface of what’s on offer in this delightful area of the country.

THE DAMAGE

It’s a minimum two night stay at Hippersons and prices start from £320. To make the most of a stay here you can book a “Sparrows and Amazons” experience package that includes accommodation, a food hamper, a guided canoe tour, hire of a day boat, a rowing boat tutorial and reservations at local restaurants.

ACCESSIBILITY

While it’s all one-level living, wheelchair users would struggle with the bumpy track from the parking to the pods and the bijou nature of these riverside dwellings means there’s not a huge amount of space to manoeuvre inside.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

We adored every minute of our stay and are already plotting our return! Hippersons Boatyard is a real memory-maker of a stay, where you can enjoy the simpler things in life and really escape from it all.

GOOD FOR: Anyone who loves staying somewhere unique, a wholesome family break, a twitchers’ holiday, a romantic getaway, and a walking holiday with the dog.

NOT FOR: Party goers. Leave the portable speaker, high heels and bottles of champagne at home. This is much more a wellies and Barbour jacket kind of break, and it’s much more about sipping rosé on the deck listening to the surrounding wildlife and watching the sun set.

Hippersons Boatyard, Gillingham Dam, Beccles NR34 0EB

Review: Hippersons Boatyard, Beccles

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