1. The White Horse, Brancaster, Norfolk

Slick seaside inn with stunning salt marsh views boasting an innovative fish-focused menu and sea-breezy modern bedrooms.

Escape to the magical shellfishing spot of Brancaster Staithe for some seaside rest and recuperation along the gorgeous North Norfolk coastline. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and decked in nude pine, seaside stripes and boaty nicknacks, The White Horse is a superb coastal bolthole from which to explore the wild saltmarshes and endless sandy beaches that surround it.

2. The Anchor, Walberswick, Suffolk

Suffolk coastal gem and foodie haven for earthy seasonal food, amazing beer and wine, and comfortable eco-chalet rooms.

The Anchor is an Arts and Crafts-era inn that has a prime spot, just a stroll from the sand dunes and beach in this smart village on the Suffolk coast. It is the perfect base to go a crabbin' on the quay with a bacon-baited line, or dip your toes in the chilly water, but then again, there are some rather more sybaritic opportunities to be enjoyed here particularly when it comes to matters of food, beer and wine.

1. The White Horse, Norfolk

Norfolk offers enormous scope for all kinds of walking. One of the most popular haunts of walkers is the region's remote Holkham Beach, just twenty minutes drive from the inn (pictured below). Immortalised in the film Shakespeare in Love, it's just the place to enjoy wild beauty and stunning wide skies.

If you enjoy longer routes, try the 93-mile Peddars Way and North Norfolk Coast Path. Following ancient tracks and Roman roads and consisting of two paths joined together to form one route, the Peddars Way and North Norfolk Coast Path offers a great blend of pastoral Norfolk hinterland and magnificent coastal scenery.

One of Norfolk's real showstoppers and the UK's finest Palladian stately homes and estates, don't miss the majestic Holkham Hall. Explore the house and gardens or get stuck into an amazing array of activities that the hall offers.

2. The Anchor, Suffolk

The world-famous Aldeburgh Music concert halls are based at the impressive Snape Maltings as is perhaps East Anglia's leading foodlovers' emporium, with its own pub, café, food hall, a plethora of shops and home to the equally renowned Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival the last weekend of September. Don't miss one of the best monthly farmers' markets on the first Saturday.

Minsmere Bird Reserve, between Southwold and Aldeburgh, and one of the Suffolk coast's most familiar landmarks, Sizewell Nuclear Power Station, is an RSPB nature reserve and one of the best sites for spotting wildlife in the UK. These reedy marshes are a haven for rare birds and serious ornithologists.

Stroll to the River Blyth in Walberswick, venue for the British Crabbing Championships between 1981 and 2010, and enjoy some rare family time by the water. With the aid of string and bacon, you can try catching a few native crustaceans. The kids will love it and the occasion will no doubt rekindle happy memories of family holidays over the years.