The Anchorage, Cromer: Access Review

Before the indulgence of Christmas and the celebrations of, finally the end of 2018 (read about why I was happy to see the end of last year in my 2018 Review) I spent a crisp November weekend in Cromer, Norfolk, staying at a recently renovated accessible cottage – The Anchorage.

Disclaimer: The Anchorage provided my accommodation on a complimentary basis for the purposes of this review. This is an honest review and my opinions, as always, are entirely my own.

Darren and I were joined by my lovely friend Rachel (hence all of the gorgeous photos featured in this post, she’s super talented) and her puppy Hardy. This was the first time we’d met Hardy, and introducing him to our dog Poppy was, ahem, fun :)

The drive from the Lake District to Norfolk would be the longest Darren had attempted since his long-term hospital stay earlier in the year, which I was a little anxious about, but as usual I needn’t have worried. We stopped off half-way for a rest and an epic cheese toastie from a greasy spoon truck-stop – why do the dodgy looking places always have the tastiest food?! – and after stretching Poppy’s legs we were back on the road, and arriving in Cromer before we knew it.

A few minutes from Cromer town centre, tucked away in a peaceful corner of a quiet cul de sac is The Anchorage. Parking is easy with space for two vehicles on the sloping driveway, and a ramp from there into the cottage. Being just on the edge of the town has its benefits – there’s no passing traffic, and gorgeous open views.

When the cottage was being renovated the owners found an Anchor buried in the garden. Hence the name! 

The open plan sitting room is seriously cosy, with an electric fire that has the look and feel of a woodburning stove, a comfy sofa and a recliner chair.

The kitchen/diner has loads of accessible features including an adjustable height hob, side opening oven with pull-out worktop, lowered sink and remote-controlled cooker hood. 

The stand-out feature of these rooms are the two sets of bi-fold doors, which bring so much light in. Amazingly, we got sunshine in November! When open the doors give level access to the wraparound deck; my favourite part of the cottage. From the deck there’s views of the pretty garden, which is enclosed so perfect for the dogs, and open countryside beyond. Had the weather been a bit warmer I think I would have spent all of my time out there!

I loved the décor in this room; so pretty and with a nautical theme, tying in with the cottage’s name and of course with Cromer being a seaside destination. The bed can be made up as double or twin, and was super comfy. The hard wood flooring – which is throughout the cottage – makes wheeling a breeze, and the room is spacious and bright. 

The standard twin bedroom is just as pretty and perfect for additional guests.

Ok, can I have this room in my house please?! Accessible, functional and above all beautiful; everything an accessible bathroom should be. Non-slip tiles, wet room shower with shower chair, wall-mounted sink and all the grab bars you could need – with the option of additional bars if required.

There’s a standard en-suite shower room connected to the standard bedroom, as well as an accessible WC next to the kitchen.

We spent an afternoon wheeling/walking around Cromer pier, admiring the lovely scenery with the dogs – it’s quite a steep slope down but it is step-free, and I managed just taking it slowly with the power pack on my wheelchair. 

If you’re considering a seaside holiday and want a modern, bright, sensitively adapted accessible cottage, I’d highly recommend the Anchorage. So much thought has gone into the design, function and feel of this cottage; it’s been lovingly refurbished and that really shows in all of the little details.

Do you have a favourite accessible seaside destination?