When it’s really cold, the river channels around Bure Cottage freeze, the sky is often blue, and the river takes an eerie glow. In snow the window views are magical with a fairy-tale wonderland.

Winter is a romantic time to visit Bure Cottage. Booking is easy and less than a third summer rates. The cosy cottage heats up fast and stays as warm as toast with its double glazing and insulation. Have fun feeding the ducks and swans that rush for a few scraps - some are so desperate they swim all the way from Wroxham Bridge.

All the restaurants and pubs are decorated for Christmas, and the Roy’s shopping complex is comforting. Visit the fine City of Norwich, only 20-minutes from Wroxham by car or train. Norwich is enchanting in the festive season, and even in freezing February the cobbled alleyways look charming. With hot chestnuts, buskers with long scarfs, and Victorian lamp posts, the city retains the Dickens feel, lost elsewhere.

It’s a pleasure to drive around the Broads with easy parking and little traffic. No queues and there’s always a table free in restaurants and pubs. Christmas and New Year bring special attractions: like Broads Tours Santa River Cruises, and Santa & mince pie stream train trips on the Bure Valley Railway. In the long evenings, village pubs light generous fires with the crackle of logs, and everyone is friendlier with more time for you to understand Norfolk culture.

The North Norfolk coast is stunning in winter sun, and travelling is delightful with a sharp frost or snow on the trees. There’s a pantomime every day at the theatre on Cromer Pier in December. See the grey seals on Horsey Beach or a boat trip to Blakeney Point, a nature lover’s paradise with many local and migrating birds. And lots to see in Great Yarmouth – the Hippodrome Water Circus there is a must, with special Christmas performances.

Fish are easier to catch this time of year. After the Bure River cools, many swim into little dykes and channels like the one beside Bure Cottage, and the cold slows their reaction.