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The Rocket House Cafe is situated above the Henry Blogg Museum on the seafront. It comprises a large dining hall with some outdoor dining space all of which overlook the sea and sand.
At first glance you might be forgiven to think it’s like a work’s canteen, but as you enter and go to choose your table and location you become aware of the range of seating possibilities, do you just want to relax with a latte on the sofas, or sit outside on the balcony, or inside with a sea view, or dine with a view of paintings and artwork from local artists?
Tables are kept clean and have always had a small floral table decorations on them. In the summer evenings, tables are adorned with candlelight creating a warm cosiness for enjoying the restaurant menu.
All staff are polite, friendly, and smartly dressed. Orders are brought to the table and menus include locally sourced goods such as seafood and crab, the speciality of the area.
Some of the prices may be a little above the usual for the town, but it’s a lovely comfortable and interesting environment in which to pop into for a coffee or have a meal, so I would reccommend it as everyone I’ve taken there, have enjoyed their food and thought the service was good.
The building houses the lift from prommenade to street level and toilets so the Rocket Cafe is fully accessible for wheelchair users.

As a Cromer resident, this is actually my favourite place to go for a drink or meet friends. I like the character, cosiness and 'laid back’ atmosphere and always manage to get a seat. There is a variety of seating options including some more private areas and staff are friendly and attentive.
I’m not impressed with the food giving value for money, and the quality seems to be inconsistent but there is a reasonable range of choice.
The decor needs some attention with paint peeling from the stained glass divisions, woodwork and ceilings and tends to make me wonder whether it’s because of wanting to retain original features, and William Morris wall coverings that it appears so neglected 'yellowed’.
The women’s toilets are always clean and functional and provide quality extras, my only complaint is the height of the mirrors, I’m 5’2” and can only see my face if I stand on tip-toes.

I should mention here that I have never stayed in the actual hotel, so my comments are about using the bar.

Ye Olde Red Lion Hotel also has a banquetting hall and when it’s laid out for a function it looks truely amazing and very 'olde worlde’

I’ve just given this venue an extra star,( it should be 4 stars now) as recently there seems to be an improvement in the consistency of quality of food. I’ve taken a few more people to eat and drink there and they have all liked it and would return.

Love to rummage, collect, sell or buy? This is a great boot sale to go to and has a real cross section of goods, some regulars but many 'one offs’.
This week we were treated to a wonderful 'one off’ seller of oriental goods and I came away with a gorgeous old metal incense burner and a set of ink blocks with the Chinese horoscope symbols on them. My friend bought a snuff bottle and beautifully carved wooden figures. You can find many healthy plants and home grown produce for sale as well as tools, collectables, antiques, furniture items, charity stalls and all the usual bric-a-brac you would expect to see from people having a good old home clearance.
The site has toilets, parking, and refreshments.

Boat trips to see the seal colony at Blakeney Point

This is a wonderful trip to make for nature lovers who love to see wildlife in their natural habitat. Although there are other companies who do these tours as well, I went with Bishop's Boats as they were running an evening trip at 6.45pm. I phoned to book 4 places and we were given instructions to pick up our tickets from Blakeney Quay, and from there we were directed to the village of Morston, to the marshes there. As we arrived, everyone was wearing welly boots and I had the impression that they all knew something I didn't, but after walking over boarded bridges to Morston Quay, wellies were not essential, but maybe I was just lucky that day!
Arriving half an hour early at the landing stage, there were the 2 Bishop's Boats moored abreast into the mud and no sign of sea in sight......I couldn't imagine that there would be enough water to set sail in......but sure enough, it was there when we needed it.
The 'skippers/guides' suggested that people with dodgy hips should go into the 2nd boat thereby avoiding the extra climb from one boat to the other. I chose not to take notice and went for the 1st boat and with dodgy knees, it was not the best of ideas, but getting off afterwards was much easier.
As we set off, the skipper explained all the safety details, where lifebelts were and not standing on the seats etc.This was soon replaced with information about the wildlife and what to look out for and answering any questions we had.
The sea was a bit choppy, so the video I tried to make just makes me feel sea-sick, and as the 'heavens opened up on us', my pictures are not the greatest, but they will give you an idea of how big the seal colony at Blakeney Point is.
As we neared the island many seals were swimming about in the water and many more basking in the rain on land. We had a strange pre storm/sunset light in the sky which seemed to compliment the seal colours. The Common Seal is actually rarer than the Grey Seal and we were lucky to see both, it was truly an awesome sight.
We were told that when the water is calm, seals will swim right up to the boats. Also, June is a good time for this boat trip as the seals will have all their baby pups with them then.
This was a lovely trip despite the weather and one that I hope to do again sometime. It took around an hour and cost £8 per adult and £4 for each child under 14

*One day I saw a seal swimming around the pier in Cromer, a lifeguard had to warn the body boarders as they hadn't noticed and it could have bobbed up anywhere presenting a danger to both beast and man!

You can see a slide show of my trip here:-
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.Confirm...

This is a lovely gift shop very much reflecting the nature of the zoo with South American related gifts ranging from 'pocket money’ prices upwards. It’s great to see many basic musical instruments for sale made from natural materials, pods and seeds, rattles, drums and rain makers and so affordable too.
Most animals of the zoo are included as soft toys of varying sizes, and their images printed on many of the novelty gift ware, such as T-shirts, tiles, pencil sharpeners and key rings. You can also buy some gifts from other local Norfolk places such as lavender and preserves.
I’ve got my eye on one of the kites draping the ceiling! It looks more Oriental…..... Yes, I’m one of those people that look up and don’t like to miss anything.

Once you’ve eaten seafood bought from this shop, believe me, you won’t want to buy elsewhere ever again! Everything is as fresh as is possible, being brought straight off of the fishing boats just hours earlier. Cromer crabs are reputed to be the finest in the world, and I’m inclined to believe this. Dressed crabs from £2.50 upwards depending on size. Other seafood includes prawns, mussels, jellied eels, cockles, mackerel, trout, tuna, herrings, soft roe, sea bass, lobster, in fact the produce sold, reflects seasonal availability so will be constantly changing throughout the year. Friendly staff will oblige with cutting off fish-heads if requested, and service is excellent even at busiest times, there always seem to be enough to minimise any waiting.
For holidaymakers and tourists who wish to buy for taking home, there is always a supply of ice and paper for wrapping everything up for a long journey.

This cafe is a great place to eat and drink, especially when the weather is beautiful. Most of the cafe is outside on the promenade, and overlooks the Gangway, sea and pier. I love to have breakfast overlooking the crabbing/fishing boats as they return, but meeting friends and going for lunch is equally good. There is a reasonably priced menu from which to choose and service is acceptable for a place with 'chaotic’ trade. I’ve eaten here a lot with many different people and I don’t remember anyone of them going to complain. All the food I’ve eaten here has been good, and there is a range of herbal teas as well as the usual beverages. This is one of my choice of places to meet friends.