Autumn Equinox

Today is the Autumn Equinox, aka Mabon, a powerful time of the year where day and night dance in perfect balance, where the sun and moon equally share the sky. We open the doors to Autumn and give thanks and honour the harvest just gone. Even when the harvest wasn’t quite what was expected there’s always something to be grateful for.

A time of balance between the seasons. Holding this transitional space without fear is on our Happy Valley affirmations list and not always easy in the current climate. But we all know that fears makes the wolf look bigger & we turn to Mother Nature for a word of wisdom.

The Equinox is a time honoured by many cultures including us here at Happy Valley. The nights become chillier and before we even see the change in the landscape our senses notice the changing seasons. We can marvel at how Mother Earth shows us that nothing is constant and how this is reflected in our world.
This too shall pass.

We celebrate the land and its history for it has seen this all before and we celebrate all of you who’ve shared this crazy journey which is 2020. We’ve made it to Autumn & that is worth celebrating.

Location Location Location

In this season of uncertainty, there is an opportunity for growth and creativity. If a picture says a thousand words, then an entire photoshoot can give you a story, and people are looking for this now more than ever before.

While the world is kept inside, we look out towards the light and long to chase the clouds and catch the sun as it sets. We want to see rainbows, vast landscapes, and everything in between. In our enforced bubbles, we turn to family albums, postcards, magazine clippings and the endless reel on Instagram for comfort and for the hope of a better future.

We invite location scouts and managers, photographers, creatives and designers to Happy Valley where the options are endless. Whether you’re looking for a woodland wilderness, a little lake, rustic lodges, vintage barns, industrial spaces or an open field in the middle of nowhere then look no further. There’s an exciting portfolio of unique locations available for film and photographic shoots within this one Norfolk Venue.

Here we highlight the Hay Barn which is a great year round historic barn with a wood burner, bar area and chill out. It’s licensed for Weddings and perfect for a Micro Wedding.

Why not shoot and stay on site. Take a look at our Shepherds Huts, Tree temple and Treehouse HERE

By hiring Happy Valley for the day or week, you can paint people’s screens with positivity and fun with the following photoshoot options:

·       Film location

·       Engagement shoots

·       Commercial photoshoots – Fashion, Wedding, product shoots etc

Set in a rural backdrop of quintessentially English countryside, Happy Valley is a woodland venue like no other. Its nine acres of land offers the perfect chance to capture nature at its best. What’s more, our on-site, luxury glamping accommodation, barn and hot tubs can host your team should you wish to work on a longer project.

We could not wait to get back to being creative and shot a little Autumn shoot in the Hay Barn with some incredibly talented local creatives last week.

Hannah Hunnam is a sustainable florist based in Castle Acre and has a natural eye for creating incredible flower arrangements. Check out her instagram @Hannah.Hunnam to see how she works with colour, movement and flair in a sustainable manner. Here’s a bit more from Hannah -

“I’m an independent florist based in Castle Acre, West Norfolk. I specialise in seasonal, wild and naturalistic floral arrangements - all of which celebrate colour, movement and flair! I’m passionate about sourcing locally grown and British blooms wherever possible, and have built some great relationships with incredible local growers here in Norfolk (I'm also growing what I can in my very small garden!). I take great pride in using sustainable design methods in my work, and avoid using floral foam in all of my arrangements and installations. There are plenty of alternative and creative design solutions available with the aim of lowering our carbon footprint, without having to make any compromises on the quality and style”

Tori Hancock is a UK based wedding and commercial photographer - A little bit from Tori -

“My style focuses on humour, emotion and beauty and is a blend of documentary, fine art photography and photojournalism. I love to get those unique portraits, teary eyes, and fun candid moments. If you're getting married and think you might be interested in me discreetly documenting your special day, why not get in touch. Likewise, if you want to capture some memories of you and your loved one(s), or have a business that you want to be photographed, feel free to drop me a line.” Check out Toris Instagram HERE

For more information or to receive a bespoke quote, please contact: hello@happyvalleynorfolk.co.uk  

INSTAGRAM - @HappyValleyNorfolk

TWITTER - @NorfolkVenue

Halloween Shoot in The Hay Barn at Happy Valley - Photography @torihancock_photography - Flowers @hannah.hunnam

Turning Over a New Leaf at Happy Valley

“The heat of autumn is different from the heat of summer. One ripens the apples, the other turns them to cider”.

~ Jane Hirshfield

The heavy heat of summer is giving way to a gentle breeze, pushing us onwards, towards cosier nights and the flicker of candlelight. There is comfort to be had when the feeling of sunlight on your skin, is then layered with the protective hug of a cashmere jumper or woollen shawl. It is as if Nature knows this is its swan song, its final chance to take flight and display its brilliance, for one last time.

Dancing like flames in the sky, the burnt oranges, and hues of yellow and brown offer up a firework display of leaves. The trees shake off their old coats and stretch out their branches to welcome a new season and with it, new adventures.

At Happy Valley, though the landscape changes, its beauty remains. Ripples in the lake and beads of sweat on your brow is being replaced with images of wellies splashing in puddles and fresh dew drops forming on blades of grass. Though darkness closes in, there is a sense of togetherness as we huddle for warmth and head towards the woods, to lose ourselves in the magic of an everchanging canvas of colour.

Your soul, as light as a feather, may be carried in the wind and with it, all your cares give way, to a beautiful, autumnal dream. The air crackles with anticipation, the leaves crunch underfoot, and conkers are ready for the taking. There is no feeling of sadness or loss, only the spirit of curiosity and yearning for a new journey into the unknown.

Here at Happy Valley, we invite you to come Autumn Glamping in the goldilocks of seasons - not too hot, not too cold but exactly right for some fun and creativity. With pencils sharpened, uninform pressed and blank exercise books waiting to be inked with inspiration, parents can escape for a term-time get away with individual glamping available during the week. Exclusive hire of the grounds, facilities, hot tubs, hay barn and all accommodation is available at the weekends, so you can capture the magic of this place with others or keep it all to yourself.  

Happy Valley cannot wait to celebrate the highlights of the Autumn season with you and raise a glass to friendships and fresh starts. Bottoms Up!

Happy Valley’s Twist on a Marylebone Halloween Marvel

• 35ml Vanilla Flavoured Vodka

• 12.5ml Pear Flavoured or Pumpkin Flavoured Liqueur

• 10ml Pumpkin syrup

• 25ml Pumpkin purée

• Pinch of ground nutmeg and cinnamon

• Top with Champagne (or prosecco, we won’t judge!)

• 3 ice cubes

• Slice of dried pear

With love,

Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

Explore the different cabins in the woods for some North Norfolk Glamping this Autumn.

Coming Home to the Exclusive Hire of Happy Valley

We are but a web of stories, woven and interlocked through random dates, fleeting moments, and the passing of time. If you saw your life through the eyes of all those who have ever seen you, ever known you, ever formed an impression of you, what is it you would find?

To those who have visited us before, we wonder how you would imagine your life in the snapshots that took you from where you started your journey, to how you ended up staying with us:

The ticket seller at Kings Cross station who wished you safe travels and wondered why you were carrying flip flops and wellies.

The woman sitting next to you on the Great Northern Rail who who listened to you share your plans of adventure on a Woodland Wilderness Retreat.

The taxi driver who picked you up from Kings Lynn station and made you laugh. How she smiled when you arrived at Happy Valley’s gates and said you were in for a ‘real treat’.

The farmer who nodded his head at you behind the wheel of his tractor, as if to welcome you to this happy corner of the world. How you knew you’d made the right decision and felt the first bubbles of excitement, of freedom.

The child squealing with delight as they were pushed on the tyre swing in the grounds and begged their parent to let them melt more marshmallows over the campfire that evening. How it made you think of all the firepit recipes you’d like to try after a long day walking in the woods.

The elderly couple in the local pub at Great Massingham, holding hands, warming themselves by the open fire with a simple meal of fish and chips and a bottle of Norfolk ale. How you thought it would be nice to return to Happy Valley again someday but next time, with all your family and friends.

And now, in the present, scrolling through your Instagram feed, you see the same photos of acres of trees, standing proud and tall, ripples in the lake surrounding Willow Island and you think of Happy Valley, wondering about all of the people you met and wondering if anyone is thinking of you, too.

Well, we are. We remember welcoming strangers and saying goodbye to friends. We remember the arrival of weary souls and the departure of rejuvenated spirits. We’re here, we’re thinking of you and we want to welcome you back but this time, exclusively. We are now open for Exclusive Use Hire of our accommodation and grounds, for up to 20 guests for a three night weekend stay or a two night midweek stay. Please see our Exclusive Hire tab for more information: https://www.happyvalleynorfolk.co.uk/exclusive-hire

We can’t wait to host you and your guests soon!

With love,

Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

Carry on Glamping...

“Nature itself is the
best source of healing for mental and emotional disorder”

- Paul TP Wong

“A walk in nature,
walks the soul back home”

- Mary Davis

2020 is the year where the world grew silent and its people grew still, where we yearned to touch but remained distant and where the sound of the news broadcast was an unwelcome invasion into our fortress of solitude. We’ve cried, we’ve fretted, we’ve sighed, perhaps we’ve even thrown a thing or two and yet we were the lucky ones. As our doors begin to creek open and we tentatively take our first steps into society again, we wonder what it is we will find and we wonder who it is we will find. Though we are moving forward, we are not moving on and we will not forget the NHS heroes who fought for us, the household members who held onto us or the loved ones who tragically left us.

Pre-pandemic, we were a society who knew the cost of everything but understood the value of nothing. Now, we’ve seen the beauty in the kindness of strangers, we’ve felt national pride watching our community come together and we’ve watched in wonder as the earth has begun to heal and nature has reawakened to the dawn of what we hope will be a new era. How we began 2020 was beyond our control but how we end it, is up to us.

Here at Happy Valley, we invite you to push the reset button and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Happy Valley Post-Pandemic

Reflect – curl up on the sofa in our treehouse lodge and look out onto a panoramic vista of nature. Use this time to think about what matters to you, consider how you’ve felt in recent months and how you want your future to look like. Write it all down and then cast it into our log burner and as the fire turns it to ashes, begin to rise up and start again.

Remember – in nature we can bare our soul. Our lake will catch your tears, our trees will hear your cries and our lands will hold you. Nature will remain by your side and will be your quiet companion as you remember those you have loved and those you have lost. There is no right way to think, no correct way to feel; Nature will not judge you, will not report you but it will console you.

Rejuvenate – they say time is a great healer but nothing speaks to us more than walking through the woods and grounding ourselves among trees that have seen a lifetime of loved ones walk our lands and watched every story of our ancestors unfold. It’s here that we feel close to them and here that we feel able to breathe again and ultimately, give ourselves permission to live again.

Reset – we can hurt without having to hide and we can heal in allowing ourselves to find happiness. Embracing the future does not mean forgetting the past. At Happy Valley, we invite families to reconnect and friends to reunite. Hug, sing, dance, laugh.

Hopefully, from the 4th July onwards, our glamping will be open again. Each cabin/tent will have its own private facilities and can only be booked by those who have been isolating in the same house. Extra measures have been put in place so please take a look at our Covid page on the website to see how this may affect your stay.

Our doors will soon be open to welcome you back and we hope we can give you the opportunity to end 2020 in a very different way to how it began.

We can’t wait to see you,

With love,

Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

Happy Valley Bucket List Challenge

“In the end, it’s not
the years in your life that counts, it’s the life in your years”

-Abraham Lincoln

As the lockdown slowly starts to lift, our minds begin to race over all the things we dreamt of but never got round to doing. The pins placed into maps of countries that were never visited, the endless texts sent to friends vowing to catch up one day, the countless times a car has driven past a destination with the driver uttering a pledge to visit it, the overworked employee that puts off visiting relatives until things have calmed down at work. So many plans made and promises broken, but we are determined that things will be different from now on; turning moments into memories has become our new mantra and creating a bucket list, our latest mission.

For those running out of things to do at home, it is well worth watching the legendary Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman on your screen for the 2007 Hollywood tearjerker, The Bucket List. You will need tissues, plenty of chocolate and then a pen and paper to start making the most out of life. There’s a moment in the film when the main protagonist says to his friend “one day your life will flash before your eyes so make sure it’s worth watching”. If life were to play itself out on screen, there would undoubtedly be scenes we’d want to relive again and again and there will inevitably be those we’d rather skip. We can’t avoid mistakes, but we can reduce regrets and here at Happy Valley, we have a bucket list of ideas for you to complete while you stay with us:

1. Watch the sun rise and set

2. Take time to appreciate nature

3. Try yoga or another type of relaxing therapy

4. Spend time with people who make you happy

5. Be hot and cold at the same time (a hot tub at night = cool head, warm heart)

6. Read a book with the sound of birds in the background

7. Switch off your phone

8. Try a new sport (5 minutes down the road is tree climbing, zip lining, quad biking etc)

9. Ride horses or build sandcastles on the beach

10. Write a letter or postcard to someone special

11. Paint a piece of art from the view around you

12. Take a spontaneous road trip (we have several suggestions if you need ideas)

13. Recreate camp (think melting marshmallows and mugs of hot chocolate)

14. Have a slumber party - of no more than your government designated two households ;-)

15. Gaze up at the stars

16. Write a book, short story, diary or a poem

17. Kiss in the rain (in your household couple of course), dance under the moon or run in the sun

18. Make a gratitude journal

19. Meditate

20. Hike a new trail (with 200 acres surrounding us, we have several routes to explore)

21. Complete 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, do a crossword, learn to play chess, or do an outdoor photoshoot

22. Sing Karaoke

23. Start a camp fire without matches

24. Write a letter to your future self

25. Hug a tree

26. Take a household group selfie

27. Go 24 hours without Internet, Television or Radio

28. Go make-up, cosmetics or designer free for the day

29. Design a bug-hotel or fairy house for our grounds

30. Make a new memory

*Glamping is open from 4th July 2020 and King Nutkin, Denver Rest and Tawny Hut are still available to book*

Competition time!! If, during your stay with us, you successfully complete all 30 tasks, evidenced with photographs, and shared on Instagram (please tag as @happyvalleynorfolk #happyvalleybucketlist), you will receive a complimentary prize to congratulate you on living a Happy Valley Lifestyle.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with,

With love,

Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

A Midsummer Night's Wedding in Happy Valley’s Woodlands

There are some moments in time that hold such an indefinable sense of fragility that we try to capture this fleeting event and bottle it as a memory. We imagine the feelings we felt and grasp them with both hands, clutching at it as if it were a precious butterfly about to escape. Some memories are so pure and so strong that one word, sound, smell or touch can take us back in time and conjure up what once was. Weddings often carry that sense of timelessness and there is something truly magical about encapsulating the day in a series of everlasting moments such as photographs, favours or scraps of material. We imagine ourselves old and grey, holding onto that precious token and looking back on a lifetime of happiness.

There is a feeling of promise that hangs in the air before our weddings at Happy Valley; our lands become restless with excitement as the fluttering of birds’ wings and the dancing of leaves signal its approach. The temperature rises and with it a warm feeling of joy is spread across the grounds as we anticipate our guests’ arrival with each tick and every tock.

The dreaminess of our woodland ceremonies and sense of ethereal wonder of our Willow Island blessings, sets a magical tone to proceedings. With all of the enchantment and mystery surrounding Happy Valley, it’s a perfect setting for a fairy-tale wedding, such as the one in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The ways to have a Shakespearean Midsummer Wedding at Happy Valley

1. Set the scene  – “I know a place where the wild thyme blows, where oxlips and the nodding violet grows”. Shakespeare knew of the importance of creating the perfect ambience for romance. At Happy Valley, our nine acres of whimsical woodland are bound to inspire you.

2. Add a touch of romance –  “Love's stories written in love's richest books. To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes”. Consider adding a harpist or string quartet to your day, include Shakespearean quotes at the dinner table or perhaps send calligraphy wedding invitations, written on handmade paper and sealed with wax. At Happy Valley we can provide exquisite wedding gift vouchers, romantic, vintage props and timeless, vintage wedding dresses.

3. Add a sparkle of magic – “hand in hand with fairy grace, will we sing and bless this place”. With Happy Valley’s festoon lighting, log burners, Willow Island and star-gazing hot tubs, we add a glimmer and flicker of charm to any occasion.

4. Shakespeare Up the Dress Code – whether you choose to include floral garlands for the bridesmaids, Shakespearean masks for the guests or go all out and fashion some incredible costume pieces, Happy Valley has a stock of vintage clothing items that emulate the Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding theme perfectly.  

5. Make Memories – “Are you sure/That we are awake? It seems to me/That yet we sleep, we dream”. Having your wedding at Happy Valley is an unforgettable event but you can treasure this moment by capturing it with stunning photos, keeping a wedding invitation and favour in a time capsule, by dancing under the stars to your favourite song, or choosing to wear your signature perfume. Whatever it is you need to create an unforgettable moment, Happy Valley has a list of amazing wedding suppliers we can provide you with.

The Bard was a great believer in Love and naturally, so are we. No matter what theme or style you choose for your wedding, Happy Valley invites you to immerse yourself in the magic of our venue.

With love,

Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

weddings@happyvalleynorfolk.co.uk

01485 600719

Instagram - @HappyValleyNorfolk

Facebook - Happy Valley Norfolk

The Perks of a Spring Wedding

Havelock Ellis once said “The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw” and to us, this perfectly surmises our feelings about nature but in particular, about Spring and weddings in springtime.

Guests have no problem envisaging Happy Valley in the perfect heat of summer, their skin tingling from the warmth of the sun while simultaneously feeling a cool glass of Pimm’s in their hand. Brides picture themselves roaming the grounds with their heads adorned in a crown of flowers, watching children tempted by the tantalising image of our pretty lake, wrapped around Willow Island, wishing, if only they could jump in.

Though we love the venue with each changing season there is a magical transformation at Happy Valley in the springtime. Like an undiscovered secret, it is during the month of April that we almost feel the trees holding their breath with the anticipation of what is to come. Full of potential and on the cusp of a glorious showcase of nature, Happy Valley in springtime is a stunning display of subtle sophistication and it gives us so much pleasure to watch it unfold before our eyes.

Five reasons we choose Spring Weddings over any other

1. Climate Change claims Spring as the new Summer - according to ScienceNews, climate change has triggered earlier springs, resulting in warmer and greener climates with summers becoming drier and arid. The UK government acknowledges that “17 of the 18 warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century and each of the last 3 decades have been hotter than the previous one”. With England experiencing extreme weather events and dangerous heatwaves, Spring is the goldilocks of weather - not too hot - not too cold but just right.

2. Demand and Supply - wedding suppliers have greater availability at a more affordable price, our grounds are in full bloom and there are a variety of stunning global and local honeymoon destinations at an off-peak price.

3. Spring Cleaning refers to more than just cobwebs - spring is the time to step outside, make plans and rejuvenate. As well as grabbing mops and polish, people want to dust off their party frocks and have an excuse to feel the fresh air again. With the start of Bank Holidays and Easter breaks, this is a time for friends and family to reconnect and what better way to bring everyone together than a wedding?!

4. There is a colour palette of endless possibilities - pastels, 50 shades of green or bright florals, in Spring, anything goes. The options for wedding bouquets are limitless and unlike other seasons, Spring doesn’t seem to be as confined. No-one expects you to have a pumpkin themed Halloween wedding or a burgundy winter wonderland, you are free to just be.

5. Spring stands for new starts - instead of seeing spring as a transitional season, we embrace it as a symbol of renewal and rebirth and what better time to start a brand new adventure with the love of your life than during a season that celebrates new beginnings?

In Spring, Mother Nature wakes from her wintery sleep, stretches out her arms with green lands, lets out a sigh of chirping birds and fresh breeze, opens her eyes to blue skies and smiles to display a full sunrise. When every living creature is opening their hearts to new possibilities, we invite you to join them and embark on a new chapter of your life with a perfectly imperfect Spring Wedding.

With love, Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

Forget “Orange is the New Black” … Wednesday Weddings are about to start trending in 2020.

During our work-from-home staycation, we’re keeping in touch with our sister venues and suppliers and the whole wedding industry knows we’re in for a busy few months ahead.

As we batten down the hatches and weather the storm, we wonder if we could turn this tragedy into a new trend and plant mid-week weddings on the map. David Beahm, Harper Bazaar’s Event Designer, says “Perhaps Wednesday weddings are going to be the new thing for a while, and there’s nothing wrong with that”.

As many weekend dates are already booked in 2020 & choosing a weekend in 2021 could leave a venue or supplier’s business unable to sustain events next year, what if we took that off the table and got #wednesdayweddings #WW20 #wednesdaysforthewin #WW21 trending?

Why should I become a mid-week trend setter?

• Availability - practically speaking, most venues are booked up 1-2 years in advance and suppliers now have the huge task of re-arranging their whole calendar. Realistically, there will be much more availability mid-week now than at any weekend.

• Ease of travel - trains will be quieter, flights will be cheaper, traffic will be lighter and extra, local accommodation will be on offer. This actually makes it a lot easier for your guests to get to your wedding. Yes, they’ll need to take a day off but bosses will be aware of the situation and everyone needs an excuse to party after this.

• Social act of kindness - tourism, hospitality and leisure industries are on a knife-edge. To prevent them from falling into the abyss, postponing to a mid-week wedding could save their business and protect job security for their staff. Remember the words “In a world where we can be anything, be kind”?

What would my mid-week wedding look like?

This is the fun part and where our Pinterest addiction is put to good use!

• Themes - why not be creative and come dressed for an après-ski wedding? Or, in true Autumn style, adorn the barns in pumpkins and lanterns? Lots of bohemian and festival weddings are held in the autumn and the photos are breath-taking, as is the backdrop at Happy Valley this time of year.

• Treats - we love the idea of having a hot drinks bar. If that doesn’t do the trick, a whiskey bar will always be welcome and children will queue up for a s’more session, roasting marshmallows over the fire pit. At Happy Valley, to allow you and your gets to save money, we will permit guests to bring their own drink of choice to the venue so they can stock up on the bubbly en route. Don’t forget, with our luxurious hot tubs, you can keep warm whilst gazing at the stars which is the best treat your guests can have.

• Accessories - what woman doesn’t love to accessorise and this is where we can have some fun with umbrellas, wellies, blankets, hand warmers or ear muffs. Consider using this as an excuse to indulge yourself with a hand-painted, custom leather jacket for the bride, a hand-crocheted shawl or a beautiful, faux-fur statement piece.

• Making a statement - imagine faux-fur draping over haystacks, vintage rugs taking centre stage in the barn, fairy lights wrapped around the trees, lanterns in every nook and cranny and fire pits and log burners providing that cosy, warm feeling. You could even add a touch of magic with some hand-held sparklers.

Look through our vision board to inspire you (thank you to our talented photographers for permission to use your work) and use this time at home to let your imagination run wild. We’re up for the mid-week mayhem if you are!

With love,

Katy, Kirsty and the team at Happy Valley xx

hello@happyvalleynorfolk.co.uk

01485 600 719

Instagram - @HappyValleyNorfolk

Facebook - Happy Valley Norfolk

Darina Stoda Photography

Paper Antler Photography

@matildasodphotography

Shanon Rosan Photography

@liveviewstudios

@brandwold

The Road to Happy Valley x

Happy Valley Norfolk

Autumn at Happy Valley is breath taking.

Hand-painted, leather jacket for the bride @wolfandrosie