12 Sept The Norfolk Coast

After the men with the broad Norfolk accents arrived to fix the heating oil tank, we set off to explore! A short drive west we found Blakeney where there is a huge estuary with marshes, reeds and inlets from the sea. We must have walked more than a mile in beautiful sunshine and a light breeze. We could hardly believe how beautiful the day was after yesterday's rain and cold.

Walking along the front here we saw children 'crabbing'; they tied a piece of bacon in a piece of net and attached it to a line with a sinker on it. The crabs would cling to the bacon as the line was drawn up and then the crab put into a bucket of water with great glee. Eventually they were all thrown back into the sea.

It was such a lovely walk. Tony bought us Walls ice creams (yum) and I bought the grandchildren some 'rock'. We wandered into the 15th century Guild Hall and up a high hill for a great view out to the wind farm built on a sandbank way out at sea.

We then drove to Cley (pronounced Cly) and walked around this pretty village. We considered having lunch at the cafe in the windmill, but decided against it when we found they were dealing with the sewer at the time! (Dad: I walked into the yard where they were pumping out the sewer; a couple of deep breaths would have provided lunch...)

So instead we went to an extremely well patronised 'crab' shop and bought some takeaway fishy dinners, with crab, mackerel, cockles, salmon, prawns, anchovies, and one other fish I think. There was lots of salad too. We got 3 dinners and came home and divided them onto 4 plates, still having a big meal each. Very good!

After a snooze we went out again, seeing more quaint villages with the flint-walled houses. The walls are about 2 foot thick! Driving here is a great skill - the A roads have 2 lanes, but the B roads which have tall hedgerows on either side are about one lane wide, and passing another car is knit one purl one. Blackberries are everywhere, often in the hedges too. We visited Baconsthorpe Castle - it was so quiet and peaceful here with ducks on the 'mere', hardly anyone else around and out in the middle of farmland. We also watched several different coloured dragonflies.

We then drove to Cromer and walked along the truly English Pier.

And look what we also found...

It was quite a day, but we came home and had a cuppa on the balcony watching the sun set and listening to a pheasant squawking in the wheat field behind. Helen then produced another delicious dinner and again we enjoyed such lovely chats as we ate in the 'Conservatory'.