Old Hunstanton

 

Our first morning on holiday was wet. Wet, wet, wet. We walked a little way round Dersingham, then headed back to the cottage for a quick lunch, all the while keeping our fingers crossed for some sunshine. 

This must have worked as, by late afternoon when we headed down to the beach along flower-lined footpaths, the clouds had started to clear and sun begun to shine.

The last of the clouds cleared away leaving skies of glorious blue.

From the Cliff car park we headed north along the shingle towards Old Hunstanton. The sea meanwhile retreated towards Skegness on the opposite side of the Wash. I've been here many times but don't think I've ever seen such an expanse of sand.

We reached the Old Town Cafe in Old Hunstanton too late for cake but just in time for a cup of tea before closing. This is a lovely spot, once a private lifeboat house, situated next to the current lifeboat station just off the beach.

Old Hunstanton is one of those places that I've driven through but never stopped at, so we decided to have a walk around - past the Le Strange Arms hotel, calling in at the gallery/antiques centre opposite, up to the main road, and back via narrow village lanes.

Then with the sky remaining gloriously clear, it was time to laze a while in the dunes and watch the kite surfers out at sea.

Holiday time again - Norfolk

It took me a while to discover Norfolk (I think I was over 40) but once I did I fell in love with it. Long expanses of salt marsh, beaches stretching as far as the eye can see, and the immense (hopefully blue) sky above. So, looking for a short break, with a promise of good weather, we headed east.

I had definite ideas about where I wanted to go, and places I wanted to visit. Top of my list was King Charles' Norfolk home, Sandringham. It's now part of the RHS Partner gardens scheme, which means that as a member entrance is free for me. While I was visiting, I thought I might as well drop in next door on one side, to Houghton Hall's award winning walled garden, also part of the RHS Partner gardens scheme, and, on the other, to the ruins at Castle Rising. 

Of course, any trip to Norfolk involves a stop-over at Belton House to break the journey, a visit to the beach (Old Hunstanton), and the salt-marches, and a fish and chip supper.

Through AirBnB we found a lovely traditional cottage at Dersingham, hardly a few miles from any of these places, and spent the one really wet morning of our stay exploring the flower-filled country lanes just outside the village.


 

Last Stop - Old Hunstanton

 Coming home from Norfolk the Hunstanton area is generally our last stop; sometimes Hunstanton itself with amusements and fish shops, sometimes as this time the quieter beach at Old Hunstanton.

The sun was already dipping towards the horizon, but there was still time to roll up my leggings and have a quick paddle (very quick because at the tideline the beach was shingle and not pleasant to walk on)

 The setting sun gave a warm glow to Hunstanton's famous striped cliffs, but signaled time for us to get back in the car and head home.

Hopefully it won't be so long before we're back next time. 

 

North Norfolk - new things and old favourites

I'm just back from a few days in North Norfolk. Considering last week's snow and sleet, the weekend was pretty good - after hail on Saturday morning the skies cleared and mostly remained that way; when the wind died down on Monday, it even felt warm enough to go paddling (very briefly).

Back in the days of 'normal' holidays, North Norfolk was our go-to place for a short 2/3 day break so there were lots of old favourite spots to revisit, plus some absolutely new ones. Among my wish-list of things to accomplish this year were to visit Walsingham snowdrops and to stay somewhere quirky - and I've done them both :)







The place we chose to stay was a converted chapel; a mix of old details like huge double height windows with stained glass panels and the modern comforts of a dishwasher and a massive logburner.











I first heard about the snowdrops at Walsingham Abbey a long while ago, but February hadn't really seemed like a good time for a holiday. This year they flowered a little early so many had passed their best. Daffodils were beginning to take their place, but it was still possible though to tell how large an area the snowdrops cover, so although I've sort of ticked this off my wishlist, it's still there as one year I'd like to catch them in full flower.

 A sort-of accidental discovery, because we stayed just down the road, were the ruins of Binham Priory. Anything old and historical always fascinates me, and these were particularly interesting as a part of the priory's church has been retained as the parish church; although some windows have been lost, it's certainly grander than your average village church.





















Holkham Hall was another new place for me. The hall itself isn't open at this time of year, but the parkland and a cafe are, so lunch was followed by a pleasant, not too strenuous 2-3 mile walk around the lake, returning afterwards for cake. All walks should be like this :)

At Hunstanton we changed our habits and instead of visiting the town, walked north along the beach at Old Hunstanton - where the sand stretches seemingly forever (so many Norfolk beaches seem to do this)

In addition, we still found time for old favourites - chips one evening from French's in Wells-next-the-Sea, a walk by the beach huts the next day, and a visit to Brancaster beach. I returned home with sand in my shoes, and a desire to hurry back.

The Rest of our Norfolk Break

 With three blog posts already, I could be going on forever about our few days in Norfolk, so here's the best of the rest (though to be fair the whole holiday was wonderful)

First Cromer, 'an esplanady sort of place' according to A C Swinburne; at night as the sun set and its lights began to twinkle along the pier and prom, and by day with the sea retreating leaving damp sand to walk on, even under the pier where water had swirled the night before.

Norwich in the evening, with secretive little alleys, and huge illuminated public buildings. I was reluctant to leave the seaside and go into town this evening, but I definitely want to go back and visit properly - just maybe when the sun and sea aren't so appealing.

Wells-next-the-Sea which is, I think, my favourite place along Norfolk's north coast. There are fishing boats, amusement arcades, walks besides the marshes, chip shops, quaint narrow streets away from the touristy bustle - everything for a seaside holiday.

Either first or last stop on our Norfolk holidays is Hunstanton - this time it was the last. For an East Anglian resort, it oddly looks west, across the Wash towards Skegness. A walk along the prom to see the pier-less pier, and a visit to Boston Square have become part of our routine. I'd hoped to be able to walk along the beach to Old Hunstanton, but tide and time were against me - something to attempt next time we're here.