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.

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. 

 

A Flying Visit to Norfolk - part 2 - Burnham and Hunstanton

The second half of our 'flying visit' saw us heading west towards home, via Burnham Deepdale, another 'coastal' village sitting a long way from the sea.















 Sadly we didn't have time to walk all the way out to see the waves so had to be content with a short walk out onto the marshes - the best place to admire Norfolk's "big skies"

 Then it was on to Hunstanton, which was certainly living up to its reputation as "Sunny Hunny"

Time for a stroll along the beach...

...and even a brief paddle

Scotland 2014 #5 Portobello Beach

 No holiday is complete for me without a trip to the beach - and fortunately Edinburgh has one right on the doorstep at Portobello

And so few beach trips are complete without a dash for the car as the rain moves in!

St Davids

Over the half-term holidays, we headed to far West Wales - to St Davids, Britain's smallest city, feeling barely much more than a large village, with a village square, colour washed houses and, tucked in the valley below, the cathedral and ruined Bishop's Palace.

































We've been visiting for more than 20 yrs - climbing the tortuous stairs in the Bishop's Palace ruins with the beautiful restored Rose Window














taking in the scenery on the coastal path

building sandcastles and paddling

I just haven't got round
to the local sport of coasteering - scrambling round rocks at the sea's edge or plunge diving into the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddi