Another lazy morning ensued on Sunday – and with the view we had it wasn’t hard to sit there in the sun and do nothing, but eventually we roused ourselves, had a bit of a scrub up and headed south, again to Walcott to call in at Trev’s sisters again taking the opportunity to catch up with one of his nieces who was also visiting.
Then it was a cross country scramble via some very narrow roads to catch up again with Nick & Ellen at their new home in Worstead. And what a lovely place too, cosy but with all the space you need and a lovely little garden with a great decking area. The cottage had been updated and modernised by the previous owner but tastefully and it worked really well. We both agreed that we could see ourselves enjoying a place like this in the future.
A late Sunday lunch was at a pub in nearby Coltishall, although none of us went traditional, all opting for what turned out to be beautiful but gut busting burgers. It had been nearly 48 hours since the last burger so the shakes were setting in you see…..
We adjourned to another pub by the river for ‘dessert’ before heading back to their place for coffee and thence back home to the ‘van. It was another great afternoon and evening and Trev’s jaw wasn’t the only one working overtime.
Monday and it was time for another train journey – this time a modern one – from Cromer down into Norwich, the county town of Norfolk. The scenery was a little less impressive on an overcast day as we passed through North Walsham, Worstead and Hoveton & Wroxham amongst others before emerging, less than an hour later in Norwich.
As usual, I’d not done research – the proper sort, not the one involving beer – so was relying on my childhood memories which were vague. Very.
The cathedral seemed as good a place as any to head for, moreover it was free to get in, although donations were encouraged. We obliged by buying a fridge magnet! The grounds in which the cathedral sits are quiet and peaceful and mercifully traffic free. The cathedral may be no more or less impressive than the many others we have seen I still marvel at how they were designed and built back in times when computers and cement mixers were a thing of the very distant future. What you will find here is the grave of Edith Cavell, the nurse who helped so many to freedom in the First World War. She was tried, found guilty of treason and shot be a German firing squad in 1915.
Norwich castle is something I did remember from my childhood and it looms above the city just begging to be photographed. Of course I obliged.
There seemed to be a lot of churches, some seemingly hidden away in little alcoves and one had been put to use as a mecca for that other great British religion of shopping. Antiques, collectables and what could, uncharitably be described as junk adorned the various stalls. It had a great atmosphere though and I could have spent a lot longer wandering around.
As often, our time here was far too brief and it’s definitely worth a closer look. Back at the station while we were waiting for our train it was nice to see a big growly diesel arrive, although two locos for just three carriages seemed a considerable overkill.
Tuesday. Our last full day in Norfolk. So, we went on a train. Another one. This time it was the narrow gauges of the Bure Valley Railway that guided us from Aylsham to Wroxham through some of Norfolk's prettiest countryside. We had planned to do a cruise on the broads too but stupidly didn't book ahead and sailings were full. No matter, it would keep for another time.
The town of Wroxham is synonymous with one name – Roy. Brothers Alfred & Arnold Roy opened their first general store in nearby in Coltishall in 1895. The business expanded rapidly but to this day is still family owned and has now spread further afield, but still very much part of Wroxham as you can see:
The journey back on the little train was no less enjoyable and offered plenty more opportunities for lens clicking.
Our final night in Norfolk was spent – you’ve guessed it, in a pub. Well, it was my birthday and a I had a rare treat too. Rarer than I usually go for but it was delicious. With a couple of ales to wash it down with obviously.
So that was Norfolk. Once again the time has flown by, but we’ve enjoyed it from a beautiful location, so here’s a few more photo’s of the lovely Sandy Gulls Caravan Park
Facilities were clean, tidy, spacious and well kept. There was no laundry facilities although a spin dryer was available.
Right. Getting (and staying) connected. Site WiFi was available. £9.00/week for up to four devices with no indicated usage limits. You could also pay for a day, month or year. Signal strength was good, but connection speed varied considerably. The number of people on site seemed to have no bearing on this. Sometimes it was pretty quick, sometimes unusable.
Mobile network wise - ‘3’ on my cheap and cheerful Microsoft/Nokia Lumia was no good for sharing via a hotspot but would load web pages most of the time. Ditto Vodafone on Trev’s HTC. The new Huawei mobile WiFi thingy loaded with an EE SIM reported full strength 3G and worked well when we gave up on the site WiFi.
Right, the next one will be from Suffolk as we head south for the penultimate stop of our trip – next to a nuclear power station! More soon. In the meantime some slideshows: Norwich HERE, Norwich Cathedral HERE and the Bure Valley Railway HERE