Suffolk & Norfolk

 Friday 8th August, Coleman's Hill CL

    Since we got back from our Highland Fling, we've been itching to get away and not just for a weekend.  So we decided to go to an area that we haven't been too much before.  Suffolk and Norfolk.

    Travelled to Boddington, north of Banbury for our first overnight stop at the start of a couple of weeks away.  Lovely scenery as we are on a hill but Daisy is slightly on the downward tilt and the view is partially of the HS2 workings.  However, sunny weather, slight breeze, a drink in hand and what more could you ask for!

    When we arrived, we jumped on our bikes and cycled to Boddington Reservoir.  We managed to cycle all round although part of the track was just a single footpath through the woods with stinging nettles!  It's hard to stay upright when you're trying to dodge being stung or being bumped off the path.    

    On the way back, I visited the 17th Century church in Upper Boddington.   Peaceful inside and old graves outside.  It was a lovely paradise.

    Sat out under the canopy and I actually fell asleep!  Once the work had finished on the HS2 site, it was so peaceful.  So quiet.  We watched the sun set then went inside as it was getting chilly. Then we just watched the sky change as it got darker and saw bats flying all around.  Waiting for darkness to see the stars but still too light at 10.15 so went to bed.

Saturday 9th, Northfield Farm CL, Kettering

    Set off and travelled up the M1 to catch the A14.   At junction 19, we then had to go along the M6 west for 2 miles, go around the roundabout at Junction 1 then come back east then down the M6 south and onto the A14.  Four miles to do that because there isn't a turning right junction of the M1 !!  I'd hate to do it when the traffic is heavy.

    At the site  at Northfield Farm, we're on a hard standing and it's level!  Next to us is a field of chicory growing.  Apparently, the government pay farmers to grow this crop for silage and to encourage wildlife diversity.  

    We took a walk around the field and certainly saw a wide variety of plants growing and also insects.  Part of this diversity was another wasp nest in the ground.  Apparently the badgers had been there getting the honey combs so had made the holes much larger. 

    After our walk around the field, we took another walk following my app called 'Footpath'.  There was a trail that went under the A14 but it had been taped across the entrance way.  As there was no alternative way, we crept under the tape to see whether we could get through - and we could!  So we carried on through the new housing development to a group of shops and the pub called the Trading Post.  Certainly not a traditional pub, more like a Harvester but we had a lovely pint of lager & cider on a very hot day.  Thank heavens for the breeze!

    When we returned, we bought some honey from the site owner.  Looking forward to my toast in the morning!

Sunday 10th, Water Pump CL, Baddingham

    The toast and honey that I had was lovely!  Apparently, the bees gather nectar from a local flower meadow.

    I did some Pilates outside for the first time in ages.  It was lovely in the early sun but I could feel the heat building up even then.

    It was another hot & very close day, so we were glad to have the air con on in the cab while we were travelling.  On arrival, the Water Pump CL is a very well looked after site, neat and tidy.  We had hard standing but we still had to use our air bags.  (Daisy is naturally nose-down) I think I prefer grass as you can go bare foot; its a little painful under foot on gravel. 

     We are south facing so have the sun all day so we welcomed the canopy, although the sun still found its way under most of it.  We walked to the pub via a freshly cut grassed path through the trees.  Not far at all.  We are making good use of the pub now as it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays! Very pleasant!

Mike cooked a BBQ which we ate al fresco which was nice.

    During the evening, we played another game of The Great Game of Britain and one couple taking an evening stroll came and asked us about it. 

Monday 11th

    A hot day but not wanting to be somewhere and not explore, I took myself off on a bike ride.   The route I had planned came to an abrupt end when I found out the farmers had planted crops over the path so I then made another route up from roads, footpaths and crashing through undergrowth paths.   It was interesting to say the least and I was very much in the countryside if not in the middle of fields.  It was a welcome sight when I came across the pub at Dennington - The Dennington Queen.  A nice cold lime (but only just) and soda and ice cubes!  After that I spotted some plums for sale beside the road so bought them as I knew Mike would like them.  The ride back was better, and shorter but when I came to the field next to the site again, it was cropped over so I decided to go around the edge and eventually came to the little bridge over the River Alde (it wasn't flowing very much, if at all, and was all overgrown) and into the site.

    We are showering more these days due to the hot weather so it is just as well we have the large onboard tank and can discharge the grey water into the hedge.   It is so nice after a shower but the relief is short lived in this heat. What is it going to be like when we take Daisy abroad?

This evening, we played the card game I made the card holder for and it worked!  

Tuesday 12th

    Cycled into Framingham.  Really hot day and had to walk the first bit up the cropped field which was no easy task! Better when we got on the bikes and had the wind in our hair, so to speak (we had helmets on). Framingham is a small town with a largish church, St Michaels, circa 1513 and a rather large castle. It is a National Trust property but we didn't go in. The castle is only the ramparts, as far as I could tell, and I didn't fancy paying £16 concession just for that. 

     We did find the market of 3 stalls. Perhaps there are more on a Saturday. We did partake in a pork pie and a pastry though.  Mike threw his pork pie away as it was too dry. (not like him) We carried on having a walk around and found the water pump that had been gifted to the town in 1869. We took refuge there for a while as it was out of the sun.

     I also looked around the church. There are some frescoes there and some large tombs of prominent towns people. 

     We did a bit of shopping in the Co-op, which incidentally was a ‘green’ Co-op so Mike wasn't able to use his ‘blue’ Co-op card. Who knew. Apparently there are locality coops now that are painted in their respective livery so you can tell.

    The ride back was hot and hard going and my chain fell off so I got lovely & oily putting it back on. We could really have done with an ice cold drink when we got back to Daisy but no such luck. It was too hot to sit inside, so we opened the canopy and sat in the shade with the slightest of breezes. Later on we had to peg a sheet (my Kanga) and a wrap onto the canopy to help give a bit of shade. There is absolutely no shade here apart from early in the morning and after the sun has gone down.

Wednesday 13th, Suffolk Heritage Coast CL

    Moved on to Suffolk Heritage Coast site near Beccles, Suffolk. We saw what would be a sunflower field (only a few were out) in front of a chicory field. How colourful! The site is lovely and well kept and mown. There is a meadow in front of us but most of the flowers have seeded so all that there is are seed heads and ‘fairies’ floating in the breeze. 

 The day felt cooler than of late but the evening warmed up again so we slept with windows open and fly screens in place. It was quite a pleasant night until the sun came up and the light flooded in. 

 Time to get up.

Thursday 14th

    I did some Pilates in the morning. It was on a slight slope but the sunshine was gorgeous. We took Daisy back to Dunwich down some narrow lanes to a huge car park by the beach. This was on the suggestion of Phillip, who owns the site. After a cuppa in the tea rooms we took a walk along the bar just behind the beach. We saw a tiny lizard and later identified it as a young male sand lizard. 

 

    Later on we took our chairs and set up on the shingle beach. There was a breeze which kept up cool(ish). Mike read his book while I sunbathed for a short while then went swimming in the sea. It was cold getting in but lovely and refreshing. 

 We got ice lollies before heading back to the site in Daisy. More relaxing under our canopy. We also went collecting plums from the orchard at the site and saw a tiny froglet. Its been a day of sighting tiny amphibians - and more plums! We are going to have so many plum crumbles!

Friday 15th, Little Fransham, Norfolk

    More Pilates this morning before leaving and I overheard a couple of ladies saying “Too healthy”.  I guess they were discussing me.   We carried onto our next site near Swaffham but had to find a garage with LPG gas so we could refill our gas cylinder.  There aren't many around these parts but managed to get somewhere just before they shut at 1pm.  

    Our site for the next few days is a field - we are the only ones so far. We can hear the main road, which isn't far away but hopefully that will die down at night.   All facilities and I haven't been to look at them but get the feeling they are basic.  We had the canopy out and sat outside in this sunny weather but had to get into the shade as it was too hot.  We pegged a kanga and a blanket onto the canopy edge, shading us a little.   The sun went behind trees as it was setting but then it got chilly.  There's no pleasing some people!  We watched a film during the evening.

Saturday 16th

    We caught the bus into Swaffham. The bus stop was just outside the site which was very handy. Such a lovely little town. 

     There was a market on - many more stalls this time.  We also visited the museum which was a mismatch of many topics but very interesting.  There was also a 15th century church which looked huge from the outside but not very interesting inside.  There was a craft shop there and the man inside was very interesting to talk to about glass fusing and glass painting.  I bought a tube of paint and resolved to buy more when we get home and do some more painting on glass.  When we returned, we had to cross the road after getting off the bus. It took us ages to cross safely but it is the A47 and a Saturday.  I did a spot of sunbathing in the afternoon but made sure I didn't overdo it.  After we both had showers (mine was cold as we had forgotten to turn on the water) we had dinner then watched another film.

Sunday 17th, Nursery Farm CL, Cromer

    Time to move on again, this time nearer to the North coast and Cromer.   Our site is in a village just outside Cromer called Thorpe Market and staying at an old farm called the Nursery Farm.  We are the only ones in the field at the moment. It is quiet although there is road noise, and it seems, lots of sirens.      Hopefully this will die down during the night.  Apparently, the name of the farm comes from it, or part of its pasture, being the nursery ground for dragons, who lay their eggs just beneath the surface of the soil.  There are quite a few dragon stories from around these parts, so maybe not such a far fetched reason for the name.  We went for a walk around the woods that are here but they are not that that big.      However, sitting in Daisy, glancing out of the window I saw a Muntjac deer just returning to the woods.      We have found out that this week Cromer has its Carnival and a week long events schedule. For once we didn't arrive just too early or too late! The trouble is the actual carnival parade is on Wednesday evening at 7pm but that is after the last bus leaves there to return here. We have decided not to stay an extra day as we have been discussing but will go into Cromer tomorrow to see what is on then.

Monday 18th

    We took the bus into Cromer.   It is a busy town but hardly surprising as it is the summer holidays and also the carnival week.  We walked to the main field where the events are taking place, along the cliff top.  Whilst walking a man with a hang glider was to-ing and fro-ing along the cliff top showing off his prowess.   He was very skilled at it and came quite close at times.   It was good to watch him.  

    We eventually got to the field, it seemed like the was a long walk.  There was a fair all set up but not in action, that probably comes to life at night with all the lights and sights and sounds, ah the memories.      Further into the field there were many tents or gazebos selling their wares so we started looking at these, then found the tea tent so had a sit down and a cuppa.  A further look at the sellers and we took a wander back into the town.   I wish we'd thought to look around the main tent there which we assume had the fruit, veg and craft competition, although it didn't look very open to the public.  There are plenty of benches in Cromer and we were able to make use of them quite often, which is a nice relief sometimes.  Cromer has some quirky side roads and many independent shops.  One of the things we wanted to tick off the list was to have a crab sandwich in Cromer.  We found it difficult actually finding a café offering this and had to Google it.  The first place we went to had sold out so we went to the next place.  I did get my crab sandwich but it wasn't very nice and had yellow ‘meat’ along with the classic white meat. I later found out that the yellow meat was the hepatopancreas of the crab, the part that filters out impurities.  Not sure I wanted to know that, anyway, I didn't enjoy it and have probably eaten my last crab sandwich.  Cromer has a pier but from our vantage point above it there only seems to be an ice cream parlour and gift shop and the theatre and the life boat station at the very end.  It was also down many steps to get to it and many steps to come back up, so we didn't go to it. The beach look good and there were people down on it but not many swimming, it was rather cold and windy.  There were quite a few people body surfing, or trying to and they seemed to be having fun.  The life guards were keeping a close watch on them.  A bus ride back (it is so good having bus passes now and having free rides) then a little Crêpe Snoozette. 

Tuesday 19th,

    We decided to turn towards home on this journey. We left for a site in Newbold on Stour near Stratford on Avon. It was a long drive so we took it in turns to drive. We also retraced some of our previous journey but as it was a long way didn't mind so much but the A roads made for a pretty boring journey. We stopped at the Tesco at Kettering for provisions and a rest break. The A14 went close to our 2nd site (see above) with the Chicory field and our walk under the A14 to the shops and our very welcome pint at the pub. The weather today is very overcast but still warm but humid. Thank heavens for the air con in the cab! 

    Our site is on a farm down a very long track which we hadn't realised when we booked it up. We are planning to use the bus to go into Stratford on Avon and also to go to the local pub. We will certainly be ready for a pint when we get there! 

     The trek was only 0.9 miles but we decided to also have a meal there too. The pub, The White Hart, was a lovely old pub with lots of little nooks.  Mike had a Timothy Taylors beer that is a Yorkshire beer that he doesn't see very often.  We had a pizza for me and ribs for Mike to eat.  Trouble is Mike's plate was so small the food was piled on top of each other so he had difficulty cutting it to eat. My pizza was served on a wooden board (and I‘m sure there was the remnants of the previous meal left in part of the groove) which I don't really like for hygienic reasons.  The pizza was cut then piled on top of each other so I couldn't eat it with my fingers (my preferred way to eat pizza) but also the knives were so blunt it was really difficult to cut the pizza - and they bought me the wrong order but I didn't want to wait for another pizza to be cooked so didn't say anything.  We did say something about the blunt knives, small plate and wooden plate at the end.   I don't think the landlord was very appreciative of the feedback. On the way back though, we saw a fox and a Roe deer.

Wednesday 20th

    We decided to go into Stratford upon Avon by bus so set off for the 10:14 bus.   The track up to the road is half a mile long and is as straight as a die so feels it too.  We were early though so sat on the wall of the church and waited.  By 10:30 it hadn’t come so I phoned the number on the timetable at the stop to ask about it.  This number was charged at 12p per minute plus standard network charge.  The chap who answered wasn't able to help me but gave me a number of the actual bus company, Stagecoach, to phone them directly.  I've no idea who I was phoning before then.  Anyway, it transpired that that particular bus had been temporarily stopped and there wasn't another for nearly 2 hours, so we decided to cross the road and head in the opposite direction to Shipston on Stour.  This is a small town with a few independent shops, many pubs and 2 cafes.  We had breakfast in one of them then bought bacon from the butchers and waited for the bus back.   Not a very productive day but we did see a town that we wouldn't otherwise have visited.  I did go for a very short walk from the site but it took me to a gate that was chained and roped off, albeit easy to open, but it didn't look like the gate had been opened in some time so I didn't bother.  After dinner we had a games night of questions and answers and guess who.

Thursday 21st

    We actually caught the bus into Stratford upon Avon today and at the same time as yesterdays! Seems like it was only the Wednesday bus that had been cancelled although I wasn't told this when I phoned.      Mike downloaded the Stagecoach app yesterday so was able to make sure it had left its point of origin before we set out. 

     Stratford has some very old buildings and of course all the places associated with Shakespeare. We weren't bothered for waiting in queues and going into any of these so wandered through the streets and again had breakfast in one of the many cafes. 

    We also took a boat trip along part of the Avon. Nice to do but not a lot to see apart from the banks of the river and some houses complete with a boat house. Looking on the app for the next bus back and it was so confusing and no information available that I Googled searched it in the end and eventually found the place to catch the bus back. We don't think much of Stagecoach app at all. The trek back down the drive to Daisy seemed even longer today.

Friday 22nd

    Headed home today.  Yet more traffic works in Marlborough!  I think we've only been through Marlborough once without having to stop at road works traffic lights.  So this time, we took the road across to the Pewsey road and a different way home.  We don't usually use this road as there are some narrow places but all was OK this time, even though we met a lorry going through Enford, the site of the narrow road section.