Day: 201 3/4/99 Kessingland to Hopton-on-Sea

Weather:  Misty

Distance:  15km (9.3 miles)    Total Distance:   2608 miles

The family dropped me at Kessingland and headed off for another morning in Southwold, so taken were they by it yesterday.  I headed off into the mist.  Visibility was very poor and all I could see was the waters edge.  I hardly saw anything else until I reached the outskirts of Lowestoft and saw a church appearing through the mist.  

I came off the beach and onto the start of the promenade.  I passed another series of very smart beach huts and was admiring them when I got talking to an elderly man who told me that the council were having trouble letting them on a weekly basis.  We agreed that people should get out and enjoy the countryside more!  As I got further into Lowestoft the number of tourists increased to the point where I crossed the bridge over Lake Lothing where I had to battle to get through the crowds.  I had chosen not to stop at a café fully expecting there to be somewhere on the north side of the town.

I got back to the coast via an industrial estate and it was desolate, just concrete sea defences and what looked like a Bird’s Eye factory.  The one highlight was a large circle on the ground marking the most easterly point in the country and depicting which direction it was to all the European capitals and the distances. 

The concrete gave way to beaches with cliffs.  At one stage I almost got bowled over by a black labrador, no apology from the owner, just a giggle between her and her daughter.  Access along the beach gradually got more difficult because of the tide breakers and it was only possible to walk at the bottom of the cliffs along narrow paths.  I then came across a beach designated to nudists near Corton.  The improving weather meant two gents were enjoying the privilege of not needing to wear clothes.

After Corton the beach opened up and I returned initially walking on concrete promenade and then walking on firm sand.  I had arranged to meet Margaret at Hopton on Sea. We had driven to the village in the morning on our way to Kessingland in order that we fully understood where the meeting point was!  I got to Hopton in three and a half-hours and a bit early so walked up the track that led down to the beach to save Margaret driving down.  I stopped on the turning into the housing estate and Margaret soon turned up. 

From there we went to spend the afternoon at Fritton Country Park.  It was very pricey to get in, £17 for the family, but pretty good inside.  We watched a falconry display with a barn owl and a bald eagle called Margaret! The adventure playground was good and then we had a go on the putting.  When it closed we headed back and stopped off at a pub, the Church Farm, down by the broads in Burgh Castle.  Again the kids tore around the garden and we stayed as long as we could with the mist coming down again and it getting colder and colder.  We then went back to the hostel and Margaret made corn beef hash.