Distance: 19 km (11.8
miles) Total Distance: 2640 miles
I
couldn't settle at home and having the rest of the week off I decided to
return to Norfolk, this time on my own, leaving the family to enjoy their
Easter holidays in Coventry. Margaret
had assured me she could manage without the car so I was up early and driving
the A14 to Norfolk. I got held up near
the start of the A14 because two lorries had collided near Junction 2. It took me over three hours to get to the quiet
National Trust car park near Horsey Corner.
The first couple of miles walking was along the beach. There was no seals to be
seen today because the sea was too rough.
There was no easy place to walk either. The sand was not particularly firm
and no paths through the dunes.
Eventually I headed up to the dunes again and discovered a path appearing
which took me into Sea Palling. I passed a group of teenagers going in the
other direction who asked me about the state of the path. I advised then to say as inland as possible.
At Sea
Pailing there were two cafes. I am not
sure if I made the right choice but neither looked that appealing to be honest. I had four doughnuts for £1 and a coffee and sat
listening to the sound of the gambling machines talking mainly to themselves
thinking that the other café would have been quieter. At least the staff were friendly.
After Sea Pailing I tried to keep to the
paths in the dunes again but there were a number of fences trying to discourage
people walking on the marrum grass I guess.
I therefore took to the beach again.
I stayed on the beach all the way to Happisbburgh by which time cliffs
had stared to appear instead of dunes. At one point I
had to backtrack a bit and scramble up the cliff because the tide was blocking
me way forward.
As I
entered Happisburgh there was evidence of a cliff fall taking a house with
it. A tall brick well-looking structure
stood adjacent to the cliffs looking as if the cliffs around had collapsed
leaving the brick tower. I stayed on top
of the cliffs to Ostend and was then forced to go inland a bit though the development
of Walcott – not a very attractive place.
At Walcott Gap I headed down to the promenade and had a coffee and
eccles cake in the second less than attractive café of the day. From there to Mundesley I took to the beach
again. This time the sand was
firmer. I looked up onto the cliff top
to see the giant gas Distribution Centre. A collection of cranes and diggers
were busy repairing the sea defences below.
I was overtaken by a jogger but as he was going slowly and I was walking
fast I kept him in my sights all the way to Mundesley.
I
walked up into the village from the sea front and then out to the outskirts and
hitched whilst watching a man repair an old roof on a house opposite. One car stopped but he was only going a short
distance so we thought it best I stay there for a while. I got my first lift
from a bloke who looked more like a Hell’s Angel, leathers and ring through his
nose but was as gentle and kind thinking man as you could hope to meet. He lived on a boat on the Broads, an ex-Dunkirk
boat, which was currently having its fibreglass outer casing repaired. He told be how he bought it down in
Brightlingsea and on sailing it around to the Boards got stuck on a sandbank
and had to be towed into Walton-on-the-Naze.
He took me to Stalham and I then got a lift from a teacher in a beat up
Volvo who was doing up an old farmhouse.
My third lift was from a young lad in a new sporty red Mazda who worked
in the gas rigs and had just been on a gas detection course for the day. He dropped me at the entrance to the track to
the car park.
I went
shopping in Sherringham then to the YHA in Sherringham. I bought chicken and chips from a chip shop
in town – tiny portion of chips and ate them back at the hostel. I then set off in search of a pub with TV to
watch the football. Eventually found the
Wyndham Arms – good beer too and warm welcome.
Man Utd in the semi-finals first leg of the European Championships
against Juventus. . Giggs equalised with virtually the last kick
of the game. I slept in an 8-bedded dorm
all by myself.
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