Short Break North Norfolk

 

Monday 7th September

We are having a short break on the North Norfolk Coast staying in Thornham. We left home earlier enough so that we could visit Wells-Next-to-Sea before travelling on to Thornham. On arriving at Wells we took the road to the sea front and had a wander along the beach.

It was a cloudy day with a gentle breeze. This is a beach that has sand banks and when the tide is out people wander from one sand bank to another. The lifeboat siren goes off four hours before high tide to warn people to move back to the main beach so they don't get cut off by the in coming tide. Walking along the beach in the other direction there are lots of beach huts and far more people.  

Looking across to one of the sandbanks I spotted some seals resting on the sand.

We then made our way back to the harbour where we had scampi and chips sitting on the harbour wall watching people crab fishing.

We later visited RSPB Titchwell before heading for our cottage which would be home for the next few days.

                             

Greylag geese in flight

Tuesday 8th September

A relaxing morning at home today due to the very wet weather. This afternoon we went to Holme RSPB and Holme Dunes.We saw several Greylag geese, a few Black Tailed Godwits and a Redstart from the hides. 

We then wandered along the beach below the dunes. There were lots of shells that had been washed up on the beach. Many tree trunks had fallen on the beach from the dunes. A much appreciated cup of coffee and cake rounded off the afternoon.

Wednesday 9th September

Today we visited Old Hunstaton so we could see the remains of the steam ship Sheraton on the beach. As we walked along to the wreck a paraglider glided over the top of the lighthouse. 

The Sheraton saw action during the Ist and 2nd World Wars. It was built in 1907 in a ship yard near Hull. After a long, working life it was towed to the Wash off Brest Sand, Lincolnshire in 1946. In 1947 in a terrible storm it broke free of its moorings, drifting across the Wash to Hunstanton Beach. Efforts to tow it off failed so it was sold for scrap with only the lower hull and keal remaining.

It had been many years since we had visited Old Hunstanton and I was surprised at the amount of erosion that had occurred on the chalk cliffs. 

The cliffs consist of red/brown carstone -(sandstone & pebbly sanstone). The red rock is chalk - the red colour comes from iron pigments, and the top third is white chalk. The various colours in the cliffs made is look as though a painter had thrown paint at them and let it run making amazing patterns on the side of the cliffs. Although I have taken photos they don't do justice to what I actually saw.

Returning to the top of the cliffs we visited the remain arch from St Edmund's chapel whcih was built as a memorial to the martyred King Edmund of East Anglia. He was later killed and beheaded by Danish invaders. His head was hidden in a forest.

The Abbey Arch

Legend has it that a wolf found Edmund's head and stayed with it until Edmund's supports found it.

The Wolf

Looking through the arch to the lighthouse

Thursday 10th September

Due to a misunderstanding where we were going I said the next left and we ended up at Brancaster. That turned out to be a good mistake. 

Entrance to Brancaster Beach

Brancaster has a wonderful beach that stretches as far as the eye can see in both directions. Sand dunes rise above the beach. As the tide receeds large sand banks appear. We walked along the beach looking at shells and seaweeds that have been washed up by the tide.

We walk a good distance and we appeared to be alone on the beach, as there are so few people here. From here we went to Burnham Over Staithes. We have been here before but had never seen as many boats moored as there were today. We walked along the shore and took a few images of the boats then wandered back to our car and had a picnic lunch.

A return to Wells-Next-to-Sea was next on the list as we wanted to but some gifts from a shop we had visited on Monday. We then travelled back to Thornham stopping at Burnham-Over-Staithes tower windmill.

Taken from Burnham Norton Church Yard

We visited St. Margaret's church in Burnham Norton which has a round tower. Round tower churches are rare in Britain except in East Anglia where about 180 survive. Nearly all are built of flint and many have an octagonal belfry.

There is a lovely view inside the church looking from behind the square font.

The church has an egg shaped pulpit (one of just a few left in the country). It was made in 1450 and is painted with figures of four Latin doctors, St.Andrew, St. Gregory, Sy Augustine and St. Jerome. 

From St.Margaret's church we travelled to Burnham Deepdale where we visited St. Mary's church, another with a round tower. 

St. Mary's church has a Saxon round tower, a Norman font and a collection of medieval glass.

The tower is about 950 years old. It is constructed with some large puddingstones near the base. The base of the tower is 6 inches thicker up to a height of 10 feet.

The font is Norman and made from Barnack stone from Rutlandshire. It shows the farming year from a working man's point of view.

The church has a most varied and rich collection of medieval glass.  

From Burnham Deepdale we headed back to Thornham to start packing up ready for our journey home the next day.