Do you fancy getting away from the busy, polluted and manic city of London but can’t face journeying across the pond? If the answer is yes look no further. With a week-end, entire week or a few days to spare, a great option is staying in the delightful Norfolk. Depending on where you are travelling from in London, the car ride should be just over two and a half hours. There are tonnes of lovely cottages to choose from including accessible homes for wheelchair users, large family houses and small one bed flats.
On arriving in Norfolk you will immediately notice a difference in the air. When you breathe, your lungs will be filled with light, clear, non-polluted air – leaving you feeing utterly refreshed. In addition, instead of smelling dirty streets, rubbish filled bins and smoky car exhausts; you will smell, freshly cut grass, barley, hops, freshly baked bread from the windmill bakeries, and yes, the countryside whiff of pig manure. The positive change will do you the world of good.
Norfolk will provide you with plenty of walkable meticulously cut fields; quiet, muddy footpaths and scenic country lanes. If you pay enough attention you will spy all kinds of wildlife. Rabbits will hop across the path in front of you, their white fluffy tails bouncing along as their hind legs are raised into the fresh air. Colourful pheasants will roam around in the freshly ploughed fields, sprinting diagonally across wheat field as they hear you approach. You can hear birds flutter in the gnarled trees. Make sure to go for a bat walk at night. The pitch black country side will allow you to view stars with no light pollution hazing your vision. While peering up at the heavens you may see a bat’s shadow dart across the night sky. Walking past hedges, trees and bushes, a sudden flutter of wings will be heard, as bats rush away from your heavy footsteps. Take a torch to find your way otherwise you won’t get very far in the pitch black.
Apart from walking to your heart’s content, there are some villages, towns and beaches to visit. One town named ‘Wells next the Sea’ is a popular family destination. The little town hosts, some shops, restaurants, cafes and a small craft fair. The fish and chip shop is very good indeed. There are two; the one with a blue front and massive queue outside is the one to try out. On hesitantly joining the extremely long line I was immediately informed by the gentleman in front of me that this was the better of the two chippies. Everyone seemed very friendly and after having a nice chinwag with the people in the queue I reached the front. It certainly was worth the wait, the fresh, flaky, fabulous haddock was cooked that afternoon to perfection. The chips tasted divine; their soft potato centre had an impeccable texture which allowed them to melt in your mouth. When we had finished there was no grease left on the paper, leaving you feeling very satisfied.
Of course you cannot go to a beach town without getting an ice-cream. John’s shop next door the chippie has a large selection of flavours. I went for a white chocolate and raspberry ice-cream on a chocolate sprinkled luxury cone.
After all the food it is probably time to walk along the pavement path to the beach. You will need to walk about 15 minutes along an estuary before you reach the sea. This part of the journey is accessible for wheelchairs but unfortunately along the sand itself there is no wheel chair friendly path. Nonetheless the walk to the beach is very pleasant and you can still get a little glimpse of the sea even if not a close up look.
For a better more accessible view of the rolling ocean pay Holkham beach a visit. You can park the car conveniently near and take a wooden platform path a little way to a perfect picnic bench spot, overlooking the vast beach and distant roaring sea. Holkham is another popular destination. Enjoy people and dog watching as the vast number of individuals stroll past you. Later if you fancy walking along the sand, it is glorious. It will take you 5 or 10 minutes to reach the sea itself which is some-way out during the afternoon. This can only really be done on foot. The slight colour difference between the bright blue sky and the green blue sea divides the horizon up. Watch the sea roll in and out over the beach as numerous shells are transported up the beach. It is almost impossible not to pick up a few delicate shells. When you return back to the car park, pop into the Victoria pub opposite for some beverages. Its lovely décor and interior is the perfect place to unwind and relax after a long walk on the beach.
This is just a taste of a holiday in Norfolk. Stay tuned for some more posts about what to see and do there.
La noche en Norfolk:
La noche estaba obscura mi hermano jugaba sin cesar mi Mama dormía como un bebe mientras mi papa comía yo hablaba con un tipo raro es mi última locura pero siempre hay que vivir la vida porque solo se vive una vez, estos días festivos son para disfrutarlos
We are going on a bear hunt 
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