Author: Karen Griffiths

My walk for the day was only 2km so I took my time and enjoyed walking past more holiday parks and beach promenades then into Cromer. The end for me.

Interesting Fact 1: Albert Einstein fled the Nazis in 1933 and lived in a small hut near Cromer.

Interesting Fact 2: Cromer is the only place in Europe that has an opera house at the end of a pier. The opera singer who I met a couple of days previously had told me about it. So I made a point of finding it.

The sea wall is failing, so there was work being done to strengthen it. I watched the diggers for ages and learned that barges arrive at high tide and dump off the huge rocks that come from Scotland. There must be a massive hole where they came from, and I wonder what they do with that.  I hope Scotland gets paid well for their rocks.

I sent a video home to my grandson, Finn, who loves diggers. I felt a bit homesick.

And there I was at the finish line of the Norfolk Coastal Path. No fan fare at all, and I must admit that this had been my easiest damn long walk ever. To be fair, it was only 75km and totally flat, so shouldn’t have proved to be a challenge for me.

After a late breakfast at Costa, I popped into the library to use the toilet and found out about Norfolks queer, disabled geologist, and philanthropist.  I guarantee that this description wasn’t used in her lifetime from 1795 to 1857.

I walked out to the zoo where I had arranged a rendezvous with my cousin , Donna.

Donna hails from New Zealand  but has her three grown children and  3 grandchildren  living in UK so she moved over to be close to them.  They live in the  Broads area of Norwich whuch us well known for all the water that hangs around.

Another Kiwi cousin, Monique, came up from London for a few days with us all. So we had a full house.

I had a week here enjoying the family,  healthy food, outings, good conversation, and a few jobs about the house.

I was sad to leave, but I had finally planned my final three weeks in this part of the world.

I had a train journey booked that included 5 different trains over the course of the day, breaking the trip into short sections and the chance to check out 6 different stations.

Wroxton – Norwich – Peterborough  – Doncaster – Manchester – Lancaster. Whew!!

I stayed for a couple of nights with old travel friends, Mel and Sandra. We met back in 2006 in Nepal and walked the Annapurna Circuit  and traveled to Tibet together. In 2007 I spent spent time with them.walking in UK

They are both 79 years old and they remember more names and details about our travels than I did.

We had a day out hunting for flowers with another of their friends.

We won the pub quiz with very little help from me.

I woke early with the birds who were fighting in the trees beside my tent.  I was glad it had been daylight since 4.30 am because I think I might have been frightened by awake by them crashing into my tent if it was dark. It’s funny how the dark heightens our senses, which is really silly as darkness, itself,  can’t actually hurt anyone.

So I checked my route for the day. It was only a short days walk from my finish at point Cromer, and I wasn’t expected there until the day after today. So I decided to stay on another day here.

When the camp owner surfaced at 9 am, I asked if I could please stay another night, as I was ahead of schedule.

  “No, you have to leave” she said “I won’t have backpackers here for more than one night.” At first I thought she was joking but then I saw her face. She was looking at me in disgust as though I was some sort of smelly tramp. To be fair, I probably am sort of smelly and have been tramping around the country for 8 weeks now, but I can’t see that I would be a problem.

But I just said “Okay, thanks for your lovely camp.   I will pack up and go”. This is what I did, so I was on the road heading towards the beach at 10 am.

I wasn’t looking forward to more walking on stones so was pleasantly surprised to see that coastal cliffs were beckoning.  The breeze was nice as it was 22°.

The views were a welcome change from the marshes of the previous couple of days. I entered the Sheringham Park which is owned by the National Trust. The Sheringham Hall is privately leased ( no doubt by wealthy people). Within the grounds you can do everything from sunset bat walks to garden walks and it is a two pawprint rated place.

These places have water bowls, dog bins and dog-friendly walks. You’ll be able to take your dog into some areas, but not everywhere. If there’s a food and beverage outlet, you can have a cup of tea with them, probably outside. 

I didn’t visit.

Of course there were many  dog walkers and a golf course.

The golf course had the first hill of this walk, and at the top was a Coast Guard tower.

I popped in and had a good half-hour lesson on the job of a volunteer Coast Guard. He pointed out the four big windfarms out at sea, although I could only see the closest one with 85 turbines, with more being built. We logged a huge, luxury private vessel as it went past and saw a few lobster and crab boats.

I arrived in Sheringham, a village of about 8,000 people and probably as many dogs. This will do me for the day, I thought, but a check on the internet showed that the camp grounds here were full up. It is the height of summer and there are 65 million people in this little country, all on their summer jollies.

I found a pitch up the road about 4km at East Runton Beach. £19.04. Why the 4 pence???

As it was only midday I found the high street and weaved my way through the throngs of holiday makers to the Sainsbury Local shop where I found a nice (old)  salad, a pottle of coleslaw, a banana and 4 bread rolls for £4.55. (About NZD$10)  Bargain! Lunch and dinner sorted.

The shops sold the usual array of buckets and spades,  although the beaches are all pebbles that don’t make very good sandcastles. I think there were more people in the Arcades and ice cream parlors than swimming at the beach, but one needs to have the whole seaside holiday experience.

I ate my salad rolls, and  then went for a giant coffee at Costa. I should have taken a loyalty card as  most of my coffees have been at a Costa Cafe. I am sure I would be entitled to a free coffee by now.

I wandered down to the beach and found  seat next to local granny who was looking after her daughters 2 dogs while they had their last week away before their first baby was born. The granny said she was looking forward to having a real grandchild to look after rather than the 2 silly little spoilt dogs.

2pm and it was time to head to my home for the night, but I came across the Lifeguard museum that looked very interesting. I had been putting my small change of  pennies and 5 pence in the donation  boxes all along the coast, mainly because I didn’t want to carry any extra weight, rather than thinking I would need a sea rescue.

Anyway, the elderly gentleman at the counter picked up on my accent and proceeded to give me a blow by blow account of his recent trip to New Zealand, including to visit a cousin in Palmetston North.

Half an hour later, he wanted to accompany me on my tour of the museum, but I had had enough of him so I told him I didn’t have much time to spare. That got me a half-price  childs ticket and a quick run around on my own. It was very interesting and I wished I had stayed longer.

I started out along The Promenade, which has rows of colorful little beach huts.

I stopped to have a nosey inside of one, this family  had owned theirs  for 5 generations and were not giving it up. All the beach paraphernalia is kept inside them. Others rent them for their holidays.

So they sit outside their little huts in their deckchairs, men shirtless, watching half the  world and their dogs go by.

I must look like someone who likes a chat because they all seemed to hear my conversation with the previous person and wanted to talk about their own connection with New Zealand.

Needless to say, I do like a good chat, so it took me a good hour to get along the promenade and out onto the cliffs.

After an hours walk and I was at the Hilltop Campground, pitching my tent and showering as quickly as I could because I had bought a can of beer at reception and I didn’t want it to warm up.

My tent looked tiny and a wee bit sad next to all the big rigs.

After eating my dinner I popped next door to have a chat with Andrew and Barbara. They had been impressed with my well polished camp setting up. I have done it 100s of times now, so I have it down to a fine art, compared with those who only put their tent up once every couple of years. I have witnessed some interesting examples of the beginnings of the end for some marriages at campgrounds.

My neighbors have outfitted their Mercedes Sprinter themselves and can live off the grid for 7 days. They are ready to take off into the Scottish Highlands when the apocalypse happens. It sounds like a good plan to me.

I had nearly finished packing up when today’s neighbours offered me some toast and coffee for breakfast, which I gratefully accepted. I had eaten my  muesli with water this morning, so I was grateful for any donations.

It was over an hour before I was on my but I had a full tummy and had learned that Sally and ?Jim had been coming here for over 20 years as had the other couple of visitors at the tent that morning. One of them had written a book about day walks that were accessible from London by train.

Sally and Jim would walk out to the low tide level  and timing it well, would swim in with the tide. That sounded fun.

Sally was reading a book about a woman who had run Te Araroa, and as I was just closing my pack, she came over and gave it to me to read. Good timing as I had finished my book that evening.

She also gave me a flat peach, nicely wrapped in a paper towel. So I left the campground in a really good mood, excited about having a good book, on my favourite topic, to start and a fresh fruit for my lunch.

I always feel  rejuvenating by the company of good people.  I really am an extrovert, and I get my energy from being with other people. Today was going to be good. I had a real spring I in my step.

Being holiday time there was lots of people about so the first part of the day was fun.

The trail went into the village of Cley next the Sea. I bought some more fruit and wandered about trying g to find a seat in the shade but had no luck. I popped into an antique fair, thinking they would have a seat and maybe a cheap cuppa on offer. But no luck, I just got told off for eating my juicy peaches around their piles of old junk.

One man saw my back pack and thought I would want to spend £3,000 on a diary of a man who had walked a long walk a couple of hundred  years ago. It wasn’t a walk I had done,  the diary was the size of a huge  old family Bible and the handwriting was illegible. I will stick with the book I was given this morning.

I left the little village after finding a seat and reading the first couple of chapters of my new book.

Then the trail went along a stoney beach for the next 6km. That sure took the spring out of my step. It was hard work, sinking ino the stones every step, and I was out of water. So after 3km I found a track out to a village so I took that.

I walked along a narrow winding road full of people heading home after their day out. My life was completely in their hands. I must say that these Brits are very patient and polite on the roads compared to New Zealanders.

When I came to a pub, I decided to try and get a hitch up the road a bit to where I knew there was a campsite.

A couple about my age came out of the pub, so I followed them to their car. Seeing they were heading in my direction, I asked for a ride. The man was really friendly, opening the back door for me to get in. The wife was stonefaced and didn’t say a word. I took the lead from the man and ignored her.

The man told me his daughter had spent a year in NZ hitchhiking around.

  The wife said, “No, she didn’t hitchhike.”

  “Yes, she did,” said the man. “Well, she didn’t tell me,” answered the wife. “

  “Are you surprised?”  I answered, just a wee bit  too quickly. The man smiled at me in the rear vision mirror.

I think that poor man was going to be getting an earfull from her all for the remainder of their journey and probably more.

I rang the campsite and was told off for not booking in advance, even though they had plenty of room. I read the reviews on the campground as I ate my hughe plate of veges and roast at the pub. They all said it was a very clean and tidy place, but no kids allowed, and the owners were very grumpy and sticklers for the rules. So I was not going to be making any noise after 8pm!

£11 and I had a nice Summer House to sit in and charge my phone, so I was happy.

I was in no hurry to leave in the morning as  I had plenty of time today.

The path was opened in 1986 and covers the North Norfolk Coast AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The vast salt marshes flood daily with the tides and long dykes have been built to contain and control the water. There has been considerable investment in the area to conserve the wildlife . Here is a link to more information if you are interested.

https://www.visitnorthnorfolk.com/blog/read/2021/10/discover-the-unique-salt-marshes-of-north-norfolk-b110

I basically walked along the dykes that wind through the marsh land for most of the day, coming across coastal fishing and recreational areas swarming with people and watercraft of all sorts.

I was a bit concerned about seeing cattle pooping in the water but then came across an information board that explained the benefits to the ecosystem.

The tides here are huge and not everyone takes notice of the warnings.

I could see way ahead  dog walkers and bird watchers and also a group of hikers who would have been a kilometre away when I first spotted them. They were obvious because of their plodding walk and big back packs. So, I was on a mission to catch up with them. It probably took me an hour to meet the five men out for the weekend together. I chatted for a bit, finding out that they were headed to the same place as me, although I was planning to take a detour to Holkham Hall. So we parted company.

I walked with a shirtless birdwatcher for a while, and he knew  more about New Zealand birds than I do. He sent me on a shortcut that would get me to Holckham Hall quicker.

I then came across a well-dressed walker  with a shirt on. He didn’t know much about birds but knew about opera singing. He had been performing his opera at Holkham Hall the previous evening. He told me that he made a good living with his voice. I told him that my family  was sadly lacking in musical genes, but there was hope for us because my grand daughter, Hope, is engaged to a very musical young man.

Holkham Hall was a real live place complete with a cricket match and music and deer grazing. I had some lunch and a good look around before heading back to the trail. 

By now I had walked about 20km in the heat and still had about 6 to go, so I put my thumb out on the road out of the estate. The second car stopped  guessing  I was  New Zealander. A couple about my age they said the last time they had seen a hitchhiker was when they hitched around NZ in the 1980s. They were happy to drop me at Wells-next-the-Sea (Not to be mixed up with Wells that is not next to the sea). 

I then only had about 3km to walk to my campground at Stiffkey. There are funny names in the country.

I had my tent up and a had a  shower before the 5 blokes arrived, looking absolutely knackered, which perked me up no end.

They invited me to join them for dinner at the local pub, but I had a can of sardines and some instant mashed spud to eat, so I just had a beer with them. Three had been on trips to New Zealand.

After 350 mile train and 2 bus trips yesterday, I arrived in Hunstanton. The train flew through cropping areas and villages so quickly that they began to blur into each other. I am beginning to understand where the 70 million people live

I am walking the Norfolk Coastal Path and will finish in Cromer, which is close to my cousin Donna’s home. I will spend a few days with her and her family.

Hunstanton is a seaside holiday town complete with Penny Arcades, little shops selling brightly coloured  buckets and spades and swim rings. Gift shops overflowed with trinkets,  magnets, and postcards, all probably made in Vietnam.

Chairs and tables outside cafes with families tucking into plates of  fish and chips that must have cost a fortune.

Fairy floss and balloon stalls. I keep thinking that again, this is just like the English story books I read as a kid; just the donkey rides were missing. Oh, and the sun! Although it was warm, the sky was grey.

I wandered down to the Tesco and found a cheap salad and an avocado for my dinner back in my room at the Stoke and Wash Hotel. 

I am not sure what they stoke, but the sheets had been washed well.

Amanda told me about the cliffs so I checked the tides and realised I needed to be leaving at 6am to keep my feet dry.

So off at 6 am to see the cliffs. Unfortunately, my memory of geography is not so good, so I took the photo of the information board for you.

I only had about 11km to walk so I took the time to chat to  lots of people and their dogs along the way.  I met a man who was a long  distance walker, like myself.  We had a great chat, and he has Te Araroa on the top of his list, as soon as money allows.

I walked along the coast then headed inland through a farming area, then back along the coast.

The tides are huge and there is marshy areas that become the sea at high tide.  I walked along the top of dykes that help keep the sea out of the villages ( most of the time)

The day was hot and I had plenty of time so I found a nice spot in a churchyard and brewed a cuppa and read my book for an hour.

I hadn’t booked any accommodation so was pleased to get a pitch w big camp ground at Brancaster Staithe. It was huge with 95 powered sites and even more tent sites. It was filling up with the school holidays and warmer weather.

Camped near me was a family of 4 walking the Norfolk Coastal Path in the opposite direction to me. The parents had hitched around New Zealand 20 years ago and were planning to take their two teenagers over there next year. We agreed that it would probably be a different trip this time.

There were lots of couples with their campervans, and most people had a dog or two. I was a bit of a rarity. Just me and my little tent.

I had stopped for a crab roll at about 2pm today as  nearly every I had met  told me that it was compulsory.   So dinner was garlic bread and a can of beer by my tent.