A Long Weekend In Norfolk

Boating On The Norfolk Broads!

The long weekend in Norfolk was marvelous. My own modern bungalow opening onto my own small paddock full of rabbits.

The campsite was deserted, except for one bungalow of the block of five that was occupied for the first night, although I never saw who was staying there. There was a note pinned to the door of ours, telling me which plant pot held the key, and directions to the beach 50 yards away, and the pub 1/2-mile or so down a deserted lane to the small village.

The first sight of the beach was marvelous as the sea defenses consist of oblong piles of rocks running parallel to the coast 100 yards or so out to sea. There were little coves in between, with the sand piled up to the centre of the rocks, making them accessible at low tide, and also creating a more interesting coastline than the usual straight sandy beach along the seashore.

Under the sea bank was an old cottage that belonged to a lady that owned greyhounds she raced at Yarmouth, a small town 15 miles to the South that had a dog track. I was told this by the site owner, on the sole occasion we met the next day. This was our only neighbour, apart from a small collection of caravans at the bottom of the camping field. We did not spot them the first day, but most seemed unoccupied, and didn't appear to pose any threat. One or two had smiley faces painted on them, and I assume if they had been occupied by thieves, there would not have been a note left on a door of a new bungalow telling the whereabouts of the key.

After taking our few belongings for the weekend in the bungalow, we took our first walk on the beach, followed by a little rest. Following the directions on the note, we found the pub, run by a landlord with a wicked sense of humour, and no watch. Well judging by my friend because he seemed to be always looking at his and shortly after midnight, asked if it ever shut. He later told me it was the first time he had been to an after hours pub. There was no sign of the police, nor any need for them as far as I could tell. Only 2 pints, so no problem, but the little ride back was devoid of the usual nervousness if seat belts etc. were forgotten :)

I did leave Barney in the car in the shadows of the car park that night, but was told by the site owner the next day dogs were allowed in. Not in the restaurant serving delicious dinners obviously, but the friendly barmaid told me you could even ask for your meal in the bar to be with your dog if you so desired. With political correctness now a constant threat, and Brussels Eurocrats seeming to dictate our every move, this was a refreshing change. For once it seemed we could live by rules dictated by common sense, something I think is so lacking in the world today.

Arriving back at the bungalow we found the field alive with rabbits...poor Barney didn't know which way to turn, resulting in them all escaping, even with the help of my powerful torch. While I was getting it from inside the bungalow he had disappeared, but quickly arrived back breathless but empty handed, well mouthed when I called him. This lack of success actually trained him to stalk and run them home, he had learnt they got away, but it didn't matter at all, and he was having his fun.

So what more can you want. Lovely beach to walk on. Meadow for racing, short sprints for unfit dogs, not the marathon they were expected to compete in at the recent Lurcher show at Peterborough. Rabbits literally on the doorstep, and a quiet ride to a friendly pub for good food, that also let you take your dog with you, didn't know when to shut, and you could safely have one for the road. Now please don't misunderstand me. I do not advocate drinking and driving, even before the draconian laws I would only have 1 1/2 pints. But to drive 1/2 mile or so down a deserted sea lane at midnight requires a totally different level of concentration, to driving on a crowded Motorway at 70mph.

And what about the weather...the warmest October weekend ever, absolutely perfect for giving the dogs a run over soft ground. It's a shame but it really was a once in a lifetime opportunity for my friends to meet us for fun races, and dog related activities.

On the Saturday we went for a lovely boat ride on the Norfolk Broads for a few hours. The Broads are the largest wetland in Britain and are specially protected with the equivalent status of a national park. There are six rivers connecting forty broads, making over 200km of waterways in all, and just waiting to be explored. Each Broad was once a medieval peat digging which was flooded to become a shallow lake after the peat was dug for fuel. Water, reeds, marshes and tangled woodlands make up Broadlands's landscape - a haven for birds and wildlife. These are now a source of holiday boating, and I have always promised myself a boating holiday here, but finances and lack of suitable companions have always denied me this. These few hours more than compensated for the previous lack of this experience. Following the directions from the helpful owner of the boatyard we hired the boat from, we managed to find a quiet stretch of river, as the Broads are always very crowded at sunny weekends. A visit to a riverside pub at the navigable source of this river, provided a welcoming break, before a nice journey back, enabling me to experience what these popular holidays would be like. In fact it was just about right, and I think a week would be too long, unless some really interesting companions came along.

At first Barney gingerly stepped onto the boat, but quickly gained his confidence to stand proudly on the rear step for most of the time. He had more than one admiring glance from the passing boats, particularly from the children. The only small incident was towards the end when a fisherman we were passing reeled his line in and recast. I think Barney associated the sound to be a start of a firework, and he went trembling under the cabin of the boat for a while.

There was one thing that baffled us for most of the weekend. Following the directions to the village, the narrow lane from the campsite ended in a T-junction where you turned right. There were houses and shops in this small lane so we made a careful note for our return. At the end of the sea-lane was another T-junction on a slight bend, but the pub was only a few yards to the right along the main road. The next day when we returned from boating we decided to go that way back. Well we passed the pub, took the left turn and apart from a dead end to a seaside store, there was no left turn half way down the lane. There was a road to some car parks next to the sea wall, with a large fish and chip restaurant and another seaside shop, but that was all. Thinking we had turned off the main road too soon, we went back and turned left, but found no other turning. My friend wittered a bit, but I carried on. I don't mind sightseeing, and hate turning round, so it was about a 15-mile detour back.

That night we went for a meal, and drink, with doggie under our table in the bar after the meal. Leaving the pub we turned left and half way down the lane found the road back to the campsite. Was someone mysteriously removing this lane at dawn? The next day we walked there along the beach and a thorough examination solved the mystery. Although we left the sea wall to reach the lane, and turned a right angle bend inland after 150 yards, it meandered back again, which went unnoticed in the dark...so when we reached the sea wall in daylight and turned into the car park, we did not notice the lane exiting at the far end, and the 'social club' we thought we turned past was in fact the fish and chip shop.

All the Sundays' glorious weather was spent going for walks along the beach, where we met several interesting dog walkers. I had met a couple with handfuls of barking Afghan Hounds on the Saturday morning, which we had to steer well clear of. On returning to the site I found it was the owner, a delightful woman, who told me she usually walked 2 at a time, but had not had the chance earlier. She had taken them with her husband, who helpfully told us of the best place to go to hire a boat for the day, although they were sold out, so ended up at the boatyard I had discovered when we called in passing whilst coming here.

This has to be one the best places I have stayed, to suit my present needs, although had the weather been normal for this time of year, I doubt I would have found it so pleasant. And had we taken a weekend in the summer with such good weather, the place would not have been deserted, so we had the best of both worlds.

Now take a look at the Photographs