NORFOLK - August 2011

End of the blog for our travels in 2011

Norfolk

After leaving London we drove up to Norfolk to stay with our friends Paul and Christine who took us to so many lovely places over the next two weeks. Norfolk has so many different types of landscapes, forests, farming country and lots of pigs, a lovely coastline and the Norfolk Broads.

It was a surprise to see these windmills as we drove around the Norfolk Broads.

Lots of different types of boats and great river and lake scenery. We saw a few like our old boat Courlis which was originally built here and then taken to France.

And different road signs.

We spent a few days in Great Yarmouth where we saw these wind turbines out in the sea. The parts on the wharf ready for more to be assembled, they are gigantic.

While in Great Yarmouth we visited the fun fairs all along the coast road taking in the length of it by horse and carriage, what fun, it was just like I used to read in my childhood books about the seaside holidays. Kevin and Paul took a ride on a wooden roller coaster  built in 1914.  



Another day we drove to see the effect of erosion on quite a long stretch of the coast and had a chat to geologists who found quite a lot of interesting fossils in the cliffs.

A lot of towns have their names on signs which also depict some of the history of the town.



After pronouncing this town’s name we were then told it was pronounced  Heysborough. I like our version better Happysburg. Another funny thing over here is all the holidays being called Bank Holiday instead of the reason for the holiday like we have ie Labour Day or Australia Day.

Another outing was to Cromer,  a town famous for seafood, particularly crabs. It is a typical seaside town with lots of Hotels and B&B’s and a couple of caravan parks right on the cliffs. Not sure if I would be happy in them after seeing the beach erosion.

The beaches here are covered in flint stones which made a loud rumbling sound as the tide came in. I loved the cute bathing huts but it is not an easy place to sunbake.

We went to see the Seaside Revue in the evening at the end of the Cromer Pier.  You could here the waves crashing into the pier as we sat in the theatre.

Many of the buildings in Norfolk are made of the flint stones we saw on the beach. Some use the whole rounded stone and other have the cut stone.

This is a sign for a small village pub which had flint walls. Having a drink here felt like sitting in the publican’s lounge room.



A few days before we left on a lovely sunny day we visited Duxford Airfield for the cellebration of the 75^th Anniversary of the Spitfire.

There were planes on the ground to visit then see them up in the air.

There are huge showrooms full of every plane you can imagine, this is one of the first spy planes.  

 

While in Norfolk we were staying in Watton and the town sign is the legend ‘Babes in the Wood’ and the forest where the babes were left is just out of town.

This field of Heather was just out of town also, it is really pretty

As we drive around I have been taking photos of pub signs. Here are a few.

Cricket of course!

Lots of Animals



Historical signs

August 25 and it is time to pack Harry away until we come back in 2012. He is resting in a big shed tucked up for the winter in North Tuddenham.

BACK IN THE UK - KENT

KENT -  August 2011
We arrived in Dover making a very loud noise due a hole in the exhaust pipe near the manifold.

Dover Castle on the horizon 

We spent the next day searching for a repairer who had a heavy lift or a Pit suitable for the height of a motorhome. Leaving Dover we travelled to Canterbury to continue our search. We managed to get a new pipe and then found a truck repairer in an industrial area just out of Canterbury. We were thankful we found someone to do the job but when the noise started again 100k down the road, on inspection Kevin found really shoddy welding and we had to find another repairer who did the job properly. Maybe it was a case of we will never see them again syndrome.

CANTERBURY
While walking around Canterbury we came across a river boat tour.

The boat was an Oxford Punt  

and our journey took us down the River Stour bordered by ancient weeping willows as it winds its way through the city passing many 14^th century  buildings and under very old bridges and tunnels right  through the main city. 

We passed this very old beautiful building which I am sure could tell many a Canterbury Tale then back to were we started.

Next stop the Canterbury Cathedral, part of a World Heritage site 

a Norman Castle and some of its gory past.

 

We thought this sign was rather cute, although there wasn’t too much sunshine anywhere for long.

then it was time to go back to get Harry from the repairers.

On the way we came across this lovely 15th century  pub in a small village in behind the main road. I suppose it was once out in the countryside.

For the next week we travelled around Kent enjoying the countryside. We stayed overnight in farm stays where up to 5 caravans or motorhomes can stay on the farm usually in a paddock. You are provided with a pitch, drinking water and a place to empty the chemical toilet and gray water tanks. All we need for a peaceful overnight stop. No need to worry about the neighbours noise here.

The roads are very leafy with very strange signs and many of the farm houses have a strange conical white tower.

SISSINGHURST CASTLE

We visited Sissinghurst Castle, now a National Trust property and formerly the home of author Vita Sackville West and Harold Nicolson. I had been told of the beautiful gardens by my friend Eleanor who visits them each time she visits England and I wasn’t disappointed.

As we walked down to the castle entrance we found out what the white conical towers were we saw on a lot of the farm houses here in Kent. The were Oast  Houses, a freestanding kiln  for drying the hops, a very important crop in the last century.

 

The gardens were beautiful. Very different to the French chateau gardens we have previously been visiting with lots of garden rooms and cottage garden atmosphere.



LONDON

After our fill of country life it was time to visit the Big Smoke.

London here we come!

We wanted to stay close to London at the Chrystal Palace Caravan Park which was inside the pollution zone.  After a phone call we found out it was OK to travel into the zone as far as the caravan park in 2011 but in 2012 we would need to pay $100 per day while in the zone.

It was really exciting seeing the icons of London as we drove in.

On our trip into London proper by bus we passed rows of town houses, the red lines on the roads indicate there is no parking or standing, it must be difficult to own a car here and find somewhere to park it.

and then we were at

Trafalgar Square

.

We caught up with the “Queen” doing a bit of PR.

And then we were at

Leicester Square

. It was a bit like playing Monopoly. This was the place to buy reduced price show tickets and to see the sights..

We took in the view from the bridge to the London Eye but the clouds were coming down to meet the street so that was left to the next time we are here.

After 3 days looking around it was time to head north away from the rainy weather. Of course heading north in Australia means hotter weather but here at the other end of the world it probably means heading to colder climes. We crossed the Thames via the Dartford Tunnel and headed off to Norfolk.