The Aussie Nomads Motorhome Adventures: September 2013

Our time in the UK has been spent visiting festivals and museums, enjoying Sunday roasts in small countryside pubs, camping in farm fields and visiting the seaside. Between all this activity we stay on and off with Paul and Christina in Watton. Most of the time was spent between London, Sussex and Norfolk.

CAMPING

There is a great system here in the UK, where farms can register to have up to five self- sufficient motorhomes or caravans stay in their field for a fee, usually 8 to 10 pound. They supply drinking water and a place to dump black and grey waste water and sometimes they have power which you pay extra. We always use farms as it is very peaceful at night and as there are quite a few it is easy to look around then find an overnight campsite in the late afternoon.

This campsite was in a field alongside an interesting machinery shed area and a lovely walk through the property .

Another time we stayed in the back car park of a pub and enjoyed a huge mixed grill with friends.

SIGHTSEEING
We did a lot of walking and visiting beaches. We still can’t get used to stony beaches.

We visited this beach town because we heard it was famous for the Fish and Chip shop. They were right, the queue never got smaller in the time we were waiting. That is Kevin waving at the end of the line.

We ate our lunch down at the beach sitting on the wall as it was more comfortable than the stones.

This small 2 room holiday house was sitting in the car park. The owners were enjoying lunch on the balcony.

BROOKLANDS

On one of our visits to London we visited the Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit.

The motor racing circuit was used 1907 and 1939 after which it was used to build aircraft. Following the war the track became overgrown as the site continued to be used for the construction of aircraft. The Brooklands complex now houses an aircraft, bus and racing car Museum.

We had a great day here looking at all the racing cars, The Old London buses and the historic aircraft.

The car on the right won world records in 1912 at Brooklands achieving 500 miles averaging 86MPH.

BATTLESBRIDGE ANTIQUES VILLAGE

It is great having our own motorhome and timetable. As we drive around we are able to stop whenever we see something which interests us. Battlesbridge Antique Centre was fantastic. A fantastic village with antiques sold in the original farmhouses and Grainery. The scenery looking down from the restaurant on top takes in the old mill and the Barge Inn alongside an arm of the Thames River. We stayed in the car park overnight after a good night out at the Barge Inn

GREENWICH

We visited David and Liz in Weybridge where they moor their boat MIS’ BEHAVIN.

While we were staying with them we spent a day in Greenwich. We took a ride in the Emirates cable cars across the Thames.

We had the obligatory photo standing either side of the prime Meridian and visited the museums.

INTERESTING BITS

Norfolk's Flint Stone buildings.

OLD CHURCHES

This is a 16^th century church built inside an older cathederal. There was a plaque on the wall, maybe he is an ancestor.

What pretty monuments.

FUN SIGNS

FORCES DAY

One weekend back in Watton we helped Paul at a Forces Day. Norfolk is really big on Field Days with all things military from the war days. Kevin was recruited to act as a General and open the show.

I did the work while Kevin played.

How is this for the ultimate boy toys.

BLETCHLEY PARK

Just after Forces day we went to visit Bletchley Park. We had both recently read the book ‘Codebreakers’ which told the story of the work done by thousands of men and women during the war to break the German and Japanese codes. It was a great day and amazing to see the huge early computers and hear the stories of the people who invented these machines which helped shorten the time of the war.

A DAY AT THE BEACH

The rows of little cabins were really cute but I couldn’t say the same for the beach.

We chatted to some of the owners who told us you weren’t allowed to sleep in the cabins. I thought it was quite an expensive place just to read the paper.

The pier had a very interesting sculpture which every 30 minutes gives people a bit of a laugh and a wetting if you stand too close.

MORE BITS

Interesting fences

DRIVING AROUND

The countryside is so green and driving through leafy lanes is beautiful.

It is great to see the hedges bordering fields but hedgerows can be tricky when trying to pass.

Lovely heather on the moors.

Free range porkers

Pheasants ready for the hunt.

Mail in the UK is still delivered to the front door.

Turbines out in the sea.

Baffles to protect the shore.

I have added many pubs signs and town signs to my collection.

The Town Signs show aspects of the history of the town

BARLEY FIELDS AND HOPS

We had a good time sampling the Ales. I was interested in the labels.

1940's WEEKEND SHERINGHAM

On our last weekend in Norfolk we were invited to join in the 1940’s weekend in the three towns of Holt,Weybourne and Sheringham. On these weekends people dress in outfits from the period 1940 to 1946. There are service uniforms, civilian clothes and all types of vehicles and markets set up to buy vintage clothes. It was really fabulous and people go to a lot of trouble to be authentic.

First we visited Holt then after parking the motorhome we bought our tickets which gave us a ride in a vintage bus to the Holt Train Station to catch the steam train to Sheringham.

At the Holt Station we walked around the fantastic display of wartime vehicles. Kevin really enjoyed seeing one of his first cars a Standard 8.

The market stalls sold all sorts of things from the war era.

Walking to the train was amazing as we felt like we had slipped back in time.

Then it was time to board the steam train picking up more people in Weybourne then onto Sheringham.

We sat with these people in an 8 seat carriage compartment which reminded me of catching trains to school. The couple on the right were in French war time costumes. We also met an Australian couple who live over here and he was in an Aussie service uniform .