Monday 10 March 2014

postcards from norfolk …

These boots were made for walking – and walk they did.

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Along beaches, in woodland and forest, around wildlife reserves and quaint market towns.  We surveyed the damage the winter storms had wreaked upon the coastline and soaked up the fine weather which stayed with us all week except for a short shower one morning.

woodland walk - Wells

Yes, we visited North Norfolk once again – as you have probably guessed by now.

looking across the reed beds to Cley village

Looking across the reed beds at Cley village.

the beach at Titchwell

The tide retreating from the beach at Titchwell.

high tide - Wells quay

High tide at Wells.

birdwatching at Holkham

Bird watching on the Holkham estate.

picnic lunch - crayfish rolls

Picnic lunch of crayfish rolls on Holkham beach

the view from our picnic bench at Holkham

This was the view from our picnic bench.

dramatic clouds taken from the hide at Holkham

Dramatic cloud formations with the sun high in the sky.

curiosities - violets and pulmonaria making their home in a flint wall - a sweet sign on Blakeney quay and an old door in Wells

Curiosities were found – flowers making their home in a flint wall.  A cute sign on Blakeney quay and a beautifully weathered old door in the back streets of Wells.

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Thursday morning greeted us with a rain shower so we took ourselves to the nearby market town of Holt to wander it’s narrow streets and charming shops.

three Mallard surveying their kingdom at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve

A visit to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve on Friday  where three Mallard flew on to the roof to entertain us whilst drinking hot chocolate in the cafe.

Pensthorpe - Ross's Goose (with lavender legs) the noise they make is a depressed sounding groan

These lovely birds are Ross’s Geese with gorgeous lavender coloured legs and the noise they make is rather like a depressed groan.

Pensthorpe - birch tree - birds nest type deformity caused by gall wasp

A Birch tree at Pensthorpe – no they aren’t birds nests you can see but a deformity caused by the Gall Wasp.

a six foot high sign buried by pebbles after the great storm

The winter storms have shifted the pebble beach inland at Salthouse  covering the six foot high emergency telephone – if you have an emergency you are going to have to dig deep to find it!

Hope I haven’t bored you to death with my holiday snaps – I know this post is rather long – but we did have a great time and I wanted to share it all with you.

50 comments:

  1. All very beautiful; and those Crayfish rolls on the beach..... oh yes please!

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  2. Bored? Heavens no. I would love to hang out with you, to walk with you in the English countryside. I am at this point an arm chair traveler, no ping and dreaming to return to England just one more time. So I loved seeing your holiday photos.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed seeing and sharing our trip ann.

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  3. Really love all the photos here. You made us feel like we were with you! I love that amazing cloud formation.

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  4. Gorgeous post Elaine.. love those geese!
    So glad you had a good time.

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    1. There are so many lovely, tame, birds to see at Pensthorpe, but these are my favourites

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  5. Hello Elaine:

    We are so very pleased that you had such an enjoyable holiday. Your pictures brought back happy, happy memories of a few days we spent in Norfolk with dear friends many years ago. How wonderful it would be to return for it really is a lovely county.

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    1. We go fairly regularly it is almost like a second home to us

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  6. Oh...looking at those blue skies is addictive. What a wonderful place, I'm glad you had good walking shoes....sounds like you wore the soles out!
    I do love Ross's geese, they have them at Martin Mere and they are simply adorable.
    I hadn't heard of that deformity that attacks birch.....I do hope it leaves mine alone.xxx

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    1. We do walk rather a lot I have the blisters to prove it!

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  7. A most enjoyable post with wonderful pictures. Flighty xx

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  8. I love Norfolk and have enjoyed your previous visits too Elaine. We are planning another trip too this year. Stunning photos of some favourite haunts of ours. Thanks for sharing.
    Patricia x

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  9. I enjoyed seeing your photos of Norfolk, I think we should have to go there once too. England has so many beautiful places to explore, but the countrywalks are my favorite, and of course the sea.

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  10. Like Ann I am currently an armchair traveller but hope to return to the U.K. for a trip one day. Norfolk, in fact the whole of East Anglia, is on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos.

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  11. I can see a paw print in the sky.

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  12. great pictures Elaine lovely post

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  13. This is a lovely area of the country and I haven't been there for ages, so I loved the walk! It is interesting to hear about the damage the storm surge and later storms have caused. It is incredible to see how that pebble beach has moved.

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    1. One particular walk that we usually go on along the headland was completely gone - washed inland - tragic.

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  14. It is such a long time since I last stayed in Blakeney and you have now rekindled my interest to return.
    What a difference a week or two makes, the sea now gently lapping the beach, the blue sky dotted with innocent clouds, it is hard to believe that the coastal waters were so violent such a short time ago.

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    1. Absolutely - sadly there has been much damage to properties close to the sea - building repair men are having a field day.

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  15. A lovely collection of photos. I love the little flowers growing out of the stone wall. Cheers.

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    1. I am always surprised when I see plants in barely any soil - the will to grow must be strong.

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  16. Lovely post, Elaine - I love that area of North Norfolk and used to visit regularly when we lived in South Lincolnshire - we haven't been over that way for ages - now, seeing your photos I want to visit again:)

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    1. It was a delight and thankfully the weather held.

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  17. Great photos from across the border.. Love the geese with their pretty coloured legs.

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  18. You know I love Norfolk. Holkham and Holt are two of my favourite places. In two months we come across the pond for a visit. I'm so excited, it has been seven years. I hope things haven't changed too much although from your pictures it seems all is well.

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    1. Oo how exciting for you - two months will fly by.

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  19. Pure heaven!! We aren't able to do a ton of traveling yet with the little beans so I do like seeing things through others journeys! Such beauty on your trip! And how adorable is that town! So glad you had a wonderful time! Nicole xo

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    1. It is a lovely place Nicole - especially when the sun shines.

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  20. I've got exactly the same type of walking boots! Looks like you made great use of yours. XX

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  21. It looks as if you had a wonderful week away! I enjoyed seeing your pictures, you were so lucky with the weather! Sarah x

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    1. We timed it just right for the weather I think.

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  22. Those big skies that you get in Norfolk, gorgeous. Sounds as if you had a lovely break.

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  23. What a lovely variety of photos of your holiday ~ love the blue sky, and you did well with not too much rain. Realizing that the emergency phone sign indicates such a change in the coastline is mind boggling! Sounds like the fresh air and exercise rejuvenated you :)

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  24. Lovely holiday photos Elaine, and looks like you had a great holiday. The effects of the extreme winter weather is probably going to be with us for a long time, the photo of the emergency phone was rather poignant, I bet there are lots of similar things up and down the country, waiting to be sorted out.

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  25. Goodness! That last image was certainly startling! You had so much beauty to fill your eyes -- what a great holiday.

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  26. what a beautiful trip, I love the Norfolk landscape, such big skies x

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  27. What a lovely birthday holiday you've had - congratulations! (ONLY 65, say I!) Lovely photos and an area of the country that I don't know but would now like to visit. So glad the weather was kind for you, here we are cold, cold, cold.

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  28. The buried telephone is quite something! Your trip looks like it was wonderful. Too bad you came back with a cold. Feel better soon!

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