North Norfolk

From the beginning of the nineties

up to the present time my brother and his wife

Wendy have owned a small chalet close to the

coast. It is sited on a holiday home park in the

village of Heacham North Norfolk. On many

occasions through the years we have taken

advantage of this seaside retreat and used it as a

base for weekend rides through the quiet and

The Wendy House

abundant Norfolk country lanes and byways. Two or three times a year after we have locked the

shop on a Saturday evening, our bikes have been bundled into the car and then driven the eighty

five miles to Heacham that is three miles south of Hunstanton. From the outside, my brothers

chalet has the appearance of a large dolls house, inside there is one bedroom, a bathroom and a

combined kitchen and sitting room, it is a small and comfortable abode, that has been

affectionately named The Wendy House. It is usually quite late in the evening by the time we have

unpacked our bags and settled in, there is just enough time left, to walk along the beach to the

West Norfolk Pub order something to eat and enjoy a drink in the bar.

Each Sunday through the summer months Hunstanton plays host to a very large

market that is situated in the centre of the town a short distance from the beach. During the

morning hundreds of holiday makers, day trippers and bargain hunters, will pour into the town

along the busy A149 from King's Lynne. We hate busy roads and always try to find an alternative

route. By following the beach in the northerly direction through lines of caravans, we eventually

come to the start of the high sea wall that protects holiday homes and low lying farm land, from the

raging North Sea in stormy weather. On the top of this concrete structure is a wide pathway, this

has proved to be a truly wonderful amenity, as it allows a safe passage for walkers and cyclists for

the final two and a half miles between Heacham north beach and Hunstanton town centre. Other

attractions that the town has to offer besides the market include, a large green for picnics on warm

summer days, the beach with donkey rides and the fun fair along the front for the children.

Hunstanton is the only Norfolk seaside resort that can claim to be on the west coast. On a fine

summer evening with all the right weather conditions, it is a real treat to watch the ever changing

colours of the sky, mixing with intricate cloud formations, as that great glowing ball of solar energy

glides slowly and gently down from above, to finally disappear into The Wash.

Sunset over the Wash

Hunstanton beach donkeys

After Hunstanton the A149 continues on it's way around the north coast towards

Cromer, during the low holiday season traffic is a lot lighter, unlike the section south of the town

the road has not been upgraded and it still retains many of the charming features of a winding

country lane. It is still a pleasant road to cycle along with hedgerows that protect us from the wind,

while on other stretches it is possible to admire lovely views out over the salt marshes to the sea.

The area is a favourite haunt for the bird watchers and ramblers walking sections of the coastal

path. Our usual destination when we follow this route on a Sunday morning is Wells Next The Sea,

an old fashioned port with a quay that is overlooked by the high granary building. Opposite the

quay is a cafe with a traditional seaside bingo hall attached and an ice cream stall at the front, it is

inside this cafe that we treat ourselves to a mug of milky coffee and a doughnut for elevenses.

Some afternoons on our weekend rides, we make a return journey from Wells through Holkham

Estate which is very close to the town. Richard has always enjoyed riding through the country

parks that surround great houses. Parts of Holkham Hall were designed by William Kent for

Thomas Coke, The Earl of Leicester. It is a Palladian style mansion that was popular with the

aristocracy at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The grounds and parkland were set out by

Capability Brown a very busy man who completed many such contracts for the gentry of that

period. Thomas Coke embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe when he was still a young man, which

took six years. While he was away he acquired a large collection of valuable manuscripts, books,

art treasures and statues, when he finally returned he found that the house he had inherited was not

large enough to show off all these exhibits, so he built a new mansion specially for the purpose, it

took thirty years to complete. To enter the estate we turn left off the main road two miles west of

Wells, then ride past a line of estate houses and the rear of the big house which is on the left. In

front is a long lake and over to the right St.Withberga's Church, the road curves round until The

Ice House that resembles a medieval peasants hovel. I have never been able to find out what

purpose it served, I can only assume that it was an Early attempt at refrigeration. Nearly two miles

inland on much higher ground is the south entrance, it is here that the Earls noble guests would

have entered the grounds through the Triumphal Arch and be driven in their fine carriages around

the tall obelisk and along the park road, soon to be confronted with all the magnificent wealth and

splendour of the house and deer park. It could not have failed to create the lasting impression that

Holkham Hall

was intended, standing with our bicycles we can only look back and experience a feeling of humble

admiration.

All over West Norfolk is a network of minor roads that reach as far south as

Swaffham, they are very narrow and used only by local motorists, indeed two motors often have

difficulty trying to pass. Some of these roads now form part of the route for The National Cycle

Network, they are lovely peaceful roads to cycle along but you do need a good map to navigate.

We make our way back to Heacham along these lanes passing through small villages such as

Burnham Thorpe (birth place of Lord Nelson) North Creake and Docking. Many of the village

houses are built with large round flintstones, red bricks are used to keep the corners and openings

straight. Some of the church towers are also built with the flints and as a consequence the towers

are round all the way up, a feature that is unique to Norfolk and parts of Suffolk. Approaching

Sandringham the building material changes to small sandstone bricks that have been used for many

of the attractive farm houses and cottages on the Royal Estate. Sandringham is another wonderful

country park that has 600 acres open to the public and quiet roads passing through to connect the

seven villages that form part of the estate. We always joke that we are going to take tea with the

Queen when we stop on a Sunday afternoon, alas she is a very busy lady with lots of important

engagements to keep and unfortunately not often in residence. Her staff in the restaurant are very

good and only to pleased to serve us with tea and cakes. One afternoon while we were locking our

bikes outside as we had many times before, a rather over zealous park official approached and

reprimanded us for leaving the bikes at the front of the building and not placing them around the

back in the cycle racks provided. Not wishing to be dragged off to the Tower for such a serious

breach of royal protocol, we apologised profusely and immediately complied with his wishes. To

make amends we bought a bottle of Sandringham House elderberry wine in the shop and will drink

to the mans health at Christmas time.

Royal Stud at Sandringham - Persimmon winner of the 1896 Derby & St Leger

Seven miles from Wells Next The Sea travelling east along the A149 is another small

port, at one time during the thirteenth century, Blakeney was an important trading port. Now the

River Glaven estuary that the village stands on has become shallow and the only boats that can

navigate their way in are small sailing boats and pleasure craft. Blakeney Quay is about a mile from

the sea, it is sheltered by a long shingle and sand bank known as Blakeney Point, which is a nature

reserve owned by the National Trust it is also wonderland for bird lovers. It is possible to walk to

the point from the quay and continue along the path into Cley Next The Sea, a village that is easily

recognised by it's prominent and well preserved windmill. Several times on our rides out we have

taken lunch in the Kings Arms at Blakeney, a real ale pub that serves a good pint of Woodforde's

Wherry, poured straight from the barrel that rests on the bar. However this brew does need to be

treated with caution as over indulgence can lead to bicycles becoming exceedingly unstable

machines. At the top of the Norfolk coast just four miles apart, are the two seaside resorts of

Sheringham and Cromer, the latter is a bit to far for me to cycle too in one day, but it will always

hold a special place in our memories. It was in Cromer many years ago that we spent our weeks

honeymoon, living in a gas lit caravan, on top of the cliffs that overlook the golf course and the sea.

All through the night the beam from the lighthouse would come around on it's regular circuit to

shine through the windows of the caravan as it passed by, one could not have wished for a more

romantic setting.

I have visited Sheringham many times and not only in the summer months. Twice

during the eighties when our children were young, we stayed at the Youth Hostel with a group of

our Cycling Club members to celebrate the Christmas festivities, we always enjoyed ourselves, it

was lovely to be able to go down to the sea and walk along the beach on Christmas morning. There

is not a lot more of Sheringham to see, once you have walked along the high street that leads from

the main road to the sea. On both sides of this street are shops and restaurants, with a theatre

halfway down and an amusement arcade at the bottom. Most of the shops are still locally owned,

there is a small Woolworth's but not much evidence of any other large chain stores, this is nice as it

allows the resort to retain it's own distinctive ambience. One easter weekend, I stood by the coast

at the end of the high street and felt the icy force of a cruel north wind that had blasted down the

Holt station

Great Bircham Mill

North Sea from the Arctic Circle. It arrived onshore brutally smashing the sea into the high

defences, you could hear this wind roar with delight, when the crests of the giant waves leaped over

the sea wall, to soak unsuspecting pedestrians who happened to be standing on the path behind it.

At the top end of the high street opposite the A149 is Sheringham station and the headquarters of

The North Norfolk Railway also known as the Poppy Line. This very popular privately owned

steam railway, that attracts thousands of visitors every year, starts at the old Victorian station in

Sheringham and offers a delightful ten and a half mile round trip to the western terminus and back.

In the past we have often used trains and have now twice avoided the climb to higher ground above

Sheringham by purchasing a single ticket for this one. Our steam train starts by following the coast

for a mile before turning inland to cross the main road, it then passes through Weybourne station

and begins to climb the steep gradient up through Kelling Heath to eventually come to a standstill

in the station at the end of the line, which is appropriately named Holt.

An obscure and little known EU regulation, decrees that any cyclists who rides more

than twenty five miles (on a Sunday afternoon) must be allowed to take at least twenty minutes off

the bike to sit in a cafe and that he or she must be provided with a cup of tea and a cake. Between

Holt station and our base camp at Heacham lies twenty eight miles of undulating Norfolk

countryside, so as to comply with this petty bureaucratic European legislation, we must undertake

a pilgrimage to Little Walsingham. (That's what Richard said, but he makes up silly rules like that

Two examples of Norfolk village signs

as we ride along):- Anyway in 1061 Lady Richeldis a very religious woman and wife of a

Walsingham nobleman had a vision, during this strange extraterrestrial experience she was

commanded to build a replica of the house in which The Virgin Mary was visited by Gabriel. Not

wishing to disappoint anyone, she constructed a simple wooden hut and a statue of the virgin and

child, the result of her efforts became a shrine, that was visited by thousands of pilgrims over the .

following five centuries. If we had been riding with the pilgrims during the middle ages we may

have mixed with the kings and noblemen of that time who converged on the village along with the

many other visitors often creating a holiday atmosphere. A priory was built around the shrine in the

in twelfth century, but the site was badly damaged and partly destroyed during the reformation.

Modern pilgrims can visit a new Anglican Shrine of Our Lady that was completed in 1937, our

pilgrimage came to an end in the cafe opposite the old priory, when we stopped for the mandatory

afternoon tea break

Another interesting feature of the Norfolk countryside is the wide variety of village

signs, all decorated with artistic designs and displaying themes of traditional village lifestyle.

The illustrations show two examples from villages that are near the end of our ride, the Sedgeford

sign is very unusual because it has been cut from a piece of mild sheet steel. On the edge of Great

Bircham village is a privately owned windmill that is always worth a visit, it is a fully restored one

hundred and fifty year old corn mill, with a bakery and a working museum attached. Lovely fresh

bread and cakes can always be purchased from the mill shop, any cyclist will tell you that the most

important part of this enterprise is the tea room, which acts like a magnet attracting members of the

pedalling fraternity from all over the county. Our return journey ends only a few miles from the

mill after we have crossed the busy main road by the lavender fields and then ridden through

Heacham village back to The Wendy House.

(Christine Byers)