Stage 14 – Sheringham to Cromer

• You can see a map of the hike so far

This was a perfect day.  Not only was the weather gorgeous and the countryside stunning but I was also joined by two old friends Fred and Sam.

We had planned a circular walk, the first half of which took us along the coast towards Cromer.  The second would return us to Sheringham via an inland route.

One of the first things that becomes apparent on this part of the coast is the impact of soil erosion. Signs of the steady encroachment of the sea upon the land were everywhere, sea defences, old and new valiantly attempting to hold back the inevitable.

The day quickly heated up, even I resorted to slathering myself in sunscreen, a rare occurrence!

We stopped twice.  Once for a cuppa tea and cake in a friendly cafe on the coast and the second just outside Cromer for a quick swim in the North Sea.  Yes, the sea was very, very cold but oh, it was so exhilarating!  We lasted ten minutes or so before heading back to the warmth of the beach.

We arrived in Cromer just before lunch.

Food was now very much on our minds, our appetites heightened somewhat by the swimming…

We had the good fortune of finding an excellent cafe just beside the sea-front that served up huge portions of delicious fish and chips (Sam, being a veggie, had veggie burgers).

Lunch over we headed inland for the return journey.

The countryside in this part of north Norfolk is particularly beautiful.  Lush rolling hills (yes, East Anglia is not all flat!), pastures full of wild flowers and welcoming shady woods.  I spotted plenty of nice looking spots for some wild camping, maybe next time.

Far too soon we were back were we started…

Before leaving Sheringham we visited the Priory Maze and Gardens.  The maze was great fun.  It looks very simple but is actually quite complex.  I finally managed to get out by finding a hole in the wall, I then amused myself by lobbing pine cones in the general direction of Fred who was still wandering around lost.

All in all, one of the most enjoyable stages of the grand hike so far.  Many thanks to Fred and Sam for coming along!