{"id":438,"date":"2012-04-22T07:01:20","date_gmt":"2012-04-22T07:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/martinblack.com\/?p=438"},"modified":"2016-07-08T10:27:12","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T10:27:12","slug":"grand-norfolk-hike-stage-12-wells-next-the-sea-sheringham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/2012\/04\/grand-norfolk-hike-stage-12-wells-next-the-sea-sheringham\/","title":{"rendered":"Stage 12: Wells-next-the-Sea &#8211; Sheringham"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I walked this, the 12th stage of my\u00a0<a title=\"More info on the hike\" href=\"http:\/\/martinblack.com\/?p=78\">Grand Norfolk Hike<\/a>, on Saturday 7th April 2012.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_442\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-442\" style=\"width: 380px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-442\" title=\"Wells to Sheringham\" src=\"http:\/\/martinblack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/lunapic_133502509023749_1.gif\" alt=\"Wells to Sheringham\" width=\"380\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/lunapic_133502509023749_1.gif 380w, https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/lunapic_133502509023749_1-300x149.gif 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-442\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wells-next-theSea to Sheringham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/martinblack.com\/?page_id=149\">You can see a map of the hike so far<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I caught the bus on a fresh, sunny Saturday morning\u00a0from Lynn to Wells at 8.30am.<\/p>\n<p>I was pretty much the only\u00a0passenger\u00a0until Burnham Market where I was joined by a woman with her two children. \u00a0She was about my age and came from the area. \u00a0We started chatting and she told me how she used to walk her Lurcher across the salt marshes when she was a\u00a0teenager, sometimes she&#8217;d camp the night in a bird hide. \u00a0It sounded wonderful.<\/p>\n<p>I arrived in Wells at 10am and\u00a0immediately\u00a0took the wrong path out of town. \u00a0It wasn&#8217;t a huge diversion, 10 minutes at the most, these things happen to the best of us.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wells-next-the-Sea\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-NHXQW5pfdl8\/T4vbIrWVWDI\/AAAAAAAABqU\/Yf-wTpi838U\/s640\/DSCN1398.JPG\" alt=\"Wells-next-the-Sea\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wells-next-the-Sea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I walked alongside the salt marshes for an hour, the sea was about half a mile out, barely visible over the reeds and muddy channels. \u00a0For a change of scenery I climbed up a bank that ran alongside the path and strolled through a narrow wood dotted with bluebells and daffodils. Here I took my first tea break.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"First tea break (not far from Wells)\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-tRjptX2jwFA\/T4vbFk0cj1I\/AAAAAAAABqM\/Uep0-hDHenE\/s640\/DSCN1404.JPG\" alt=\"First tea break (not far from Wells)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">First tea break (not far from Wells)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Two youngsters (14 years old?) passed me by with air rifles slung over their shoulders, we said good morning to each other. \u00a0Five minutes later another boy (7 years old) passed by, it was a busy little path, I thought of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Just_William\">Just William and the Outlaws<\/a>, they would have enjoyed it out here.<\/p>\n<p>The path through the wood\u00a0ended and left me with views over yellow fields of oilseed rape. \u00a0I liked the combination of yellows made by the bush and the field.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Yellow on yellow\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-QTe9BaulyuI\/T4va6krshvI\/AAAAAAAABqA\/JghWObewZPQ\/s640\/DSCN1408.JPG\" alt=\"Yellow on yellow\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yellow on yellow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By this time I was impatient to get back to the sea front. \u00a0I arrived at Blakeny and ate my lunch on a bench near the nature reserve. \u00a0Two miles later I was at Cley-next-the-Sea and the last set of marsh land before the coast.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cley-next-the-Sea\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-LeQxO8PtuoU\/T4va3cBXRGI\/AAAAAAAABp4\/5a77l2RV6u8\/s640\/DSCN1409.JPG\" alt=\"Cley-next-the-Sea\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cley-next-the-Sea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was on this stretch that I saw the wildlife highlight of the grand hike so far. \u00a0Two marsh harriers kept me spellbound for almost half an hour. \u00a0I&#8217;d never seen such\u00a0beautiful, graceful animals before, they glided on the air with an effortless motion before diving into the marsh to hunt for prey.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rspb.org.uk\/wildlife\/birdguide\/name\/m\/marshharrier\/index.aspx\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Illustration of a marsh harrier (borrowed from the RSPB website)\" src=\"http:\/\/www.rspb.org.uk\/images\/cache\/marsh_harrier_male_300_tcm9-150475_v2.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of a marsh harrier (borrowed from the RSPB website)\" width=\"300\" height=\"246\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of a marsh harrier (borrowed from the RSPB website)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Finally, finally I reached the sea. \u00a0The beach was pebble, the sky grey and the landscape barren, with no one in sight for miles. \u00a0I loved it! \u00a0The sea crashed against the pebbles making a tremendous noise, the wind joined in whipping up a\u00a0cacophony\u00a0of sound&#8230;it was all so perfect.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Starfish on Salthouse beach\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-JaahGO3N_5E\/T4vaxtnJwnI\/AAAAAAAABnM\/Ua5fjsfVj0k\/s640\/DSCN1414.JPG\" alt=\"Starfish on Salthouse beach\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starfish on Salthouse beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While it was good to be back in earshot of the sea, the pebbles became tiresome to walk on, especially as I had a hole in my shoe which soon attracted the attention of little stowaway stones, so I&#8217;d have to stop every ten minutes to empty the little buggers out.<\/p>\n<p>I was happy to see the start of the grassy Weybourne\u00a0cliffs<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"At Weybourne cliffs\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-c_6zuDOz714\/T4vamX-rejI\/AAAAAAAABpU\/u8ZQJD9PW8E\/s640\/DSCN1425.JPG\" alt=\"At Weybourne cliffs\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Weybourne cliffs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><Sheringham was now only a few miles away, I sat on the edge of the cliff and ate a bar of chocolate.\n\nhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pK-YPrwDKCQ\n\nAs I approached Sheringham I saw a steam train of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nnrailway.co.uk\/\">North Norfolk Railway<\/a> heading out of Sheringham and looking just like something out of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Railway_Children_(film)\">the railway children<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Steam train leaving Sheringham\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-6gdgQmdUkHU\/T4vaj7LLMdI\/AAAAAAAABpQ\/_VKMpoCafc8\/s640\/DSCN1430.JPG\" alt=\"Steam train leaving Sheringham\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steam train leaving Sheringham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And then, Sheringham! \u00a0I took another breather, lying on my back for 10 minutes, I felt pretty\u00a0knackered\u00a0by then and was looking forward to a pint and some chips.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 480px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Resting up before the final march on Sheringham\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-eAJ5IU_kFnc\/T4vadnUBGuI\/AAAAAAAABo8\/cs2-xHDqsDk\/s640\/DSCN1435.JPG\" alt=\"Resting up before the final march on Sheringham\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Resting up before the final march on Sheringham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Sheringham I was lucky to come across the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thewindhamarms.co.uk\/\">Windham Arms<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/aldo69\/5829815387\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Windham Arms, Sheringham, Norfolk\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5302\/5829815387_bcb6b0974d.jpg\" alt=\"The Windham Arms, Sheringham, Norfolk\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Windham Arms (photo by Aldo69, click image for link)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The pub had a sign boasting that it only served &#8216;beer brewed in Norfolk&#8217;, wow, what more could a boy ask for? \u00a0I enjoyed a pint of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elmtreebeers.co.uk\/ourbeers.html\">Elmwood Cuckoo\u00a0<\/a>and followed that with a Red Riding Hood from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wolfbrewery.com\/\">Wolf Brewery<\/a>. Clutching a bag of chips I made my weary way to the bus station. \u00a0A fine day&#8217;s hike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I walked this, the 12th stage of my\u00a0Grand Norfolk Hike, on Saturday 7th April 2012. You can see a map&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,12],"tags":[34,32,31,33],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5245,"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438\/revisions\/5245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinblack.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}