Thornham

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Friday 8th October

Following a hiatus of some ten days my travels have resumed. Past few days have been wet and cloudy-really not much use for travel writing. On the plus side it allowed me to spend time with Heather and Rob which is always enjoyable.

The local TV forecast for today - sunny- proved rather inaccurate - unlike the Met Office website which predicted the low cloud and lack of sun. Now where do you think the local forecast came from? Well done! The Met Office!

Abandoned the planned cycle ride in favour of following said route in the van - fortunately the minor roads were not too narrow and I had an enjoyable day exploring the area between the Kings Lynn-Fakenham road and the coast.

Roydon Common would obviously be a delight on a sunny day - a mixture of open heath and woodland. Found the tumuli on Harpley Common. Not brilliant examples of the genre but interesting nonetheless. The Iron Age hillfort on Blood Gate Hill south east
of South Creake is in a commanding position but unfortunately most has been destroyed by farming. Imagination required !!

Late afternoon found me 'parked up' in my chosen wild camp for the night - a remote quayside area deep in the coastal marshes of North Norfolk near Titchwell. Having completed my evening meal I was obliged to move because in the gathering gloom of an October evening the rising tide was about to engulf my 'camp'. I had expected this so moved a safe distance away only to be chased off my refuge by a determined rise in the water. Canute I am not!

(Photo shows scene just before my first move - taken in the dark with flash)

Having returned to my quayside 'spot' on the fall of the tide I wrote up some notes and watched a movie (DVD) for a short while.

I awoke about 5am and pondered the prospects of a rising tide and my van not starting. So, threw on a pair of shoes and moved a couple of hundred yards. It would prove to be a wise decision. And, yes - thank you van for starting first time.

Having showered I was making breakfast when I noted that the rising tide was rushing past me-very quickly. I calmly finished cooking, stowed the food carefully and moved a hundred metres or so inland. It has to be said that on this occasion the van coughed before spluttering into life-presumably because the water level had reached the exhaust. Lucky!

Had breakfast and with the tide no longer rising took myself off for a walk along the sea wall past where l had previously been parked. Quite a dramatic view with my previous resting place covered by several feet of water. I wonder how many folks have been caught out.

The weather you ask? Low cloud, misty, windy not good for photography and not what had been promised some days ago. So, I decided to return to Southend for a few days from where I posted this blog.

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Photos

Thornham at Night
Just before I moved !