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Published: April 11th 2022
Its been 9 months since our last blog and although we have travelled a few places in the UK I didn't write up any new blogs but hopefully we will be able to travel a little bit more now having had to cancel a number of trips for various reasons.
Its was good to be on the road again and have a change of scene and we have been blessed with beautiful blue skies and some warm sunshine on our first three days in
North Norfolk. We have also worn coats, gloves, scarves and hats but had to apply ample sunscreen as well. When the sun shines its hot but when the wind blows it is very very cold - which is not surprising really with this northern coastline living up to its reputation – wild and windy … …. but no rain yet ?.
Paul was born in Norwich, Norfolk but left when we was six years old but still remembers holidays with his parents and brother on this coast, foraging for cockles on the seashore. The beautiful and unspoilt north Norfolk coastline forms
part of one of the largest coastal nature reserves in England and Wales, designated as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. With so many nature reserves to choose from you are spoilt for choose and it is an interesting area of international importance and famous for the rare and unusual birds it attracts. A haven for both the enthusiastic or first-time birdwatcher, whatever month of the year.
We visited several reserves on our first days, Paul looking to do some long hikes along the Norfolk coastal path and me hoping he would stop so that I could spot and photograph some new birds. ?
Titchwell (RSPB) - We visited this reserve on our way to Saxlingham, near Holt where we would be spending a week in a holiday cottage. A habitat of reed beds, with salt and freshwater marshes, tidal creeks and dunes the reserve attracts a variety of birds, including waders, dabbling duck, winter geese and grazing duck.
We saw so many different species (at least 15) as we walked along the coastal trail but as soon as we walked out on to the huge beach the cold really did chill - right down to our bones … …
Heading back to the car to warm up we continued our journey along some very narrow country lanes before at last finding our holiday home, although we nearly ended up in a different home altogether!
Our directions said that when the Satnav and the road ended to just ‘keep going’ along a dirt track and to look for some grey gates and we thought we had found them. Opening the gates we were in a huge garden bordering a very large house but we could not locate where the details said we would find the keys - oh dear we realised this was not our rental. Quickly exiting the gates we continuing along the track for quite a while when we did eventually find some more grey gates and this time it was the correct house … ….
We were staying in
a converted school-house and judging from the inscription above the original entrance it was built in 1855 of flint and brick and served as a school for the local agriculture worker’s children. Left derelict for many years it has been turned into a cosy holiday cottage. With an extensive garden and surrounded by fields it was peaceful and quiet and the accommodation was very tastefully furnished and had everything we needed.
When it was a school-house the lord of the manor and chief landowner in Saxlingham had 16 fields so you can imagine the size his workforce without today’s modern machinery. In the 1861 census the population of the village was 156 with 32 children although it is possible that not all these attended the school. The majority of the children named were the sons and daughters of the agricultural labourers who comprised most of the householders in Victorian Saxlingham. A couple of the boys mentioned aged 8 and 11 were listed as ‘ag lad’ so they probably did not attend school full time but worked in the fields.
A history of the school-house detailed what rules the children were expected to abide by
- one such rule was ‘to behave respectfully to the mistresses, managers and visitors and to be ‘lowly’ and reverent to all their betters, both in the school and whenever they meet them elsewhere’. There were many other rules including; ‘to be kind to their school fellows and to all other children and to avoid all quarrelling’; ‘to be quiet in school, not to use any playthings in school time, to keep their book neat and free from ‘dog’s ears’, and not to climb upon the desks nor to scrawl upon or in any other way to damage the desks, forms or walls of the school-house etc etc etc’. Sadly Saxlingham seems not to have been able to sustain its own school long though as in 1876 the parish united with a neighbouring village where the children attended that school and the building was left derelict.
On our first day we visited
Cley Marshes (Norfolk Wildlife Trust), the oldest Wildlife Trust nature reserve in the country. It is internationally known as one of the best places to see birds in Britain. A path along the east bank has been called the most famous bird walk in Britain
and its fresh and saltwater marshes provided an excellent habitat for rare and scarce birds both resident and migratory, waders and large flocks of wildfowl. We saw so many new birds as we walked around parts of the reserve and finally arrived on the great expanse of beach where the walk continued. This was rather heavy going though as the shingle proved to be quite a challenge and the wind was strong as well - it was quite a relief to finally meet a solid path again and continue our walk back through the reserve.
This though was our favourite reserve so far and we were delighted to spot a pair of Eurasian Spoonbills, although in the distance they were amazing to watch as they swept their open bill from side to side in the water to sift up food like small fish, shrimp, mollusks, snails and insects etc. It has touch receptors in its bill that help it feel its prey we had last seen these in Costa Rica but they were the Roseate Spoonbill which were an amazing colour, that being said these were just as colourful with their distinctive spatula for a bill -
hence their very apt name. The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a noticeable yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch and it also has a crest in the breeding season.
The Holkham National Nature Reserve National (NNR) stretches from Burnham Norton through to Blakeney and can be accessed from Lady Anne’s Drive at Holkham where we parked and headed out for a long day’s hike. The reserve encompasses dunes, salt marshes, sand flats, mudflats, grazing marsh and pinewoods, which attract a wide variety of migratory and nesting birds. We did cover lots of miles and had rather sore feet but enjoyed our visit. Walking through the pinewood visiting the hides and then heading to the coast we climbed over the sand dunes where we could hear the skylarks marking their territory. As we walked out on to a vast sandy beach we spotted the local lifeboat and rib both heading out to sea before continuing our walk arriving at Wells beach.
Sadly we had left our picnic in the car so we had a long walk back
which was a shame as it was so hot and it would have been good to stop a little earlier than we did … …
We have walked our legs off and seen so many different birds here in Norfolk so both of us are happy. We have spotted a few deer, mainly muntjac and lots of large hares chasing each other around the fields that surround the cottage. As I write these notes a hare is looking at me through the French window and as I grabbed my camera it raced across the garden and disappeared into the wood that edges the property … …
We have a few more days in the school-house but tomorrow we are heading south to Attleborough to meet a couple of Paul's cousins he has not seen for over 50 years - hope we recognise them … … . …
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Malcolm Groves
non-member comment
Norfolk
Hi nice to see you up and about again have a great trip. Last time we were in Cromer we could not open the car door because of the strong wind. Sue’s cousin lived in Ashwellthorpe in the old rectory not far from Norwich and we stayed with them long time ago now. Keep safe and well catch up again soon hopefully cheers BB Ⓜ️