Norfolk
A last minute February half term somewhat lucky airbnb find landed us in Docking, Norfolk at The Old Woodyard - a small scale modern development of eco barns. Here are my recommendations incase for some reason you end up here or decide to visit.
We stopped in by Ely, Cambridgeshire en route to Norfolk to admire the stunning cathedral - it’s ginormous ! And obviously of course also because I’d read about a cool bakery / deli / shop here - Grain Culture (check it out). Fab baked goods and a great selection of cheese, wine and deli products. They even had a fire going ! Delicious filled rolls, coffee and pastries, the sourdough was fab too.
Now onto Norfolk. We explored the coastline right in the North of Norfolk, starting in Wells for pancakes at the fantastic (and very popular) ‘Bang in Wells’ (don’t let the obscure name put you off!). After hitting up the local arcade with what started as pocket change, we headed along the coast to Holkham beach. From here you can walk right along the world’s widest beach (exaggeration but it was very wide) then up and over a winding path, with miles of wetland below. This brought us to The Hero pub (in Burnham Overy) where we enjoyed a late pub lunch. A nice spot, the food was mixed, I struck gold with their pie of the day, we thought the sandwiches were average (though we have high standards on the sandwich front !). From there, a mysteriously foggy walk back, very atmospheric. Around 1.5 hour walk each way though you could get the rather infrequent bus back I guess. There’s also a cool cafe called the Lookout at Holkham beach though check the tide times first as it’s a long walk to the sea (and that was at high tide !). Later on, with the fog spreading, we headed to Thornham for Eric’s fish and chips. A reasonably priced spot with so much choice too.
The sun was out again, having burnt off the fog. We headed out early to the Two Magpies Bakery in Blakeney, known for seal watching boat trips. This bakery is really good, and I mean really good. They have a yummy breakfast menu and such a great selection of different sweet and savoury bakes. And a rare find in artisan bakeries in the UK - freshly squeezed OJ - big tick from me. We walked the coastal path route to Clay, another sweet village with a windmill and a couple of shops - there is a nice pub here too. The illusive bus appeared, meaning we wouldn’t have to endure the long trek back (buses roughly every 1 hour - in February that is !). From there, back to Wells we went, but this time to the beach ! And you won’t believe me when I say we were sat on the beach in February ! I even managed to get in the sea with my paddle board and then to top it all off, the seals arrived, following the board up the river. Who needs boat trips ? There’s so much space on the sandy beach here and the pine trees behind help keep it sheltered. Dinner was half price pizzas (Wednesday deal) from Eric’s pizza. And boy were they good. The restaurant is a huge yurt and so cosy inside too with the wood fired oven churning out delicious pizzas all evening. Next door is Mim’s East Coast Gelato, also a big hit and something in my opinion akin to the gelaterias abroad.
End of the good weather. Burnham Market for breakfast pastries from Gurneys Bakehouse (great fishmonger and deli too). Try the seeded sourdough, pain au chocolat and cinnamon buns. Some lovely shops here including a Tuscan deli and florist. From there, just a short drive to Brancaster beach. A huge expanse of sand, literally as far as the eye can see in both directions. Again, the tide range is quite staggering here.
I miss the sea air, wide flat beaches and amazing light quality already. More blogs coming soon…
