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Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk 20th - 22nd February 2009
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Having ventured down to Suffolk in 2007, this was the hiking club's first outing in Norfolk since I have been a member. In fact I subsequently brought friends from Austria as well as my brother, over in the United Kingdom on a holiday, up here on two separate occasions. The Granary Group Hostel bunkhouse at Burnham Deepdale had been booked for this particular weekend excursion. It is a self-contained 17th century building sleeping 18 in four bedrooms with a fully fitted kitchen and dining/sitting room. Located on Deepdale Farm in Norfolk, the Granary is fully heated, has showers, a drying room and solar water heating. The turnout and sleeping arrangements were as follows: |
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I had arranged a lift with Tim Porter and in doing so, had got wind of the fact that well-known Zimbabwean-born South African virtuoso guitarist Tony Cox was doing a gig some 45 minutes down the road at The Acoustic Kitchen in Kings Lynn, for the princely some of £12 including a meal! Much to my surprise, Maeve and Andy as well as a colleague and his wife attended. Tony is a fantastic performer and the evening proved a wonderful introduction to what we hoped would be a memorable and worthwhile hiking weekend. The fact that Dave and Rob were in attendance meant that we were also being entertained by our resident hiking club band, which inevitably involved the trusty duo. The walk that had been planned for the Saturday would see us cover the coastal salt marshland of the Norfolk coastline along Peddars Way and the Norfolk Coastal Path. The Norfolk coastal path is in fact 45 miles long and runs all the way from Hunstanton in the west to Cromer in the east. It links with the Peddars Way at Holme-next-the-Sea, and the two in combination form the Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast Path National Trail, one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales. At Cromer it links to the Weavers Way. Leaving Burnham Deepdale the path skirts Deepdale and Norton Marshes, before turning towards the A149 near Overy Marsh. Passing through the town of Burnham Overy Staithe, it heads towards an extensive section of coastline known as the Dunes. Continuing east, it reaches the section of dunes known as Holkham Meals. Following the coastline beyond Holkham Gap, we reached the town of Wells-next-the-Sea, a term fully appropriate given its position, following the path parallel to the railway running along a sea wall. |
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Having negotiated a section of Holkham Hall Estate, we returned to the village, as a decision had been made that we would take a bus back to Burnham Deepdale. For dinner we wandered up the road to a pub, which might have been the Jolly sailors in Brancaster Staithe. Back at the hostel, the evening's entertainment was by way of Dave and Rob, the session proving somewhat experimental, as Dave was trying out a new PA he had acquired. The following day Tim Porter led a group west along the coastal path towards Brancaster Harbour, though it turned out not half as interesting as the previous day's walk, although we did encounter two seals in a tidal creek. We found it increasingly difficult to continue across the sand beach, sections being cut off by meandering streams of water which swelled as the tide came in. Not wishing to be caught out by the tides, we decided not to chance our luck and turned back. |
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Links to other websites: Deepdale Granary Group Hostel - website Norfolk Coastal Path - National Trail website Norfolk birdlife - Birds of Britain website Holkham wildlife - Holkham National Nature Reserve website Holkham Hall - official website Holkham Hall - webpage Wells-next-the -Sea - webpage |
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