A light hearted and (I hope) amusing record of some of our Campervan Trips.
It is mainly intended to inform friends and family where we are, plus, to keep our children updated on what is happening to their inheritance.
I do try to include details of Camp Sites and Aires, we visit. Checkout the "labels" listed in the right margin,
Please comment if you feel inclined, at least then I know I am not talking to myself (again).
Cromer, Incleboro Fields, Caravan Club Site, contd... Today, Wednesday and a beautiful sunny day.
Kathleen wishes to visit the Catholic Shrine at Walsingham.
A quick check on the computer shows that getting there by bus is not going to be easy, and is going to take over an hour.
The idea of going on the scooter is not popular, on the basis that it is "too far". The sat-nav says it is 28 miles away. After studying the map, for short cuts, and with fingers firmly crossed, I manage to convince Kathleen it is only 20 miles each way.
So, following my "short route", A149 to Blakeney, then B1156 to Langham, unclassified road to Binham, then on to Walsingham.
All is well to Binham, but, then, the road is closed, and we have to follow a signposted diversion, which takes us via Wells-next-the-Sea, we may as well have followed the sat-nav route!
Eventually, 30 miles later, we arrive at Walsingham.
Kathleen is not a happy bunny, but, puts a brave face on.
A good wander around, including the Slipper Chapel, and, the inevitable "candle lighting area".
I am not a religious person myself, but, this is a calm and tranquil place, all beautifully kept, with a notable absence of commercialism, plus, the tea shop does
excellent sandwiches!
We decide to go back via the sat-nav "fastest route", via the A148, calling in at Holt, a very nice Georgian Town.
It would probably have been a very nice Medieval Town, except, a fire in the 1700's burnt most of it down, and it was rebuilt in the Georgian style.
Eventually, back to the van, a 59 mile round trip.
If nothing else, Kathleen is now an accomplished pillion passenger! She is so good, I do not even know she is there, I have to keep checking in the mirror to re-assure myself I have not lost her off the back of the bike!
Thursday, up early and back home, exciting stuff, cutting the lawns.
Cromer, Incleboro Fields Caravan Club Site, (continued) Monday, and it is overcast and a bit cool, so, a trip to Norwich on the train.
Norwich is a one hour journey, with five or so stops, not bad at £8 return each, and quite comfortable.
We do the usual visit the Cathederal, and very impressive it is.
A very unusual font, it was a chocolate making vessel, in a Chocolate factory. When the factory closed down, the vessel was given to the cathederal and converted to a font!, so, you can get baptised in chocolate (well, not really).
Lots of quaint narrow streets, even some thatched roofs!
Then, Kathleen gets down to the serious shopping.
It is a mystery to me, a company like Marks and Spencer spends a fortune to develop a "brand". Every one of their stores in the land has the same stock. So, when you have two enormous branches of Marks and Spencer (substitute Next, Dorothy Perkins, Primark etc as required), in Newcastle, and Metro Centre, Gateshead, why would you travel hundreds of miles to shop in a smaller version?
But, I am pleased to say, Norwich is my kind of shopping city. I am able to avoid going into any shops at all! instead I spend my time sitting in the sun at various locations listening to the numerous street musicians, playing everything from classical guitar music, to 60's pop, to Irish folk music.
Tuesday, a day of gentle exercise.
An adventurous walk to Sheringham. By adventurous, I mean using the OS Map, to find our way, and not a printed list of instructions.
Almost six miles, in total.
Using the usual maxim of "if a place looks busy, it is probably good", Meat and Potato pie for lunch, from a bakers in the High Street.
They say, the exception proves the rule, well, it was a potato pie!.
At least there was a real steam train at Sheringham Station.
We made the major misjudgement of deciding to do some jobs around the house, during possibly the best period of sunny dry weather which has occurred since we retired!
We had planned to visit Cromer earlier, when my brother, Brian, and his wife were here, but the house and garden renovations disrupted that, so, here we are sneaking in a quick week before the School Summer Holidays begin.
The drive here is as uneventful as any journey by road can be in the UK, the usual traffic hold-ups at road works with 40mph speed restrictions, miles of beautifully arranged cones, but, sadly not a sign of any WORK.
Incleboro Fields, is quite a large site, but, is arranged in small areas, so the overall impression is one of seclusion and quiet. It is to the usual Caravan Club standard, so, no complaints there, and is within easy walking distance of both a Railway Station (West Runton) and Bus Stops.
Unusually for Norfolk, it is on a hill!
So far, the weather has been very hot and dry (during the day), with overnight thunderstorms.
In addition to the folding bicycles, we have brought the Yamaha xMax with us.
Thus far, Kathleen has not been a willing passenger, but, I have fitted a "top box", to make her feel more secure that she will not be jettisoned off the back during lively acceleration.
In addition, I have kept up a subtle (well I think so) serious of remarks directed at her lack of enthusiasm for the scooter.
I think, the latter has done the trick, any suggestion to Kathleen that she is perhaps not upto the task is like a red rag to a bull, and, you WILL be proved wrong.
So, we have been for several jaunts on the scooter:
twice into Cromer, (once for the inevitable Church attendance),
a visit to a "Car Boot" Sale (what a load of tat!),
and a trip to Tesco.
I can officially state, Kathleen is now a confirmed "biker chick".
Sunday is rounded off with an excellent Sunday lunch in the pub in West Runton. It does not seem to have a name, other than, "the village inn".
