July 31, 2012: Brancaster to Wells-Next-The-Sea
No, it’s not real – but it does make a nice diversion
as we leave Brancaster on a rainy morning.
There was no escaping the presence of light rain, falling on North Norfolk as Gavan and I got ready for breakfast on the second day of our walk. The dining room, where we at last met our hostess, Cheryl, was populated by geriatric couples who were pondering what to do with themselves in such weather – some were planning expeditions to other nearby towns on the Coasthopper bus. For us, of course, there was no indecision – for at 9:30 a taxi pulled up and we were soon on our way back to Brancaster.
I started out, of course, in full rain gear and in some senses this is preferable to a trailside panic when rain suddenly overtakes you. There are several problems associated with photography on such a day, however. Photo opportunities are limited by the low ceiling and by the murky atmosphere and, in addition, I always have a problem figuring out how to protect my camera from the elements. I usually walk with it inserted in a front pocket of my walking trousers but my rain pants, which have no pockets, are so tight that this perch is foreclosed. If I’m not wearing my rain jacket then I can lower the camera into the pocket of my t-shirt – but that wasn’t the case today. My solution was to encase the camera in a blue plastic bag, which I could tie shut, and then to insert this into the front pocket of my jacket – which also had a protective zipper. Fishing it in and out was a chore but I did want to take pictures – even on such an unfriendly day. My photography would have been better if I hadn’t taken so many pictures with one hand. This is another consequence of inclemency. In good weather I can hook my walking stick into a front pocket; in rain I have no such purchase and I tend to hang on to it with one hand while squeezing the shutter with the other.
Our driver took a different route back to Brancaster (and drove more slowly and carefully) and we saw a number of villages that we had not noticed yesterday. At 9:50 we were deposited in the parking lot of the Ship Hotel and soon we were heading back on a paved road to the coast itself. It continued to rain for the next two and a half hours – but moisture was light, visibility was not too bad, temperatures were mild and we were in good enough spirits. This was just as well because we had a long day ahead of us – thirteen and a half miles.
We passed through more marshy territory, assisted by boardwalk and dominated by beds of seal lavender among the tidal pools. On our right were a number of interesting buildings, particularly as we approached the villages of Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Deepdale. There were a number or people about, families on bicycles (an annoyance) and people seeking shellfish in the sea beds.
We were making good time and after a long section along the sea bank we turned to the right to head inland again – this time in search of noontime sustenance. We had walked five miles and it was time, 12:25, to seek the shelter of The Hero pub in Burnham Overy Staithe.
This proved to be a welcoming oasis. I used the toilet and took off my wet t-shirt, substituting for this my dry red sweatshirt. The girls behind the bar brought us our food: I had a prawn sandwich in Marie Rose sauce and Gavan had the fish pie. The pints were also most refreshing. It had stopped raining but just as we emerged, at 1:25 we encountered more moisture, on an off, for the next two hours.
A long but easy path heads resolutely
from Burnham Overy Staithe to the sea-edge dunes.
Our route now took us back toward the sea –a long trudge along the bank with wildflowers in profusion. After almost two miles we reached coastal sand dunes and, after some time on the beach itself, we sought harder surfaces slightly inland. Gradually we made our way along the margins of Holkham Bay, heading back inland amid pines to Lady Ann’s Drive at Holkham Gap. This spot was crowded with visitors and their dogs (two Schnauzers spotted today) and we had a lot of company as we turned our back on the maritime scene and used sandy paths to reach a wide track heading first northeast, then east, then southeast.
Gavan was again well ahead of me on this woodland stretch, but at one point he paused at a bench and we had a rare sit-down. (The Norfolk Coast Path was far better provisioned with benches than its cousin, the Peddars Way.) Of course the bench was wet but, well, I was still wearing my rain pants – so I sat down anyway. I was at last able to take my rain jacket off – for the sun was making a late effort to emerge.
The closer we got to beach ahead of us the more we shared our route with cyclists, strollers and dogs. Fortunately the track was very wide here and there were few conflicts. After a few twists and turns we arrived at a holiday center, where Gavan used the loos while I sat down at a picnic table. I was tired but as soon as we climbed the bank ahead of us we had the cheering sight of our destination, Wells-Next-The-Sea, to energize our legs as we headed in a southerly direction into town.
It was 4:00 but we did not set out for our b&b immediately, making a slow stroll through this popular tourist town – amid the crowds of holiday makers. At the harbor head dozens of people were lined up with fishing lines, hoping to pull crabs out of the water below. I wanted to buy another Diet Coke and some batteries and this was accomplished as we headed into town on Staithe Street. I added another photo to my collection of punning places of business – Bean 2 the Coast Coffee House.
Gavan celebrates the end of a long day
and the completion of 800 miles on Anglo-Celtic footpaths
Gavan was very good at navigating our way through the back streets of Wells and at 5:05 we at last reached our b&b. I took a nap while Gavan went across the street to the Big Blue Sky gift shop and gallery – where he bought some pictures and a photo book. At 6:00 we returned for a second time to the Bowling Green, where I had the pork chop and some chocolate ice cream. We wanted an early dinner because it was swimming time at the Olympics at 7:30 – so we settled into our usual evening routine. I read, watched and dozed while Gavan hit the laptop (all of our b&bs had wi-fi). Then it was lights out and a well-deserved rest.
To continue with the next stage of our walk you need: