Norfolk and Suffolk - Excellent

[Lat-Literal]

I have just returned in the last hour from a five day break. When you can't on some days get to Tesco down the road and are going increasingly insane, sometimes braving travel to another world becomes the only option. Back to Lowestoft again following last August's first venture. Took the bus to Southwold and did the Benacre stretch again walking, only this time in reverse. Then onto the North Norfolk coast. Base - Cromer. Had never been. Loved it all. I noticed the decline in health a bit during the past 12 months but we still clocked up 11-14 miles, Southwold to Lowestoft and 12-15 on a Cromer-Sheringham circular, miles added because we got hopelessly lost at one point. We also went to Wells. That's me and a pal who I hadn't seen since last year's one. Bliss. Absolute bliss. The great British coast, lots of friendly people to go with it and that thing about going with a few aims and fulfilling them all!

[LMcD]

And those big Suffolk skies.....

[Lat-Literal]

And those big Suffolk skies.....

I love big sky. It is in all of East Anglia. I remarked on it walking from Sheringham to Cromer on the sands yesterday afternoon. I've decided I'm Suffolk man as well as London man and Northumberland man and North Yorkshire Man but I have to say that I did also take to North Norfolk. I thought I would do and I did. Not overly social but little exchanges along the way. And when you get out there, it's real Britain rather than media Britain. Entertaining, prompting thoughtfulness and educational. Northern and southern visitors in equal measure, we thought. Also some history. We like our real ale places but this morning were enjoying Cromer Pier and especially the church which is great with one especially fine piece of modern stained glass. 1959? Highly recommended. And it all had such a light, imaginative and airy feel about it while also retaining its religiosity. They very much have the balance right there.

[Richard Tarleton]

Delighted to hear it, Lat. How's the coastal erosion looking at Benacre? I've grown to love Suffolk in all seasons over the last 46 years or so. Norfolk I know less well - the N coast late autumn/winter, mostly, the interior very little.

[Lat-Literal]

Delighted to hear it, Lat. How's the coastal erosion looking at Benacre? I've grown to love Suffolk in all seasons over the last 46 years or so. Norfolk I know less well - the N coast late autumn/winter, mostly, the interior very little.

Hi RT,

There are "casualties", possibly even since last year. Those extraordinary skeletal trees are not only in the sand but at dramatic angles dropping down from the cliffs, along perhaps with bits of WW2 infrastructure. Some amazing birdlife, obviously, overhead. I am not well skilled at the detail. My leaning is towards atmospherics and also colour from Cornwall's granite to Whitby jet. Here as you know everything is a crumbly gold. We started off with the idea that we would go clifftop out of Southwold but within two miles we were on the beach and then all the way to Kessingland before moving on to Pakeham etc. The entire stretch because it isn't overly dramatic and an acquired taste is extremely underrated although it is often picked as a hidden gem in better slightly unconventional newspaper articles.

There was a slightly difficult part where we had to wade through water and it was going outwards at a bit of a current. A 19 or 20 year old woman on her own, Polish?, was saying she would brave it so we had to do it, not knowing if there was an inland route. We were all tentative - all three of us - and I pulled a muscle in my inner thigh in the process which luckily turned out to be only temporary. Very conscious of that widespread advice these days to float but personally I question that in every circumstance. It was a clear situation of either you do it or you don't and if you do just be quick and purposeful and keep moving your legs. It was momentarily slightly scary but also enabled a story. After that, we went up top at the Pontins but were advised to go back down again if that makes any sense.

Anyhow, I can absolutely see why you love it so much. I do. It is almost certain that I will be going back.

(It's a bit like discovering a new author you like ......I want more and more of the books!)

[Lat-Literal]

Clearly the best pub in Lowestoft is the Stanford Arms and it is very, very good, whatever its external appearance.

And merit marks to the Mariner's Rest, a bit surprisingly, The Oddfellows, Pakeham and the Triangle in that order.

Yes - we do our research on all things first - and then some. Can't be too careful when venturing out in the wilds!

Ideally, no dodgy chavs and no bog standard corporate.

https://whatpub.com/pubs/WAV/694/stanford-arms-lowestoft

[Lat-Literal]

Cromer - I think the Red Lion, including for food, and to some extent the Wellington for "that indie pub experience".

https://www.redlioncromer.co.uk/exceptional-food

Cromer's Hotel de Paris is as interesting as it is as imposing and impressive as a building - Oscar Wilde stayed there, Stephen Fry was a waiter there etc. Cromer's pier has a fine theatre thing going on and it is popular. The pier also frequently wins "best pier" awards. Very basic. No kiss-me-quick hats - and it has a lifeboat station at the end of it which is probably rare?

It was also not so long ago sliced in two although it has been repaired:

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/photo-gallery-the-stormy-night-when-cromer-pier-was-sliced-in-two-1-2982618

The bagots are also excellent:

https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/news/2018/popular-bagot-goats-arrive-back-in-cromer/

[muzzer]

Have you read The Rings of Saturn by WG Sebald? An East Anglian odyssey worth checking out if you know the area and are interested in the more obscure parts of its history.

[Richard Tarleton]

My leaning is towards atmospherics and also colour from Cornwall's granite to Whitby jet. Here as you know everything is a crumbly gold.

And pink.....Suffolk pink cottages (with steeply pitched roofs) - nowadays Dulux Weathershield rather than elderberries and pigs blood (doubtless other makes are available)......Norfolk - flint, all those flinty churches.....

There was a slightly difficult part where we had to wade through water and it was going outwards at a bit of a current.

Does that mean the barrier between the sea and Benacre Broad is well and truly breached - haven't seen it for a while. I don't think there is a ready inland route - the hinterland seems to be privaterly owned, and while Natural England seemed (last time I looked) to have some sort of relationship with the landowners, this did not extend to a sensible RSPB-style access policy. Hopefully someone reading this can enlighten us as to why, and why not - the obstacles one had to overcome to get from Covehithe to Benacre ridiculous.

[Lat-Literal]

And pink.....Suffolk pink cottages (with steeply pitched roofs) - nowadays Dulux Weathershield rather than elderberries and pigs blood (doubtless other makes are available)......Norfolk - flint, all those flinty churches..... Does that mean the barrier between the sea and Benacre Broad is well and truly breached - haven't seen it for a while. I don't think there is a ready inland route - the hinterland seems to be privaterly owned, and while Natural England seemed (last time I looked) to have some sort of relationship with the landowners, this did not extend to a sensible RSPB-style access policy. Hopefully someone reading this can enlighten us as to why, and why not - the obstacles one had to overcome to get from Covehithe to Benacre ridiculous.

The extraordinary Ruth Livingstone is in year eight of her slow walk around Britain and about a month beyond Ganavan Bay, near Oban. Her website is one of my favourites. She will deserve ultimately to be in our folklore as the coastal Wainwright. For the moment, few have been lucky enough to hear about her. It was almost at the start of her journey that she was on "our stretch". Stage 12. A mention here of pink but that of her jacket and some information about the conditions in 2010 but I will try to find something sensible on the more recent:

https://coastalwalker.co.uk/2010/06/08/stage-12-covehithe-southwold-walberswick-and-dunwich/

[Lat-Literal]

Have you read The Rings of Saturn by WG Sebald? An East Anglian odyssey worth checking out if you know the area and are interested in the more obscure parts of its history.

Hello Muzzer,

Thank you very much for this recommendation.

I didn't know about it and, having read several reviews of it overnight, it looks very enticing.

We should also give a mention to Beowulf which is often connected to Suffolk.

[Lat-Literal]

And pink.....Suffolk pink cottages (with steeply pitched roofs) - nowadays Dulux Weathershield rather than elderberries and pigs blood (doubtless other makes are available)......Norfolk - flint, all those flinty churches..... Does that mean the barrier between the sea and Benacre Broad is well and truly breached - haven't seen it for a while. I don't think there is a ready inland route - the hinterland seems to be privaterly owned, and while Natural England seemed (last time I looked) to have some sort of relationship with the landowners, this did not extend to a sensible RSPB-style access policy. Hopefully someone reading this can enlighten us as to why, and why not - the obstacles one had to overcome to get from Covehithe to Benacre ridiculous.

This is what happened around Cley (pronounced as in eye) following the 2013 surge on the North Norfolk coast: http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics...-sea-1-3236229. We stopped off here for an hour or so on the coasthopper when returning to Cromer from Wells but stayed inland. Apparently the shingle between Cley and Sheringham is extreme with many places known in 2012, including a car park, submerged under it. I did a lot of Suffolk shingle last year then broke my foot in my kitchen so mostly it seems right now to avoid anywhere. I was a bit disappointed not to have seen Blakeney Point with its seals but in a few days you can't do everything. I'm still working on your Covehithe/Benacre questions - a little more soon.

Incidentally, for anyone who is interested in the area and is considering public transport, the Coasthopper is a very good service for which the Council needs to be congratulated. It has had its moments of being about to be put out to pasture but each time it has been saved, albeit with modifications. You can hop on and hop off as many times as you wish in a day for £10 and an entire family can do so for £22, though only on the Cromer to Wells stretch. Wells to Hunstanton requires doing the same thing again when once it was a continuation equalling nearly 50 miles. I was slightly disappointed that you couldn't often see the sea from the bus - or see it well - but on the plus side it means the coast itself, a mile or two away in many instances, is not developed. There is a wildness to parts of the whole of the East Anglian coast which suggests to an Englander at least something of Scotland. This is good.

The North Norfolk region is also of political interest - ostensibly Lib Dem but for Brexit which makes it almost unique. This makes sense when one takes in the people there and the environment. Obviously the fishing industry counts but it is the upper and lower ends of refined and the upper end of gor-blimey with plenty of English flags around. I liked the mix.

[Lat-Literal]

OK, Richard, this is in the area of Kessingland circa 2014 - http://pillboxesinsuffolk.blogspot.c...ssingland.html. All else is from vagueness about location in my memory of our walk last Monday. After Southwold actual, we were on the path with beach huts and then chose to go up on the cliffs. A few houses here and there. Nothing much. The sort of situation where people have work going on alongside an unmade road. That was back into Southwold. Bits of junk hanging around. A bit scrappy. No clear footpath there and hedges on occasion to suggest it might be private land or a combination of the two. Consequently we got back down onto the beach fairly quickly, long before Easton Bavents. The tide was out so walking on the sand was easy and obviously thrilling. I'm guessing we were not long before the cliffs next to Covehithe or thereabouts when parts of the beach seemed to be narrower and we asked a group coming in the opposite direction if it was ok ahead. They said there was just one point where you needed to leap and you had to time it right. That turned out to be true.

It wasn't long after that when we reached the sea on one side and a "lagoon" on the other and that, I think, has to be Benacre Broad. The water linking the two was about four times too wide to jump and it was sufficiently tidal to cause alarm. It was also very silty underfoot. Consequently we had to wade through in walking boots. You could feel the tide pulling left to right around you and while it only took 25 seconds to traverse it was up to more than knee height. To have stopped the legs moving would not have been a good idea - and any inland route would have been long, and behind the broad, without any obvious directions. I pulled a muscle in my inner thigh in traversing it but that was alleviated by Bio-freeze from Boots.

I am writing this with reference to a map. Time wise, I would have said we had travelled further and that it all happened beyond Beach Farm but I don't think so. Subsequently we climbed up to Kessingland for a break at the pub where there was live music. Then we were on the beach again before ascending steep steps to Pontins, just outside Pakeham. Not a soul around. It felt like wartime. A lot of signs there to warn against sheer drops. Finally, we found someone who advised strongly to return to the beach which we did, ultimately to come up to Pakeham at - then through - its sedate caravan park. After another break, we walked into Lowestoft, shivery but pleased that we had done it and enjoyed it. Hope this helps.

[Lat-Literal]

Just something you walk into unexpectedly - Kessingland, population - 4,300, live in a pub garden, August Bank Holiday, teatime-ish:

Ant Macandrew & The Divide:

….500 Miles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMXaVxTYHkI

Without You - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byTxEVZG-GE

Kind of weird - weirdness as Lat-Literal always has a tendency to do circumstantially.

We were saying to each other "wild like Scotland" just an hour earlier and my family trees last year told me my grandfather - someone I never knew - was of Suffolk ancestry.

I've only just noticed his grandad was born in 1930 - both my parents were born in 1930 : yet another example of the criss-cross tidal thing.

What I love about travelling is the situations that arise and the social education. When we got to Pakeham, we were told it might be a while for our fish and chips to be ready. We said "fair enough" but couldn't understand why there were 20 orders ahead of ours when only two geezerish blokes were in the shop. Two minutes later, three very posh vehicles turned up. 18 Muslim people emerged - every generation - the women with burkas - total pandemonium, everybody doing their own thing - and I swear they were the only Muslims we saw during the trip. I just sat there entranced and not a little bewildered trying to compute it all. I'm thinking "I know why Cobbett" did all that he did on that horse. TV, by comparison, is unreal.

[Lat-Literal]

Norfolk and Suffolk......and Essex.

The weather for the next few days looks atrocious. My health will now never be good. This week, my mother has been diagnosed with osteo-arthritis on top of everything else and my father was diagnosed with a non-malignant cancer below his eye and after weeks of waiting logopenic progressive aphasia. All of this could be worse and we are all on timescales - in my father's case his operation will not be until after Christmas. As for his other condition, well, we have known it there or thereabouts for one or two years. Any of us could be firmly rooted to the spot because of ill health or responsibilities to others soonest or later so we have had a conversation and my parents have agreed that I should try to pursue my adventures while the iron is hot. Each time I'm sitting here quivering until it is underway. But sometimes one just has to do what one's instinct says one has to do in brief windows of opportunity.

So tomorrow - and I detest crossing London - I hope to be in the Bobby Robson stand at 3pm, as arranged, to try to help Ipswich off the bottom of the Championship. Then on Sunday I'm expecting to be discovering the vibes of Brantham and East Bergholt in a way that my grandfather never did although I found out last year that his family came from there in the mid 1800s. I never knew him because he died at 50 in 1939 so it will be the closest I'll ever get to him. The aim in pouring rain if necessary is to look at the churchyards and get myself to Dedham and Flatford Mill for this is Constable country and the Hay Wain. On Monday I will be coming back home but I'm hoping if it has all gone well to make a significant detour via Shenfield and Hockley to Canewdon on the remote Essex estuary. This is renowned witchy territory, as beloved by television spiritualists, Jamie Oliver has interests there not that it matters, but from my point of view I want to see the woods where my Nan and my Mum spotted a German soldier and ran for their lives only subsequently to discover that he was dead.

The news is full of things that seem like truths but are fake. People like to present aspects of history as fake when actually they were truths. It is fashionable to say that there were no dead Germans in East Anglia during the war and that anyone who says there were is a liar. My Mum is the second most truthful person I have met in my life and my Nan was the most truthful so, yes, there was a dead German in those woods. Given the later covered up history of Bradwell, the area is all radioactive but at my time of life I am prepared to take the risk.

I'm raving mad of course.

(Ah, Bobby - worth a re-run, I feel, I daren't talk about the following weekend which might not happen, too scared at the moment - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQ5Nii0DEM)

(I've bough that ticket too, though)