VISIT TO EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

WEDNESDAY 7^th

Check out day and Plan A to finally visit the Cromwell Museum. Plan B was abandoned as Hitchingbrooke House was only open on Sundays and the last entry of the year for the general public was August 28^th. Hitchingbrooke Park covered 170 acres and had a cafe but we read it was an area mainly for people to walk their dogs or picnic. Plan C, subject to the vote, was to visit the village of Kimbolton just off the A1 which would allow both of us to make our way home later in the day.

Being allowed to leave our car in the car park we ventured across the road to the Museum and following Keith and Ian Julia and I stopped in the porch area to pick up more leaflets, including one of a town trail of Huntingdon. Why wasn’t this available in our hotel? By now the men had dropped the latch on the Museum door and I could see the attendant sat at his desk laughing. Keith opened the door and I warned the attendant that smirking could serious damage his as well as their health. He apologised but said he never seen anything like that before. Only small the collection of paintings, literature, coins and medals plus uniforms and weapons were well displayed in a building in the former school. My eyes kept going to the figure of a small boy sitting at a wooden desk in a corner – it looked so lifelike. Amongst a series of publications was a paper put before Parliament by Cromwell in which he wanted something to be done about the ‘swearing and cursing’. So there was problems with foul language in the 1600s! This was an opportunity to enquire as to why there was a figure of Cromwell in St. Ives. Apparently it was suggested that a statue be erected in Huntingdon but the community were slow in coming up with the funds and so the people of St. Ives jumped in and erected one in their town. There is no statue of him in Huntingdon.

Across the street was the Church where Cromwell was baptised and several members of his family are buried in the church yard. I admired the stone figures playing musical instruments set into the wall at the rear of the building.

As we left the Museum to return to our cars it began to rain so with Sat. Navs. set for Kimbolton we departed Huntingdon. Our journey took us towards St. Neots and then through a rural area with many notices saying ‘No to Turbines in Kimbolton’. We managed to find a parking space in the High Street but on seeing a parking sign found we could only stay 30 minutes. A local informed us this only applied to cars parked in the box area, the rest of the street we could stay as long as we liked. Great only Ian had parked in the box and despite finding him a parking place he drove by us. We waited outside the Church only to discover he was sat on the seat watching us!

Another fascinating place with wooden sculptures of ‘priests’ with hands at prayer carved into some of the beams. Many of the stained glass windows had undergone restoration work last year and this was the first time I have seen a ‘Tiffany’ window, the finished item looking quite different from the Victorian stained glass windows.

Lunch was taken in the 'New Sun Inn' with pictures of Oliver Cromwell in the small seating area. Walking up to the bar at the rear we discovered a lovely light conservatory with one table vacant and so took up residence there. Through the patio doors we could see a lovely beer garden but no way was it in use today due to the continuing cold wind. Again the food was unusual and I chose chicken and apricot mayonnaise granary sandwich whilst the men went for rare beef whilst Julia had a jacket potato. The staff were great and we thought the idea of the Landlord’s lunch to be held next Sunday 4pm was a great idea. He chooses the menu and they all sit around one long table with the landlord at the head. There was also a notice up about a Stattie Fair, stattie being the local work for street.

At the end of the High Street is Kimbolton Castle, the final resting place of Catherine of Aragon after being divorced from Henry Vlll. Today the Castle is a school and the public were not allowed access. At this point we said our goodbyes commenting that it had been quite a history lesson for us, but one we had all enjoyed. We drove to join the Al to Peterborough only to discover the slip road was closed and so we had to travel South for quite a distance before we could continue our journey north. Through Peterborough we joined the A15 and continued our journey home to arrive on the outskirts of Bridlington around 6.30.

VISIT TO EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

TUESDAY 6^th

I guess it was too much to hope for a holiday without rain but by the time we had finished breakfast it had stopped although it was still very windy as we watched the flowers in the window boxes sway about.

We abandoned Plan A which was to go to Grantchester and walk along the riverside into the back of Cambridge. Plan B we could visit the Cromwell Museum across the road from ‘The George’ and then go on to Hitchingbrooke House and the Park up by the hospital. But we took Plan C, Ian and Julia’s idea of going to Ely as none of us had been there.

We did go across to the Cromwell Museum which was once a schoolwhere Cromwell attended although the building began life as a hospital and was constructed in the shape of a small church. Unfortunately it didn’t open until 10.30 and we didn’t want to hang around in the cold wind.

It was about a 30 minute drive to Ely and as Keith had already researched car parking we followed the signs for long stay as the free car parks only allow 2 hour stay.

Just as it began to rain again we reached the Cathedral. Entering the magnificent building we had to make a choice about which admission price we wanted to pay. We could have the full works for £18 but in the end settled for the basic admission which included a guided tour. As expected there were a lot of visitors but we were able to explore every part of it in peace as the visitors were in small groups accompanied by a quiet speaking guide.

Founded in 673 by Queen Ethelreda the building consisted of several small chapels, including a larger one dedicated to her, and all set at the eastern end of the Cathedral, a point at which the building of all Churches begins. Looking up along the centre aisle we saw Victorian paintings of various scenes from the bible covering the whole ceiling area. Again a mirror table on wheels had been placed in the aisle for easy viewing.

At 'the cross' we paused to look up to the octagonal tower which had been rebuilt when the original collapsed in the 1300s. Constructed of wood and stone our guide told us that the 20 foot high panels, which can be opened, are paintings of people associated with the Church and that that the stained glass windows were of peacocks in recognition of the man Peacock who oversaw the building of the new tower. In the centre of the dome was a carving of the head of Christ surrounded by angels with beams 40 feet long, the timber being provided by trees from an abbey in Hertfordshire. All timber and stone had been shipped by boat as at that period Ely was surrounded by water. In later years a Dutchman was to come along and drain the fens which at that time the local people were not to happy about.

Entering the ‘Lady Chapel’ as it was completed on Lady Day (25^th March) we found the room very warm due to recently installed under floor heating so that this Chapel can be used in the winter. A large empty space with decorative plasterwork done in many layers, some of which had been badly damaged during the time when Henry Vlll wanted to abolish the Churches, we saw a large statue of a lady with gold flowing hair, arms stretched out above her hear and dressed in blue with a gold belt on her broad hips. I thought this was a tribute to Ethelreda but was told it was the Virgin Mary. A sculptor had been commissioned to create a statue details and drawings of which was not seen until the unveiling by Prince Charles. Our guide told us there was a stunned silence, and then slowly a round of applause but that the press had had a field day! Our guide pointed out that the Chapel was not very suitable for speakers but the accoustics were ideal for music and so many concerts were held throughout the year.

We returned to the main part of the church and went to see the choir stalls, some very ancient others of the Victorian period. Our guide demonstrated the seating at the back of the stalls where the seat could be raised so the choirboy or man could also discretely stand if he wished. (We have seen modern versions of this style of seating in many Cretan churches.)

By now we were getting hungry but before going to eat Julia and I set out to visit the Information Centre which was in the house owned by Oliver Cromwell’s family and part of it had been turned into a museum. Ian joined us leaving Keith to sample the beer in a nearby pub. We picked up the leaflet of ‘The Eel Trail’ a route following brass discs with an eel engraved on each disc, the eel getting bigger as we neared the end of the trail. We also learnt that Oliver Cromwell’s mother often cooked eels for the family. The trail would at least keep me amused when not taking photos!

We had lunch in 'The Lamb' another hotel owned by Old English Inns as Keith had not been impressed with the pub he had visited. After that our route was to take us past many old buildings including Kings College School which adjoined the cathedral. As we had made our way to the Cathedreal we had walked past several young men in smart suits thinking they were young business men but then noticed they all wore the same tie. They were in fact students of the college.

Down by the river we were to discover they had their own rowing boats and were just returning to the boathouse after a session on the river, the master on the safety boat shouting out instructions through his megaphone so the whole neighbourhood could hear what was going on.

As well as the skulls there was also a crowd of younger students in fibre glass canoes, some attempting to get the front end on the landing stage and after several attempts succeeding. The Marina looked very full and alongside the entrance to the Jubilee Gardens several canal boats were moored. We all took a fancy to the one called ‘Tipsy Gipsy’.

On grassy banks several breeds of duck, including one little duckling, nestled down hiding their heads from the strong wind.

Through the park we had some wonderful views of the Cathedral with horses in a field along with a squirrel struggling to get at the horsechestnut fruit inside the case.

We arrived at the Market Place where the sun made a brief appearance allowing me to become a human sundial as I stood in the September block with the shadow of my raised arm falling at 2pm GMT. During our exploration we admired different styles of chimneys and coloured roofs and finally we looked at the Tudor gateway only to find that it couldn’t be Tudor as there was no wood as mentioned in our guide. This gateway was further down the road where Keith was waiting for us. With the trail at an end we headed back to the car park taking the route marked on our map by the lady in the Information Centre.

6.30 we left for 'The Old Ferry Boat' at Holywell to meet up with Brian and Lilly who were already waiting for us. We enjoyed the evening with them listening to their adventures in their caravan and places they had visited in France with Marian. Outside the cloud had disappeared leaving a lovely starlit sky but that cold wind was still blowing.

Back at 'The George' I ordered a port and brandy for Keith. “Would I like Harveys, Tio Pepe or Croft?” No a port – they are sherries. There had to be a port bottle somewhere as Keith had had one earlier. By now other guests sitting at the bar were beginning to join in the light hearted atmosphere. Finally the barmaid found a bottle of Cockburns – fine now pour a brandy into it. We then had to make a choice of brandy and it didn’t help when Ian couldn’t remember which brandy Keith had previously had. The smiles broke into laughter as I announced to the barmaid that the drink wasn’t even for me! I warned the younger guests not to give up work or they would end up like us!

VISIT TO EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

MONDAY 5th

Early breakfast, blue skies and sunshine but venturing outside found there was a cool wind blowing.

Our first stop of the day was St. Ives as it was market day, an event dating back to the 1400s. We found a car park which was £1.60 for 4 hours or £2 all day, personally I would have gone for all day but the men didn’t.

By the riverside was the ‘Norris Museum’ which we were encouraged to visit by one of the local ladies. A lovely colourful garden with a heavily laden grape vine spreading along the walls and down steps leading to the river. Inside the museum the staff were once again very friendly and Julia picked up a map of the town tour for us to follow later.

Studying the map we began the tour at St. Ivo Parish church which unfortunately was locked, the key being available at the Museum. We were on the lookout for a Parish Church that would have icons on display. These had been done by a cousin of Julia’s who unfortunately passed away about a year ago, her family having originated from Norfolk. Retracing our steps to the riverside, where we watched the ducks and swans being fed and told a couple of fishermen that all the fish were down where we had been stood, we passed the Museum to arrive at the market square where among the market stalls stood a bronze statue of Oliver Cromwell. Why was there a statue of Oliver Cromwell in St. Ives when he was born in Huntingdon? We would find out later.

With a few spots of rain we entered another church but despite the help of one nice lady we found no icons here. The Church had undergone major alterations making use of the downstairs area for a cafe and educational centre whilst upstairs was a library, Church office and the main centre being used not only for worship but for entertainment and exercise. The stained glass windows as usual were beautiful and the lady told us how nice it was to see the Church used every day instead of just on a Sunday. Before we left she recommended we paid a visit to the Corn Exchange. She didn’t say that there was a craft and antique fair taking place!

Continuing the town tour we walked along the back streets of St. Ives coming across the ‘Oliver Cromwell’ pub so stopped by for lunch. It was very busy and the food was delicious. I wouldn’t have minded returning for an evening meal.

We returned to the car just before our 4 hours was up. This afternoon I suggested we went a couple of miles to Hemingford Grey and visit a house and garden by the river that had featured in the paper recently. Reaching Hemingford Grey and driving along the road we failed to see any sign for the house so Keith turned around and we went in search of somewhere to park our car. We found a space down by the river close to the bridge that led pedestrians into St. Ives. We had actually walked as far as this bridge whilst in St. Ives as it has a church in the centre of it but again we had to obtain a key to take a look inside.

So, back to our search for the house and garden. I asked a lady if she could point us in the right direction. She spoke with a foreign accent and thought it was straight ahead. No it wasn’t, so we took a walk along the wooded path and back to the car stopping to ask directions a couple of times. We were told to go along as far as the pub and turn right. Hurray! - we pulled into the car park of Hemingford Grey House, but the sign inside the car park stated it was a private conference centre. We set off along the gravel drive and as I was about to go and say "hello" to the donkeys in the paddock the gardener came along and asked if he could help us. The others were quick to take a step back saying I knew all about it so I could deal with it! He smiled and said we weren’t the first to come to the wrong house. We needed the 'Manor House' which was further along the river. So off we set again but beginning to doubt we would ever find the place. We came to the end of the road with double yellow lines but a couple of young ladies said we could park and walk along the riverside to the house. We didn't believe them so back to the pub to abandon the car once again. Sure enough we came to the hand made sign pointing in the direction of the house and garden – bad news the tour of the house was at 2pm. Still with an honesty box on a table we could look around the colourful gardens. This kept us amused for at least a couple of hours and we learnt that the lady of the house and a friend maintained the gardens.

As we left the house a couple of canoeists came along the river to make my photo of another unusual church a little bit more interesting. We paid a visit to the Church and read information about the bells and bell rings of St. James. Looking at the stained glass windows I noticed how dull they seemed compared to others we have looked at in the area. I thought it must be to do with the age of the Church but could find no dates as to how old it actually was. However, we did notice in the churchyard that there were many headstones dating back as early as the 1700s.

Back to Huntingdon where tonight we would dine out. As I mentioned earlier there appeared to be very few restaurants – an Indian where the menu board displayed a photo of presumably the owner and John Major, or Prima an Itailian. We settled for an Italian for a change and had a fun evening and on offering to wash up instead of paying the bill was quickly informed by our young waiter that he was sorry the washing up had just been done!

VISIT TO EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

SUNDAY 4^th

There had been 2 weddings in the area yesterday and so we were joined for a late breakfast by these guests. We had almost finished when the Austrian head chef arrived and asked if everyone would put their order in for a cook breakfast as breakfast finished at 10am. No 10.15 according to the notice on the back of the room doors. First he had heard of it in the time he has been working here. We thought it a funny time to finish. It seems he wanted to get his roast meats in the oven so they would be ready for noon and the queue of Sunday lunches. We said goodbye to the young barmen who had looked after us very well, especially when it came to stamping the card to get a free pint after purchasing 10 beers!

We set off to find the area of woodland and lakes close to West Acre. Our sat.nav. was having a funny day as it tried to take us down a road in West Acre that was unsuitable for cars due to a deep ford. I left Keith to reverse and went to look at another of the lovely village signs this one standing in the children's play area next to a Church. As Keith pulled up I said we should explore as there was a lovely archway leading down a winding drive. Unfortunately it only led to private property but what lovely views of the valley they had. The Church was locked but the clock face was interesting as instead of numbers it read ‘watch and pray’. I wasn’t too sure about the weathered stone head in the centre of the archway – it looked very grotesque with deep sunken eyes.

Moving on we passed Narford Hall, the village of Narford being long gone and those buildings till in existence now come under the village of Narborough. In an adjoining field was a sign stating ‘Church of the Virgin Mary Narborough’. So through the large metal gate we walked down the wide grassy path by a field of some flowering crop to reach a very large lake. To our right through a smaller iron gate we stepped into the church yard where rabbits had undermined several graves behind iron railings. I had seen the rabbit at the entrance to one of the burrows and he quickly disappeared as we walked closer. Another front and stone Church built on a small mound but again the door was locked. We had access to the lake where many swans were resting, that was until they saw us and they fled into the water leaving a carpet of feathers and mess. Under the shade of a large tree a flock of geese were also at rest but again as we slowly walked along they too took to the air honking which set the dogs off in the grounds of the house. We thought this was a good time to leave.

Once again we had been invited to join the family for lunch and meet up with another cousin, Anne and her husband David. Anne’s sister Helen was unable to attend as both she and Anne suffer from a breathing problem inherited from their father, Jim. Both rely on oxygen, unfortunately Helen has to use it all the time. Lunch was taken in the conservatory which was just as well as the rain began. It had been forecast for yesterday but never arrived.

Just after 3 we said our farewells and set off for Holywell, a small village near to St. Ives in Cambridgeshire where we would meet up with our Surrey friends, Ian and Julia. We drove through another very heavy rain shower but arrived at ‘The Old Ferry Boat Inn’ just as the sun reappeared. This pub is reputedly the oldest in the country and stands on the banks of the Great Ouse where a small cabin cruiser was just tying up. As food is served all day there were still lots of people eating. Going up to the bar we were directed to reception where a young man apologised and said we had been transferred to their sister hotel in Huntingdon due to a boiler problem and there was no hot water. Whilst we waited for Ian and Julia to arrive we were offered a complimentary drink. We were just about to go to a table when our friends arrived. Before moving on we booked a table for Tuesday night as we had arranged to meet Brian and Lilly as they live close by in St. Ives.

Setting the sat.nav. whilst I took my photos we began our journey over to Huntingdon about 8 miles away. This town was not on my agenda for our short stay in the area. We reached the town without any problem but drove around the ring road twice looking for ‘The George Hotel’ having been told it was on the ring road. As I asked Keith for the print out of our route given to us by the receptionist I saw Ian was now in front and told Keith to follow him as he seemed to know where he was going. No problem and as we got out of our cars Ian was surprised to find we had been following him. He was getting concerned about the car behind and even more so when it followed him into the car park and then into the small area by the hotel building as this was a pay and display car park owned by the town council.

We had a very pleasant surprise as we walked through the large gateway as the courtyard was a blaze of colour. There seemed to be no problem with the bizzie lizzies cascading down the walls from the window boxes unlike some parts of the country where a disease is wiping them out. All the rooms are set around the courtyard which we discovered as we set off to find rooms 15 and 17. Up and down different levels along narrow squeaking corridors we came to Ian’s room first at the bottom of a couple of steps. We were further along the corridor. It seemed a nice room, but had a very uneven floor, as we found out when we climbed into bed. Keith also discovered that he cannot stand up straight in the bath to use the shower as his head hits the low ceiling! Due to kitchen maintenance we had been requested to eat early which was no problem but I did notice a lot of people came in after us. We went for a short stroll along the High Street which was deserted. Across the road from 'The George' is a church which looked lovely in the floodlights and again colourful planters enhanced the gateway. The area was pedestrianised and all the shops were occupied but apart from Pizza places there seemed very few restaurants.

When it came to going to bed and putting the light out Keith found he nearly rolled out of bed and then I discovered that I too was following him. Getting sorted he then noticed that his feet were higher than his head. Don’t you just love these old places!

A VISIT TO THE EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

SATURDAY 3^rd

We spent the morning exploring Castle Acre Priory now owned by English Heritage. Once again we found staff very friendly and helpful pointing out the audio sets that we could use on our tour. This was one of the best guides we have come across. Although still having repairs done to the ancient monument the site seemed well maintained and the information boards proved as useful as our audio guide. We were able to visit one complete building and explore the upper floors as well as downstairs. We learnt that parts of this Cluniac monastery were added around Henry Vlll’s time as the prior of that time felt the building was too cold, having added a large bow window in the upper room to allow more light, so he installed a fireplace to keep him warm. Still finding the room rather dark he had the wooden beams painted white adding red and white roses for decoration, some of which we could still see today. Close to the River Nar the monks had constructed a brewery and Keith and I were convinced we could smell the hops as we walked into the remains!

The afternoon was spent in Ron and Jennifer’s garden along with family and friends, some of whom had been at their wedding. Ron and Andy had been busy barbecuing various meats whilst Helen had made cakes and Caroline a lovely strawberry pavlova. Jennifer had made salads and a potato salad the flavour of which I couldn’t resist and said I must call at a farm shop before returning home to buy some local potatoes. After a Bucks Fizz toast when the cork had hit Ron on the forehead and some of the champagne had sprayed over his shirt the party broke about 5pm. After a photo shoot of the family and wedding guests, with Jennifer wearing her wedding outfit that she could still get into 40 years later, we said our farewells.

The cricket team were taking over the dining room tonight so we had been asked to eat early at 7pm. The trouble was we were not hungry but Carl, the Manager, agreed we could have a table in the bar and eat when we were ready putting a reserved notice on the one by the door.

We got talking to another local after Roger had left who asked us to sell up and come and live in the village as he had watched the way we had interacted with the local people last night. He thought we would be very good for the village! We had been informed by the locals that many of the houses are holiday homes, across the road only two of the houses are permanently occupied We learnt this afternoon that Caroline and Andy had rented one of a row of white holiday cottages in this village for 8 months until they found a house to buy in Swaffham. They would have loved to remain in Castle Acre but the price of property is around £25,000 more in this village than Swaffham. Our new friend turned out to be a gamekeeper and we listened with interest about his feelings for keeping the number of deer down. He felt there was enough road kill without having to shoot them. Had we been staying longer he wanted to take us to see some of the deer.

A VISIT TO EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

FRIDAY 2^nd

We had arranged to meet up with the family around 4pm so with the rest of the day free we drove over to Swaffham, a town recommended by Roger. Parking in the High Street almost outside the large Church of St. Peter and St. Paul we decided this was a good place to begin our tour. We were made very welcome by a Lancastrian as we entered the building. Browsing the sales table whilst Keith moved further into the Church I found a leaflet about ‘Swaffham in The Brecks’ before I too began to appreciate the workmanship that had gone into this Church.

With a wooden roof and about a 190 angels carved into the beams a mirror table had been thoughtfully placed in the centre aisle so we didn’t strain our necks looking up.

Young children from a local school had made a written display about the ‘Pedlar of Swaffham’ which was a delight to read. Not knowing anything about this legend our new friend filled us in with more details.

Apparently this pedlar had a dream that he should go to London Bridge where he would meet a man who would tell him where he could find a pot of gold. Having paced up and down the bridge for several days and being watched by a shopkeeper the same shopkeeper approached him. This man also had had a dream and so he told the pedlar to return to his home and under a tree he would find this pot of gold. Sure enough the pedlar dug under the tree in his garden and found the gold, enough to help the Church rebuild a major part of it.

Our friend took us down to the front of the church where he showed us carvings of the pedlar and his dog that had once been incorporated in box pews. When the Victorians removed these box pews to put in the familiar bench seating of that era these carvings had been transferred to the choir stalls and the Vicar’s stall where they remain today. Wandering around the churchyard with many leaning headstones we were still able to read the inscriptions, several dating back to the 1700s.

Before leaving our friend had told us where the pedlar’s Elizabethan style house was. Now having a Georgian front the back of the building remains Elizabethan and now privately owned. This house was used in the ITV comedy/drama production of ‘Kingdom’ a series about a Norfolk Solicitor’s family and work which we enjoyed watching.

Across the road from this house was the ‘Swaffham’ signpost featuring, of course, the Pedlar and his dog. As it was such a lovely warm day people took advantage of the good weather to sit outside the street cafes and bars in a town that was very colourful with its floral displays still looking goodas autumn approaches and no litter!

We paid a visit to a small Museum as recommended and found collections donated by local people very interesting. I enjoyed the display of coins and medals, found by a lady metal detecting and was surprised to see that a Chinese coin was included in the display. Everything was neatly labelled and with the help of an audio commentary we looked at the 4 drawers of treasures. We also learnt about the German Prisoner of War Camps and looked at a hand drawn map of all the camps throughout the country. I hadn’t realised we had so many, and so many German prisoners. This particular display cabinet told of one Prisoner who decided to stay after the war and married a local woman, both being keen artists. Swaffham was also the birthplace of the famous Egyptian Archaeologist Howard Carter who discovered the tomb of the boy King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings and so naturally a room had been dedicated to this discovery. This was a lovely place for the children to learn about the Egyptians, especially Tutankhamen and to be able to dress up in clothes of that period and write their names in hieroglyphics.

Our next stop was the town of Downham Market where today the area around the ornate clock tower was filled with market stalls. The shops were attractive and looking in Estate Agents windows saw that prices were around the same as our area. Keith began to get carried away stating we could rent a lovely cottage using his state pension!

Our last stop was West Acre Gardens, part of a private stately home. The roads we have travelled today have been lovely and also very quiet. We have gone through gently rolling farmland, woodland and by the purple coloured heath to finally take a narrow wooded lane through West Acre. Entering the garden plant area, where home grown plants were for sale at a very reasonable price compared to the commercial garden centres, we were able to enjoy a stroll around the walled gardens where one elderly gardener was finding it hot work digging out the root of an ancient climbing plant. How he wished the house had a swimming pool!

Just after 4pm we arrived at North Wootton on the outskirts of Kings Lynn where Ron and Jennifer welcomed us along with Ron’s brother Brian, wife Lilly and sister Marian. We also briefly met Caroline, one of their daughters and her husband Andy along with 6 month old Cicely who was almost asleep. We would see them tomorrow. Brian, Lilly and Marian had come down with their caravan from Newark where they had been staying to join in the ‘Festival of Lanterns’ which sounded a wonderful get together for the Caravan and Camping Club with about 1000 vans taking part. We were to meet more of the family down at Snettersham, a stretch of beach close to Hunstanton and where we would have fish and chips for tea. With a static caravan park at the end of yet another winding country lane we entered a very small but busy car park. Already queues had formed at the chip shop next to a small amusement park and kite shop. Having been introduced to Jennifer’s cousin Jill and her husband Ray the very efficient Jennifer took orders and the rest of us wandered down to the kite shop where the owner overheard Keith say they were rubbish compared to the ones we have from China. He followed us into the shop and was quick to defend his stock stating that most of the kites came from Germany, some from GB and others he made himself. He did not stock China kites but that was only due to the currency rate of exchange. Back in the cars we drove down to the beach car park and climbing up the embankment onto the raised beach area Jennifer laid out a couple of rugs for us all to sit on. The tide was out, so far out we could only see the mud flats on which some people ventured to walk allegedly in search of cockles. One family walked by carrying a small inflatable dingy on the father’s back. We watched flocks of silhouetted birds fill the sky as they swooped up and down along the area in front of us creating an amazing sight for us. The rest of the family were used to such scenes. Lucky them!

We strolled along the beach in the direction of Hunstanton watching the sun beginning to set.

As we reached the paved area leading into the town I watched a white egretland in one of the pools and on taking a photo discovered due to the lighting the bird in my photo was now blue.

We left everyone around 8pm to return to ‘The Ostrich’ where tonight Karaoke was taking place. We had had a phone call from the Manager earlier in the week so we were prepared for it. It’s not our scene but we remained in the bar until after midnight joining in the fun with the locals and people staying in the village. 4 ladies from Norwich were dressed as St. Trinian Girls, the youngest one having an excellent voice that we said she should be on X Factor. I asked one of the local young mums where they went for a night out – Kings Lynn but the taxi fare is £40 each way and then there is our entertainment so they thought it was great that the Pub was bringing the entertainment into the village for them.

A VIST TO THE EAST OF ENGLAND 2011

SEPTEMBER 1^st

Mid morning start for Castle Acre, Norfolk, close to Kings Lynn the town where we are due to meet up with the Watts family over the weekend as we have been invited to join the 40^th wedding anniversary celebrations of Keith’s cousin Ron and his wife Jennifer.

On the A15 south of Lincoln we decided to make a detour in search of a village pub for lunch. At crossroads I suggested we turned left avoiding crossing the busy traffic when we rejoined the A15. We seemed to be going on forever, which did not please Keith as the signpost in the opposite direction indicated two villages only a short distance apart. Eventually we turned the bend into a village with the ‘Star and Garter’ in front of us and a large sign outside saying hot and cold food. Parking in the car park we entered the bar where two local men, sitting at separate tables, were enjoying a large plate of pork pie, cold meat and salad. Having ordered and got our drinks we asked about food. “Sorry we don’t do food”. Turning around and looking at the two men who were now grinning at us the landlady went on to say “Oh they brought their own food - I just provided the plates!” However she kindly offered to make us a tuna sandwich. As we sat watching a large flat screen TV tuned in to an International athletics meetingwhen the screen suddenly went blank and the Juke Box by the pool table began to play. The song was Max Bygraves singing “Things aint what they used to be” for those of us who are old enough to remember Max Bygraves. We couldn’t stop our selves from laughing and Keith began to wonder if our car would be a Ford Popular when we returned to the car park. As soon as the tune stopped the TV came back on just in time for us to witness Great Britain win the Country’s first gold medal of the competition.

On leaving the pub we didn’t return to the A15 but meandered through the country lanes of Lincolnshire and beyond until our navigation system guided us down a single track road into the back of the village of Castle Acre. We had no idea where ‘The Ostrich’ pub was but as we turned the corner leading to the village green we spotted the hanging sign.

A very friendly girl showed us to our room which entailed going out of the bar and along the road a few yards and using one of the 2 keys on the key ring that opened the front door leading to a grey painted winding wooden staircase. ‘The Ostrich’ is a 15^th Century flint stone building so on reaching the landing she advised us to watch our heads. Despite the warning as we used the second key to open the bedroom door Keith banged his head on the door frame as he stepped down into the room. Very spacious but no wardrobe for our clothes, but we did have a large mahogany chest of drawers which worked just as well. The toilet was noisy and a sign stated we should not use the bath, shower or loo if there was a power cut as the bathroom would flood, but there were facilities down in the bar!

As it was mid afternoon and lovely sunshine we went for a walk around the village. Going through the ‘Baileygate’ part of the village’s historic attractions we headed down the hill past some colourful cottages in search of the River Nar flowing through the valley. We didn’t actually find a river but whilst standing on a large stone bridge saw pools of clear water in between the overgrown pond weed. Retracing our steps, as we had seen a sign on one cottage wall pointing a way to the Castle, we went to investigate. On a telegraph pole we spotted details of a 35 mile walk along the River Nar passing through villages such as West Acre and East Acre and a wood with a nearby lake. “We could do part of that walk if we have time” I said. There were a few ruins of the Castle among the earthworks, some set on a small hill so we were able to get a view of the surrounding area and part of the village.

Some older teenagers were sat around playing cards whilst other people were exercising their dogs or just, like us, exploring the site.

We studied in information board which included details of some of the wild flowers of the period. These were medieval herbs and still flowering today. We returned to the village green with its painted village sign and continued on to visit St. Peter’s Church with a very usual font.

It was not yet 5pm but back in ‘The Ostrich’ several locals were sitting around the bar and we got talking to an elderly gent called Roger who was a font of knowledge. He said we should be staying across the road at the tea rooms which is run by Maggie Thatcher’s ex bodyguard as it was cheaper! Several destinations were suggested that we should visit during our stay. We booked a table in the restaurant for dinner as there appeared to be no where else to have an evening meal in the village so it was no wonder it was very busy.