Following our early December trip to Northumberland we had only been back at home for a few weeks before we were heading off for another adventure, this time with our good friends Jackie and Phil. We were off to Brancaster in Norfolk, where we were spending the New Year, hoping for a relaxing week, exploring new and familiar places, with plenty of walks on the beach ... and no storms big enough to be named.
Following my envy of Lesley's iPhone photos whilst we were away in Northumberland I'd upgraded my phone and decided I would take all photos with my new phone for this break, to see how I got on.
We had a pretty decent journey and Martin and I detoured a little to call in at the Sandringham Estate on the way ...
... where we had a chilled out pitstop for a late lunch at the visitor centre ...
We found our cottage nice and easily and, after a few hiccups, we were soon settled in for our first night.
Our first full day and the weather was a bit grim, but we opted to have a ride into Wells-next-the-Sea, somewhere none of us had been before, to have a bit of a look around. It wasn't really the weather for photographs, but I had really wanted to see the 'Christmas tree', so braved the weather for a quick selfie ...
We didn't stay out long but decided on a bigger day out to Hunstanton the following day ... weather permitting.
The weather for our second full day was a total contrast ... bright and breezy, with a good bit of blue sky and even the odd glimpse of sunshine. We took both cars to Hunstanton and parked one at the very far end, before returning to park the other by the lighthouse, with the aim of a good walk along the front, a pitstop somewhere in town and then not having to walk all of the way back.
It really is a lovely and interesting walk along the front at Hunstanton, somewhere we used to visit often when I was a child. It starts off with the lighthouse and ruins of St Edmund's Chapel ...
... passes the old beacon ...
... and carries on along a grassy area along the clifftop ...
... until you reach the heritage gardens above the promenade ...
I found this part of the garden really interesting ... the posts are actually parts of the pillars of the old pier, which was pretty much destroyed by storms in 1978 ...
As we hit the new pier, which really is nothing more than a huge amusement arcade, we decided to head up into town to find somewhere nice we could have a bit of a warm up. We ended up in Chives Brasserie and, whilst we only had a drink, the food looked absolutely fabulous. Definitely somewhere to try again if ever we are back in the area.
From Chives it was back down onto the prom to carry along towards towards the old funfair. I know its probably been gone for donkey's years but I still remember the old boating lake, with the bridge over to the cafe on the island in the middle. I used to love going on the boats with my grandad, whilst mum and dad had a coffee. This is an image of an old postcard, showing what it used to look like, I found on Pinterest ...
... for a mooch through the closed funfair. Whilst a funfair always feels a little sad when closed, there is always plenty of bright colour to be found and I can never resist a few pictures ...
It was just a short walk now back to the car. I always remember, as children coming to the beach at Hunstanton, and setting up camp for the day on the stone steps leading down to the beach, which are barely visible in lots of places now, having got covered with sand ...
Having picked up the car, it was a short drive back to the lighthouse, where the sun put in a real appearance so I jumped out to capture the lighthouse at it's best ...
**********************************************************************************
