Keeping up with the Reids: 4 December

Sunday 4 December

Left Barwell just after 9.30 and drove to Bucket Lock where we received a very excited welcome from April and the family.

The extension is coming along nicely and is planned to be finished for Christmas so we are looking forward to enjoying the new kitchen on our visit.

Left at about 12.30 and continued on our way to Norwich, stopping for some supermarket sandwiches along the way and arriving at our cottage at about 5pm

the Ostlery at www.randallscottages.co.uk/

Monday 5th December

Kids started the day with a swim in the heated pool then as it was sunny we set off for Horsey and the pupping grey seals.
Stopped at the local church on the way.

St Peter Church, Smallburgh, 1485

parked the car at Horsey Mill and walked the mile or so to the sea wall, cracking ice in puddles as we went.

view from the sea wall

All Saints Horsey, a rare round tower church from about 1220

All Saints Horsey

medieval bridge Potter Heigham

Tuesday 6 December

Woke to a foggy morning.
Supposed to clear, so at 11 we set off to look around some of the local Broads villages. First stop Barton Turf where it is very quiet at the staithe.

In the village are the Coronation Cottages, which were built during the Queen's coronation year in 1953. The roof lines of the row of 4 cottages was shaped into the outline of a crown. There seem to be only 2 cottages remaining.

Leaving Barton we drive on to Neatishead, still in the fog. We decide to look for the boardwalk but the lack of signage sends us back to the car and home again to finish off the school projects. The fog lingers all day, though by 3pm you can see blue sky above, even though the visibility on the ground is still only 50m.

Wednesday 7 December

Decided to go into Norwich. Found our way in and a park and walked past the cathedral where a carol concert was underway. Stopped for a look, a mince pie and a cup of mulled juice.

Continued on into the city and had a look around the market, some chips and a bacon bap for lunch from a stall. Found the tunnel of light which was unfortunately not very impressive in the daytime. Did some wandering around the city and had a good look through the Cathedral on the way back.

Thursday 8 December

Cloudy and a bit breezy today, but very mild, about 12 degrees.

Started our Norfolk tour at Ludham and the village church.

Many of the Broads' villages have a tradition of an ornate painted sign depicting traditional trades or historical events.

We visited St Catherines

The font dates from the 15th Century and is eight sided. It is unique because of the figures on the shaft, where it has carved a male and female woodwose. The woodwose was the a popular medieval folk figure known as the wild man of the woods. Depictions of female wood woses are extremely rare and only exist on ancient tapestries and glass. The male woodwose carries a club and spear and the female only a shield.

female woodwose

male woodwose, wild man of the woods

The rood screen is one of Norfolk's finest with gilded buttressing and saints forming a classic East Anglian sequence.

There is a legend of a dragon that terrorised the village of Ludham. It dug a lair of tunnels between the churchyard and the main street. One day it came and spread its wings along the street to bask in the sunshine and a brave man crept to the mouth of the tunnel and completely blocked it with a single boulder. Wen the dragon returned, it could not move the rock, so howling with rage it flew of towards St Benets Abbey where it smashed its tail against the walls and vanished forever.

From Ludham we drove on past the staithe where there was lots of hungry ducks and several keen fishermen set up for the day,

then on to the ruins of St Benets Abbey.

As we were out on the field the rain came in out of nowhere sending us scurrying for the car and on to Horning where we stopped at The Ferry Inn for lunch, which is seriously decked out for Christmas.

From Horning we drove on to Ranworth and the surprising church, St Helens.

The first of St Helen's treasures sits just inside the door, the Ranworth Antiphoner, a large singing book now in a bullet-proof glass case. This illuminated manuscript was produced at Langley Abbey, and used in this church before the Reformation, and then disappeared for three hundred years. In the 1850s, it was discovered in the collection of the merchant banker Henry Huth, but it was not until its sale in 1912 that it was recognised as coming from Ranworth originally and was returned. It sits in a box made by inmates at the Norwich prison.

Behind it stands the greatest Rood screen in East Anglia. It stretches right across the church, aisles and nave. The middle range features the twelve apostles; the south aisle chapel range three Marys and a tremendous St Margaret, the north aisle chapel range St Etheldreda, St Agnes, St John the Baptist and St Barbara.

After viewing the inside, we were able to climb the 89 very steep and narrow steps to the top of the tower, via a rather scary iron ladder.

Amazing to be able to do this in the middle of nowhere and the view of the broads from the top was outstanding.

Friday 9 December

Our last day in Norfolk and it is overcast but the temperature is quite mild. After breakfast we set off for Lowestoft, to see where the Wildcat sailed from in Peter Duck.

The pier and harbour are pretty uninspiring, not surprisingly in the off season, though the amusement arcade is open. The kids put £1 worth of pennies into the penny fall machines, but they seem a bit dogdy. Coins fall but do not appear in the shute.

After exhausting our supply of pennies for no result but a bit of fun, we go around to Ness point, the most Easterly point of the UK.