Salisbury

21 - 24 August 2015

Take a chance on me

The weather for this particular weekend was forecast to be typical for August in GB – changeable with heavy rain somewhere along the way (moan, moan, moan …) but we had booked our site so set off regardless.

However, the weekend started well, with a stop en route to Salisbury at the National Trust Property, The Vyne, near Basingstoke.  The 500 year old Tudor house is in need of repair, to the tune of a staggering £2.3 million, and conservation work will start in 2016.  The extensive grounds include a sweeping lawn for lakeside picnicking

 and a bird hide overlooking the water meadows.  Our knowledge of all things ornithological is limited to say the least, but eager to learn, I started talking to the man already in the hide; he had an enormous lens on his camera, so he had to know more than I did!  I was reliably informed that the two birds near the bank were green sandpipers and the ones further in the water were lapwing.  I feel the need for an I-spy book!

One other interesting snippet about The Vyne is that when it became clear in May 1940 that the German bombing of Britain would resume, the headmaster of Tormore Prep School in Upper Deal, Kent packed up his school, consisting 60 boys and staff, and came to stay here (at the invitation of the owner, I hasten to add!).  There is currently an exhibition in the house and gardens to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of their departure at the end of the Easter Term 1945.

A summerhouse dating from around 1632 is likely to have been used initially as a Banqueting House (the banquet being the final course of the meal, served in a separate room or building).  The shape of the adjacent flower beds reflect the shape of the summer house.

By the time we arrived at the Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Salisbury in the late afternoon, our pitch was about the only one left!  The first surprise of the weekend was that the Salisbury Summer Spectacular would be taking place next day (Saturday) on the adjacent field, complete with funfair, live music and fireworks.  Was this good or bad? 

From the site it's a 30-40 minute pleasant walk, by the river in places, to town and a quick visit to the tourist info gave us some ideas for the day.  The area around the Cathedral (The Close) is pleasant and Arundells, home of the late Edward Heath is located there as well as a couple of museums.  To escape the scorching sunshine (second surprise!), we went into the Salisbury and South Wilts Museum, where there was an extensive exhibition of Turner paintings, and then had a tasty lunch in The King's House tearoom housed in the same building.  Further along The Close is the National Trust property, Mompesson House, which was one of the locations used for the film “Sense and Sensibility”.  Photographs of the filming and some of the costumes worn were on display.

Finally we walked out of town along the Town Path, admiring the view of the cathedral across the water meadows,as painted by Turner.

Back at the campsite the music was belting out, the instrumentals somewhat better than the vocals.  However, the acts seem to improve as the evening wore on and culminated in an Abba tribute band, which was pretty good and tempted us to sing along!  The weather had turned showery during the evening but turned to heavy rain just before the firework finale took place, and we wimped out of going outside to take some photographs.

Apparently the clearing up process started immediately after the fireworks and went on into the small hours – some complaints were lodged with the site wardens – but we were blissfully unaware; our walking had obviously tired us out.

Sunday lived up to the forecast of heavy rain all morning, so we had a relaxing few hours in the 'van, remarking on how quiet the site normally is.  After lunch the rain clouds rolled away and we had an enjoyable walk to the remains of Old Sarum, which was the site of the original town of Salisbury.

Old Sarum from the campsite

“Climb the mighty ramparts for views over the Wiltshire plains and imagine the once thriving town of Old Sarum. Stand in the footprint of Salisbury's original cathedral, conquer the royal castle which stood high on the motte, and discover the awe-inspiring Iron Age hill fort where it all began. Unearth over 2,000 years of history and find out how the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark on this impressive landscape.”

Footprint of original cathedral

Very impressive and well worth a visit.

Looking back from Old Sarum towards Salisbury and the campsite

And tomorrow, Monday, promises persistent rain all day, both here and at home, so it looks as though we shall be getting wet at both ends of the journey!

Weybourne, Norfolk

25 to 28 July

Fields of Gold

On 25 July our friends, Gavin and Terry, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary and we were not only invited to the party, but encouraged to stay the night in the motorcaravan, parked in their daughter's field!  Despite the fact that the weather had been unseasonal during the preceding days and that the marquee had disappeared up the road during the night in the high wind, it was a splendid occasion with around ninety guests, including family from all corners of the globe, sailing buddies and ex-Philips colleagues.  Even the weather relented, and the clouds gave way to a lovely sunny evening.

So having brought the 'van to the Fakenham area, it seemed only sensible to tack on a couple of days and I suggested it would be “fun” to walk part of the Norfolk Coastal Path.

On Sunday morning we moved the 'van to a pleasant campsite, Foxhills Camping, with a Caravan Club CL in a separate field, located on the edge of Weybourne, next to the Muckleburgh Collection, the UK's largest privately owned military museum.  We hastily packed a picnic lunch and set off on our first walk of about four miles, hoping that the rain, forecast to start at 1 pm, would not materialise.  From the site it takes about 20-25 minutes to get to the Norfolk Coast Path via Muckleburgh Hill, from which you get a good view of the coast, and we then headed west towards Cley.   

View from Muckleburgh Hill

This section of the path follows a shingle ridge, which is quite tiring to walk on, but there are lovely views of the coast and marshes.  As forecast, the heavens opened at around 1 pm and we were rather sodden by the time we reached the National Wildlife Trust information centre for some welcome refreshment.  Then it was back to Weybourne courtesy of the Coasthopper bus, which provides a regular service between Wells and Cromer seven days a week.

On Monday we decided to raise the bar, and set off in the opposite direction towards Sheringham and Cromer.  Turning left from the site, you come into Weybourne where there is a small shop, tea room, pub (The Ship Inn) and hotel (The Maltings Hotel), which also has a small site for five units on the other side of the road.  A left turn into Beach Road leads you to (you've guessed!) the beach,  where there is a car park (no height barrier, but overnight parking prohibited).    From here we headed east.

Weybourne Windmill

Cliffs near Weybourne

The coastline is dramatically different here, with the path meandering along the top of the crumbling cliffs.  The constant erosion means that the path has had to be re-routed, for example to the landward side of one house, which is now precariously perched on the cliff edge.

On the edge

Along the final stretch into Sheringham the North Norfolk Railway runs close to the path and you get good views of the steam engines working hard up the gradient out of Sheringham.

Before setting out we had purchased a copy of “Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path” by Alexander Stewart and although the path is well marked, it proved an invaluable source of local information.

After 3.5 miles we reached Sheringham, and came across a tea room “Copper Whelks” on the edge of town where we had a tasty lunch.  We had been caught in heavy rain a second time, but thankfully the tables and chairs were wooden, not upholstered, so we didn't feel too bad about going in.  Then off towards Cromer. Soon after Sheringham you pass Beeston Bump Y-station, which was the site of a top-secret military listening post during World War II.

Beeston Bump Y-station

After that I was disappointed to find that our Norfolk Coast Path book directed us away from the coast through countryside to get to Cromer and I felt a little cheated that this part of the coastal path wasn't coastal and, to add insult to injury, en route we had to climb up to the highest point in Norfolk, Beacon Hill, admittedly only 338 feet!  A bit more research shows that it is possible to carry on along the coast, except for a detour around East Runton.

Never mind.  We reached Cromer without mishap, a distance of about 8.5 miles, with time to spare for a coffee before catching the Coasthopper back to Weybourne.

On the way home on Tuesday we paid a quick visit to the remains of the motte and bailey castle at Castle Acre, which was interesting, and free!  But beware, the access road is very narrow and the car park small.  Anything longer than 6 metres would find probably find it difficult.  We didn't have time to venture to the Priory; always good to have something in reserve for next time!