St. Benet's Abby and Ludham

Last night at Howe Hill was fantastic. The stars were so bright - and reflected in the water. We took a walk after dinner and heard a "coo koo" bird call. Apparently that really was from a Common Cuckoo! We also heard the strange low umh sound that was probably a Bittern, a shy bird with a low call. Both are quite rare. We didn't actually spot either one. 

This morning we visited with kayakers, and I was jealous until I heard their description of climbing down a ladder to enter their kayaks, and having to haul the kayaks up several feet to the staithe when they wanted to stop. 

For lunch, we stopped at St. Benet's Abby. It was founded in the 9th century, and at one point was quite a big complex. In 1536, it was the only abby saved from dissolution - by King Henry VIII. It was instead wrapped in to the Church of England. Today, the Bishop of Norwich comes to St. Benet's by water once a year do a service. 

For us, it's an odd ruin. Only a tiny part of the Abby remains, which was used to stabilize the circular tower of one of the many windmills used to drain this land. 

We also stopped for water again, and this time I took a picture of the blue hose filling the tank. A guy with his hiking poles stopped and asked us and another set of boaters if it was worth it. After hearing us all talk both about the challenges and the rewards, he declared that he'd rather stay in his RV. I think he's missing out. 

We aren't going through water as often as the hire company predicted - or gas or power or sewage. But we are being VERY careful. It's kind of relief to stop at public toilets with all that water available for flushing and washing!

Here are some more sights from along the Broads:

Tonight we're near Ludham, a cute little town with not much else to recommend it. 

We're outside of town and there's only one other boat moored (even though it's Friday night) but we're not seeing as much wildlife (so far) as Howe Hill. We're off to have an after dinner walk and see who else might be out there tonight. Perhaps we'll see another Gray Heron in flight!

Slowing Down

Life on the Broads is slow. The speed limit is between 4 and 5 mph - slower than I go on my bike. As I get more comfortable driving the boat (yes, I am!) we get to watch the scenery slowly change from reeds to reeds and bushes, to reeds and trees. We have plenty of time before we return the boat on Monday, and we've got our house with us, so as long as we're moored up by 5 pm each day (we aren't allowed to drive at night, and places do fill up), we can stop as many or as few places as we like. 

Yesterday we headed up the Ant river to Ludham bridge. We visited the little shop, and spent £1 for four minutes of water through a hose to fill the tank on our boat. We lost a little because I didn't know how it all worked, but we still mostly refilled the tank. We are being VERY careful with water - probably more than needed - but we'll still need a bit more before we're done. 

Next stop - How Hill and Toad Hole Cottage. We could see the hill in the distance, covered with trees! Toad Hole Cottage has been fitted out to display life for the "marshmen" (and families) a couple hundred years ago. It's a very simple cottage near the river, where they used tiles to cool perishables like milk and eels. The marshmen harvested reeds and sedges, and fished. It was a hard life. 

After that, Irsted was full, and Neatshead moorings were stern-in. I'm not rated for stern-in yet, which requires one to back up the boat, and tie up the back end. So we kept on, crossed Barton Broad (a big lake) and found a whole empty stretch at Barton Turf. The nearby town didn't have any shops or gas stations - no services - but the town was nearby and cute, so that worked out. 

This morning we headed to Stalham, the farthest upstream on the Ant that we can go. We splurged to go to the Museum of the Broads, and found it fascinating. So much history about the boats, the people who have lived here, the wildlife (we saw eggs from Swans down to wrens) and more. 

Afterwards, we found a cafe on high street for lunch. We also visited the Church of St. Mary's. I'm gaining more appreciation for churches, since they're such a big part of the history of this area. 

Across Barton Broad again, and back to How Hill. Some fellow boaters helped us tie up, and then we had lovely conversation with them. Such interesting people, and so trans supportive (they brought that up as their biggest concern about the world right now. I certainly agree). Pilaf for dinner, and then a lovely sunset from the boat. 

Norfolk Broads - Day 1

 We came to Norfolk for the Broads, the network of rivers and lakes in Norfolk that can be navigated for miles without any locks or dams. This area is a national park, and a whole infrastructure has grown up around it, including hire boat rentals, wetland restorations, and historic monuments. I've been waiting for this for a long time. 

And ... it was hard! We did all the book/map/internet learning we could before we came, but there is so much more that could only be discovered once we arrived. So it's been a steep leaning curve, but we're alive to tell the tales, and both we and the boat are in great shape!

Our boat is called the Encore 1. It's a wide tubby boat. Tubby because the shape is kind of like putting a campervan inside a wide bathtub. We have to climb the sides to get in or out of the boat. Inside, it is beautifully appointed, with a (narrow) kitchen to rival most airbnbs, a bedroom, and a living room turns into a second bed. It even has a tiny bathroom/shower, and comes equipped with wifi and a TV. The top of the "living room" slides back on nice days, but everything can bundle up tight and stay warm with the heater. Pretty nice, right? 

Ours is the one *behind* the one flying pirate flags!

But driving a boat is a lot different from driving a car, and Wendy isn't here to do it all for me. There's no break! Instead, I can throttle forward, or back, or push the front of the boat to one side or another with these really loud bow thrusters. Everything is delayed. Have you ever played that game at the Science Museum about driving a tug on the Mississippi? It's really hard to turn and not hit ground. This isn't as bad as that - but it's different. Even going only 3-5 mph, it's not easy to go where I want. And then there's stopping - or mooring. I drive up to the mooring place, put the boat in neutral, leap out of my seat, climb up out of the boat, along the edge, and hop off so I can tie off the front end. Then I grab the back rope and pull the boat in place, and tie that up too. Sounds easy, right? Tonight I tied the front rope, and then the boat swung around 180 degrees! OK, boat, you win. It really is getting easier....

This morning we stopped at a wetland restoration project called Hoveton Great Broad. There was a delightful nature trail that ended in a hide with binoculars, looking out at a raft built for the birds. This Great Crested Grebe was swallowing a fish, and one of these Common Terns (different from the Arctic Terns we saw in Shetland) was bringing a fish to try to attract a mate. 

The birds are amazing. Today we passed a pair of mute swans nesting about 10' from the trail, and I got closer to this Gray Heron than I've ever gotten to a Great Blue at home. There are mallards everywhere, including that one above that rode on our boat for a while. 

Last night we were almost alone at our mooring, and the night felt SO quiet and dark. Tonight we're in a long string of boats, but all we hear is the sound of warblers, ducks, and the occasional splash from a fish, the gentle rocking of the boat as the sun sets is very peaceful. 

Norwich and Cromer

Norwich

Happy Easter Sunday everyone! Easter feels like a big deal here today, likely because the grocery stores have been packed with Easter treats, we've run into many Easter activities for children, and of course, there was the Easter Bunny on the back of a motorcycle today! 

For today's hat trick, we drove into Norwich, which, thanks to the holiday, only involved a few tense "WHICH way??" moments. Thankfully, Google doesn't tell us it is recalculating when we go the wrong way - it just moves on and give us a new route. After yesterday's drive, we thought we'd take the train today, but being Sunday, the trains didn't run early enough, so I sucked it up and drove. 

I dropped my mom off at the Quaker meeting house just at the right time for Sunday morning meeting. Then I wandered off to see the Norwich Castle, and the college that one of my robotics students will be attending in the fall. I didn't get any picture of the Castle, but I loved these murals I found nearby:

After meeting, we stopped at an Afghan restaurant for lunch. Mom had Fool Middamis. I had pancakes with cinnamom-cardamom syrup. We like taking pictures of food, so here you go: 

Next up was the Norwich Cathedral. Built not that long ago - construction started in 1096, it reflects the time when the area was wealthy (from wool) and the church was a major power. This whole area is littered with churches and even cathedrals. This one didn't seem that impressive from a distance (Ely was more so) but inside it was amazing. The sense of the number of feet that had trod those same steps over the last 1000 years was palpable. And the space was huge! 

On the way "home" to Sheringham, as a reward for surviving the roads into Norwich, we took a detour to Cromer, the next seaside town to the east from Sheringham. It was packed with people having a day out at the seaside, but it was still fun to walk down to the pier and watch all the kids netting crabs (which they're supposed to release when they're done). 

Dinner from the local chippy (which I forgot to photograph because I was so hungry), we hiked along the coast, and got this lovely sunset view. What a lovely end to our time in Sheringham! 

North Norfolk Coast

This morning we headed out to see more of the north Norfolk coast. The A146 road runs along the coast, passing through all of the villages and towns. The A146 near did me in. 

At first, the road was narrow, with no shoulders. Then the vegetation got taller, so I had just enough space for the car between the vegetation and oncoming traffic. Through little towns, the speed limit went down 30 mph. Do-able. Then it suddenly switched to 60 mph. Have I mentioned the curves? I never got higher than 44 mph, even though there were cars behind me. Then another town, and the speed abruptly went back to 30 mph. The phone rang - oh, no - that's the car complaining that I'm going 32 mph, a whopping two miles OVER the speed limit! OK - back down to 30. Now down to 20 - that should be better right? Well, what about that car parked in my lane? And that building encroaching into the roadway? Now we're down to one lane, traffic has to take turns and eaase past each other with inches to spare. My goodness - good thing I'm not driving that bus coming toward me! 

I promise I was stopped when I took these photos! 

Wells Next to Sea

Eventually we made it - safely - to Wells Next to Sea. Odd name, but maybe that's because it's not on the coast, but on a river that drains into the ocean. There were a lot more boats there than in Sheringham, and I suspect that it's a lot easier to go further but dock on a protected river than to try to pull your boat up on the shingle (rock) beach in Sheringham.

The town was overrun with people. Children (and adults) crabbing off the dock, people with dogs on leash, off leash or in strollers. And people eating take out. 

This area is known for crab - and prawns and cockles and lobster. We were really excited to find a proper "crab shack" and get a local "dressed" brown crab. Dressed means that "experts" got all the meat out of the body and legs, mixed it with seasoning, and put it back in a crab shell. We got a seafood assortment - dressed crab, prawns, cockles (like little mussels), some other little prawn, and four prawns in shell. It was OK - but not as exciting as I hoped.  

Blakeney

We stopped at the Seal Tour place outside Blakeney. We missed the tours for the day, but we didn't mind - we've seen seals. But it was wonderful to see this spot at low tide. The boats were mired in the mud, and we really felt like we were in the salt marshes, with the sky reaching to the ground in all directions. At the next high tide - all the boats will be afloat again!

Sheringham

We're at the beach! As soon as we got everything unloaded, I raced the short block over to see the ocean stretching out into the distance to the north, view broken only by two giant wind farms on the horizon. It's a long ramps and three flights of stairs down - but worth it. The waterfront is cute, with lots of little colored cabanas along the walkway. The tide was out when we arrived - things looked quite different a few hours later. 

Sheringham is a tourist town these days, packed with apartments and hotels near the beach, shops and lots of people. The town is old - it was listed in the Domesday Book in 1086 - but I think it was a fishing village for much of its history. 

Driving around this town is difficult, with narrow roads, parked cars, and people walking everywhere. But we've been able to walk to high street easily, and to Tesco. I love shopping at Tesco! It may be a blot on the landscape, and other terrible things, but I love their vegetables and fruits and meal deal stir fry kits and the way they have a few cheap simple items that price match Aldi in most areas (like £1 peanut butter and £1 for a kilogram of amazing carrots). I like Tesco almost as much as I like Aldi!

England 2025!

 I think we can all agree that I have wandering feet. Sooner or later - I start to crave new sights and sounds and places. This time, I got it in my head that I wanted to visit the Norfolk Broads. Chances are, you've never heard of them. If so - I'll tell you all about them (and why I wanted to visit them) when we finally get there. Since the last thing I want to spend my vacation on is driving, I planned a trip to both the Broads and other nearby sights in Norfolk. 

This trip is "just" mom and me. Here we are for the obligatory pre-trip photo:

The direct flight from MSP to Heathrow is 8 hours, and this time it left at 11 pm at night. That's way later than it has left in the past. In the end I think I liked the timing. We boarded quite sleepy, and dozed our way through the early hours. We arrived at 1pm, which meant less time until we could finally sleep. 

We sat near several younger people who were quite anxious and also interesting. Distracting them and hearing their stories made the flight feel a lot more connected than usual. One of them was having panic attacks at flying, and had gotten air sick on the way to Minnesota. Unfortunately, the strong north winds on arrival even made me queasy, and on landing the plane skidded sidways an alarming amount. But none of us actually threw up, and we were all safe - so all's well that ends well. 

Royston

We spent our first night in Royston, about 90 minutes drive. We wanted to stop before jet lag sleepies hit, and that was just about perfect.

Royston is a very ancient town, catering to travelers going from London to York. There are caves under the cross roads, and wild speculation abounds about their origin. They were closed. More recently, King James 1 and VI (he was the first King James for England and Scotland, and the sixth for Scotland) stayed there on his way to be crowned in London in 1603. He loved it so much that he had it set up as a hunting preserve - close enough for convenience, far enough from distractions. 

You can still see the medieval influence on the buildings on the cross roads, including this chippy that was the kitchens of King James' palace. 

We stayed in a B&B run by an older couple. The guy is a carpenter who expanded his house as his children grew up. When they moved out, they started a B&B. We stayed in their "family room" that had its own little loft. After a missed night of sleep - we slept long and hard! 

Wicken Fen

The next morning we started our journey to the north coast. On the way, we happened upon Wicken Fen, a protected wetland that hasn't been developed for the last 125 years. It is one of the last remaining fens in the region and is being actively managed by all sorts of groups. We paid the fees (which I'm sure support their efforts) to walk through the site on boardwalks, enjoying all the interpretive signs. We did not do the extra Easter Egg scavenger hunt :( . 

They also have one of the region's last wooden wind pumps, which they use to help manage water levels and keep the site from drying out. 

Ely

The landscape around Ely is so flat that people from miles around can see the cathedral, so we were amused to catch our first glimpses of it when it was still a long way away. We drove right into Ely, and managed to find a spot to park practically in the shadow of the cathedral for just long enough to walk around and grab toasties for lunch.