A week in the country

In the second week of the month, I took Karen for a week at the Park House Hotel at Sandringham.

Park House

Unfortunately, the weather was not as nice as the previous week -- winds off the North Sea bringing cloud much of the time -- but at the other end of the house, there's a large conservatory joining the main building to the Coach House annex, which was amply warm (indeed, needed air-conditioning on the mornings when the sun shone); and the location was sufficiently secluded that we were not disturbed by the neighbours whose house we could see from the bottom of the garden

The neighbours

The late spring meant that the rhododendrons were at full flush

Rhododendrons

The accommodation was basic, but apart from sleeping we didn't spend much time in the room; and the catering was adequate. Day one was a misdirection with a menu including gyoza to start and locally-reared steak as a main; the clientèle being mostly seniors the food was somewhat unadventurous without quite the plain home cooking feel that Vitalise Netley did. But the location did give perks -- like an estate tour that went into the Royal Stud

Royal Applause deigns to make an appearance

and into the non-public bits of the gardens.

Sandringham gardens from backstage

We made an independent expedition to the Gin Trap at Ringstead for lunch and Norfolk Lavender for smellies

Harvester

And while we skipped the organized outingd to King's Lynn and the Thurston Collection of steam things, we did go to Pensforth, jorneying down narrow lanes in driving drizzle, only to have the sky clear and the sun shine as we arrived to be mugged by waterfowl.

Mugged by waterfowl

The red squirrels were rather more obliging

A red squirrel

Another red squirrel

Other items of note -- I managed to drink them dry of Adnams by the end of the week, and had to move onto Old Speckled Hen; the wifi didn't agree with the 7 year old hardware and 4 year old drivers of my travel laptop, but fortunately I could get at an ethernet connection instead, or use a tablet. And there are miles of trails in the park (and on the sandy soil, comfortable for going barefoot), so it didn't matter so much that I didn't have a bicycle

Beware the Raven

So well rested, we headed home, having loaded up with very tasty local beef from the butcher at West Newton

Park House Terrace

Another sea-side holiday

Guessing in the early New Year that the weather might be getting warmer by the end of May, we booked again to take a week at Netley Waterside -- and despite some headlines mid-month saying that the cold weather would last at least another month, we did get the good weather, but without it being too hot and bright for driving into.

This time, nothing essential got left behind (though I did realise that my strategy for wet weather was not to be caught out in it), and swinging around well west of Reading and (thanks to a closure on the A340 near Aldermaston) Basingstoke too, the drive down was not too stressy, despite the nigh-constant sulking of the satnav when we declined to head for the nearest motorway -- and we got to see all the stationary traffic on the M1 while doing so.

From our window

The theme for the week was cars and boats and planes; not so immediately interesting as last time's wildlife focus, so we sat out most of the trips, and instead did expeditions at our own pace back to places we had gone last year, only in better weather, and without having to spend the best part of 2 hours in loading and unloading.

Monday we went back to Marwell Wildlife

and were able to go all around, and see most of the talks, including the penguin feeding, at what would have been queueing up to go on the coach time.

The one organized trip we did go on was to the Beaulieu Motor Museum, somewhere I'd not been for the best part of 50 years, and which Karen had never seen. So there was a lot of stuff that was either not yet built, or still in active service back then.

The centrepiece of the museum this year is a Bond in Motion display covering 50 years of cars and other transport gadgets:

Even the cars have stunt doubles...

Wednesday we took a rest, and just went down the road for a pub lunch, and then Thursday we went back to the Andover Hawk Conservancy, where again the flexibility of going by ourselves -- and the dry weather this time -- meant that we got to see all the displays, and not just the mass flights of kites and vultures. Even if the fishing eagle managed to splash down every time, rather than skimming its food off the surface of the little pond in the display area.

African Pygmy Owl -- as seen in ソ•ラ•ノ•ヲ•ト

And then to top-and tail the week, I went for a few exploratory walks, extending beyond where I'd done much less ambitious wandering last year:

View Netley Walks in a larger map

Catching up

Last Thursday arrived home to find a fire engine parked outside. Fortunately it was only the old codger next door setting fire to his cooker, and damage was restricted to their kitchen.

Yesterday, just for the heck of it, did the lunchtime walk around Cambourne barefoot. A couple of bits were sparsely gravelled so ouchy, but the most of it was really comfortable. Having hardened the feet in sandals for the past year helps.

The downstairs loo was about finished last week. Now waiting for the kitchen fitters and flooring people to arrive.

[Now playing - Planet Rock]

To Shingle Street and home again

Breakfast was relaxed here — no buffet, 08:30 start; so I had yoghurt, juice and croissant, before heading off about 09:30.

The full tour would have concluded at the end of the road at Bawdsey, allowing the speedy, or those able to make use of the Butley Ferry, to have a quick nip across to Felixstowe. As this was not a weekend between Easter and the end of September, I had to do the extra four miles walk in warm and windy weather.

The cross country was nice, but the levee was exposed, wet and slow going. I eat apples I'd packed from home, and the occasional blackberry that still remained on the pathside brambles.

Shingle Street

Arriving at gone 14:00, I had just enough time to stretch the tired muscles in a warm-down, when my lift arrived. An hour saw us back in Southwold, and to avoid the contraflow and other tedium east of Bury, I headed across through Diss and Thetford — to be stuck in traffic as the A11 was closed at Thetford; and Brandon was locked solid: in all an hour at about walking pace.

Home, chores, crash.

To Orford

At breakfast (muesli, porridge, fruit), the BBC website forecast was attached to the menu - it promised light rain; but the sky was almost cloudless, and the radio had agreed it would be dry.

The path started out along the road towards Snape (noticing my first 55 reg car), before diving across country, through woods, and marshy bits to Snape, and then to the crossing at the Maltings. The path then follows the coast to Iken, and here a lot of people were walking, bird watching, I guessed, and the path was churned to quagmire, unlike other parts of the way. On road a while to Iken High Street, before plunging into almost virgin territory. There is a footpath, with signposts, but not very travelled — in places overgrown with nettles; or under low-hanging sloe (damson?) trees needing to crouch; or simply having to wade through grass or reeds more than knee deep

This was an easy bit to spot!

before finally getting four hours in to the point where I was just across the river from Aldeburgh where I started.

From then on it was an increasingly numbing slog into sun and wind along the levee to Orford, as I pushed myself to see if I would be able to make the rate of ground needing to be covered the next day for a 3pm pick-up.

As I shuffled slowly up the main street to find the hotel (cunningly disguised as a restaurant, with reception in a stables round the back), I decided I would only do 12, not 16 miles to finish with.

The Crown and Castle is a seriously foodie place; dinner was buffalo Mozzarella and tomato salad, chicken breast with spinach and green salsa risotto (to which I added a side of chips!), and hot chocolate mousse.

To Aldeburgh

Having provisioned myself with cheese at Nutters, and pasty at Temptations, I set out in the grey morning, just after 9.

The route follows the coast for a lot of the route today, starting just back of the actual front along to the river, then along the riverside to a footbridge. Here rain started, and carried on as I headed back along the river to the corner at Walberswick. By then it dried out enough to shed the waterproof, and just be in T-shirt and shorts again.

You could just follow the beach all the way, but I took the path back of the waterway, past the abandoned mill

and along the edge of Dunwich forest, before looping past the Ship inn (not yet open) and across Dunwich heath to the coast, and by now the sun was out in almost cloudless sky. Then it was a long slog into the wind and sun on often sandy path, past Minsmere, and the reactors at Sizewell. By the time I got to Sizewell village, my feet were hot enough to want to change into sandals to walk along the beach, seeking the firmest stretches of sand.

By now the sun had dried the beach enough that it was being blown in the wind; uncomfortable enough that I was glad to get up the cliff at Thorpeness, and on the fairly packed shingle path before getting to the really paved track to Aldeburgh.

The Britten Memorial was proving popular with the kids to scramble on and beat like a steel drum.

As the nice place I ate at last year had been replaced by a pizza place, I ate at 152 - their menu of the day offering sticky toffee pudding being the clincher. Starter was chicken liver parfait with bramley apple jelly, then for main course a vegetable risotto, just for fuel. And then an early crash!

Southwold

I took the half-term week as a chance to do a walk along the Suffolk coast, starting at Southwold.

The morning didn't start auspiciously — raining steadily, with heavy bursts as I was driving. Fortunately it was easing off by the time I arrived around noon; and as it was still too early to check in at the Swan, so with high tide about four hours away, I changed into shorts and walking boots, and set off up the coast to Covehithe.

The wind and last spits of rain at my back, I headed up past the car-park at the north end of the beach, along the sea wall and onto the beach. The signs of erosion were unmistakeable, not only the crumbling cliffs and the soil being banked up against it, but the rain washing dark soil down the white sand of the beach, and the dead trees falling to the beach.

By the time I reached the path up the Covehithe cliffs, the rain had stopped, and it was mild enough to pack waterproof and denim shirt away, and carry on in T-shirt, munching on sandwiches to hook up with the Coasts and Heaths path, set back from the shore, through Reydon, before returning to the coast at the car park at the north of Southwold.

By now, it was time for a beer at the Lord Nelson, before getting checked in. Dinner was as usual excellent — a very nice roast pepper and mozzarella on polenta; and an over the top chocolate pudding, with a half bottle of Pouilly Fumé. And so to bed. I was in the Writer's Room, over the archway this time, rather than being on the fire escape. The down-side was that the room didn't have a bath, only a shower.

More mooching

No appetite yet at breakfast (which was huge yesterday).

Shorter walk, Ravenstonedale, then along the minor road towards Adamthwaite. Vaguely peckish at 12:30, so stop at bridge and eat rest of picnic stuff. Leave the road by the bridleway to Murthwaite, then down the steep descent by Sally Beck to to A683, and so back.

Since my holiday in France a couple of months ago, I've not worn socks; but now the toenail is long enough not to itch when just sitting in socks and shoes (tested yesterday), I'm hiking in boots and the whole two layers of sock gig. A couple of miles short of the hotel, I'm getting tired hot feet, so change into the sandals I packed. And my feet are just so much more comfy!

After being cool and cloudy all day, it brightens up by evening. After a lighter supper, I go for a stroll — and spot this:-

L-plates

Moochin' around

Sunday starts dull, so it's promising walking weather. Yomp up to Kirkby Stephen to find a petrol station for later, and beer for now, going via Ravenstonedale to stretch out what would otherwise be a 10 mile there-and-back.

Grab a pint, watching a bit of the Grand Prix, then eat leftover picnic stuff lunch in the churchyard - a pretty red-stone church, with an interesting portico where the churchyard abuts the market place. Then I buy a map, and find a pretty way back, along the river, through Nateby, then down the B-road to Castle Pendragon, and over the top back to the A683.

No appetite. Still not hungry after yesterday's huge meal.

Easter Hols

Took the Easter week-end as a few days off-net to veg out in Bourton-on-the-Water. The drive down on Friday was smooth, with no sign of any Bank Holiday jams; and Bourton itself is a very pretty - if busy - village.

The weather was warm on Friday, just nice for a little amble around in the afternoon, scoping the place out. The main limitation turned out to be that most places serving food were tea-rooms, and shut sometime not too long after 5pm, so we ended up having a Chinese at the one accessible evening eatery.

Saturday started warm, and we went to Birdland, an aviary , and took pictures until the camera ran out of power. The afternoon was cooler, and with fewer throngs of people, we were able to get in to have high tea at the Croft restaurant, before returning to the hotel to watch the first episode of the new Dr. Who.

That was quite brill — it packed into the double-length episode the content of a traditional 4-parter, Eccleston played the part with the humour he's shown elsewhere (e.g. as Vendici in Revenger's Tragedy), and it was almost enough to say it might be worth getting a TV - if only we hadn't seen the utter tripe that was on beforehand.

Sunday was cold, with a raw wind. I went for a walk, spotting many pressed frogs (like pressed flowers, only less aesthetic) on the road, for about 3 hours, then we took in a late lunch and read books for afternoon and evening.

Monday, back to Birdland again, enjoying another burst of sun, and then more walking around, just enjoying the hints of spring, before driving home today in the cold and dank.

Fontenay le Comte

The rain carried on overnight, so I just sit and read. By lunchtime, it has stopped, so I go out for a stroll, following part of the suggested short (10mile) trip. But it's not just fair weather cloud after rain — the cumulus develops into squally showers, some with hail. I get drenched, but at least it's not too cold.

By the time I get back to the hotel, having re-supplied for the morrow, it's bright and sunny, so I end up sitting on the verandah in shorts and T-shirt. I'm in two minds about whether to take up the offer to carry me and my bike as well as the luggage.

Dinner is marbré du canard avec foie gras and pavé de boeuf, followed by tart tatin. And a pichet of the local red.

Nature notes

I went over to walk the first section of the Peddars Way today, to use up some annual leave. There were the first blackberries of the season ripe, to take the edge off my thirst, and a variety of butterflies - red admiral, peacock, a pale yellow. A bunch of young pheasants burst out of undergrowth ahead of me, and then ran off down the path, providing me with outriders for several tens of yards, before they finally got the idea of leaping into the cover beside the path.

The 1986 vintage HMSO guide I was using was clearly out of date - by the Thet, it warned that the path was narrow, slippery, and on the very bank of the river. When I got there, there was a comfortable wide plank raised walkway. Some lads were swimming in the reedy water, and blue and red damselflies flitted past.

The breckland scenery was quite similar to that of the Gévaudan, where I walked last year.

P.S. The 1986 vintage guide also neglected to note that the mobile 'phone reception is bad especially when you're walking along the path between two bits of the Army training range...

P.P.S. Also the Dog and Partridge pub is shut, and the inn-sign is fading and peeling, though the more obvious signage looks fairly fresh. The "Closed" plates on the door make the message clear, though.