Day 20 Peaceful Norfolk Coastal Marshes

Saturday 25 April 2015

Sheringham to Wells-next-the-Sea
16.5 miles
Eastdene B&B (not recommended)

Thank goodness there is a tescos in Sheringham as I needed to replenish my snack stocks. I had a nice walk over the cliffs to start, through the gorse bushes in full bloom and past the golf course to Sherbourne. Here I walked up the lane from the beach to meet Chris’ Aunt Mary who owns Millstream House B&B. Mary fed me coffee, fruit and cake and we had a good chat – something I miss a little bit being on my own. After an hour and a half I was quite behind in my walking until Mary offered me a lift up the road to Salthouse so that I didn’t have to walk too far on the shingle beach. Time for another piece of coconut and lime cake then, excellent. 

After the shingle beach came Cley marshes, which are mostly freshwater and alongside the River Glaven. Another nature reserve and the birders were out in force. At Cley Eye you have to walk inland from the beach, across the marshes, to the very pretty Cley-next-the-Sea in order to get a bridge across the river and come back down the other side. From Cley Eye you can walk to Blakeney point, at the tip of a big spit of sand and another breeding site for sandwich- and little- terns. I didn’t have the time or the energy for the extra 4 miles today. 

As you look across the flat marshes from the beach there are 2 small hills (little bumps really) with houses on them; one is Cley and the other is Blakeney. Cley has a beautiful windmill and Blakeney has a church poking out of the trees on top of the hill.  

the windmill at Cley-next-the-Sea

From Blakeney the rest of the walk was all alongside salt marshes. I passed lots of people, but the Saturday afternoon strollers are not as friendly and so not many even said hello. On the wildlife front I was treated to a good view of a pair of marsh harriers and at one point a hare ran out in front of me, I startled it, and it turned tail and ran away.  

the view across Stiffkey salt marshes with Blakeney Point in the distance

Arriving at Wells-next-the-Sea the clouds seemed to be getting darker and more threatening, and the wind was picking up so I was glad to arrive at my B&B. I struggled to find accommodation in Wells so had to make do with an over-priced and rather dirty room in an old lady’s house. Still, I could be camping (if I could find any campsites). The local pub was full and served decent food so I spent my usual evening trying to plan ahead. Not quite the same as an evening in my local at home.  

Look what I’m missing in my local pub at home!