Last full day! Not even a week! All the way here and it’s available longer! Why? Turns out it’s because I can be a grump. Apparently I was so bothered by the time off my little job that I said only book til the Thursday. What a chump!
Another slow start but this time after a 45 minute call to screen me for a 5 year long clinical trial that I’m happy to participate in. I just need to be alive in 5 years!
We thought we’d be going back to the Suffield Arms for more tapas but it’s fully booked! Good for them! Not so for us. So before we set off, we decided to book somewhere and then work around it. We’ve dun our research and listed our potential dog-friendly pub grub places, and we also have a love of the marshland areas, so are once again heading back towards Cley (pronounced Cl-eye).
One of the main reasons for our choice of holiday destinations this year is to do with our dog, Toby. He turned 11 years old a few weeks ago and it brought home to us how lucky we are to have him. Because of that we decided that this year we would plan holidays for him and we would fit around them. I think we’ve done a good job of sorting that out.
Especially these last few days of being on the pebble beaches. He’s loved it!
We sorted the van, packed up what little we need for the day (basically Tobys tea, lead and some water for him to drink).
As we were just about to leave our host, Caralyn who lives in the cottage next door bobbed her head around and said hello. She’s lovely. Had a good chat and made it very clear that when we next come to Norfolk we will look to stay with her again, as The Boathouse is brilliant. Really well furnished, and in a great location for getting all over the area. I would recommend this place without a doubt!
We said our goodbyes for the day and headed the 25 minutes up the road to Cley & Salthouse Marshes Visitor Centre, just on the outskirts of Cley village.
Although the main centre (a cafe) and the hides within the reserve don’t allow dogs, we did have a look around the rest of the Visitor Centre, art exhibition, played with a few spotting scopes that Cley Spy had set up to demo (and spotted a few Spoonbills), and had a quick browse of the gift shop.
We jumped back in the van and headed to one of only three paths that were dog-friendly, and we’d already been to two of them! We went back to Cley beach but parked in a lay-by about half way down the road to avoid the £4 car park fee.
The walk across the tops of the flood walls is well worth it anyway and gives a good view of the marshes and a great opportunity to bird spot.
This time our ‘prize’ was seeing an Eurasian Hobby, after the earlier sighting of the Spoonbills.
We had a stroll down the beach and then just sat and relaxed to the sound of the crashing waves.
Before we knew it, it was time to set off to the pub we’d ended up booking for some tea. The Dun Cow in Salthouse has a really good reputation so it was a no-brainer.
The menu and special all sounded good so we opted for a potted crab with sourdough as a shared starter which was delicious.
Jane ordered the “Vegetarian Ploughman’s Platter with homemade tart, white lady & Mrs Temples vintage Walsingham cheese, pickles, mixed salad and toasted sourdough”.
I however went for one of the specials, the Seafood Platter – Crayfish Cocktail , Crab Mix, Shell-on Prawns, Smoked Salmon, leaf salad and toasted sourdough.
Bloody lovely! So nice that we even shared a dessert of a baked cheesecake, and we don’t usually do desserts!
We left and got back in the van. I’d parked on a very potholed lay-by so when I released the handbrake the van rolled backwards a few inches. Turns out that the 600cc Suzuki sports bike was less than that behind me & my towbar must have nudged the bike because as we set off, the fella in the BT van waved at us and pointed back at the bike, now horizontal on its side. I was mortified! I’d not felt or heard anything, so much so I wondered if it had just fallen over as it was on its side stand and on very uneven ground. But too coincidental for me.
Either way, I’m happy to take responsibility, so I went in the pub looking for folk with helmets. I found two fellas in the beer garden in race leathers so approached them, asked who’s was the blue Suzuki and then told them what happened. He was calm and respectful and we all went out to see the bike, assess any damage and work out what I needed to do.
The bike was a beast of a machine and took three of us to get it back upright. Thankfully there were only some minor scuffs on the crank case and similar on the left mirror. I offered my details and explained I’d pay for the repair. Fair play to the guy, he just shook my hand thanked me for my honesty and said he’d sort it and for me not to worry. There are good people in the world!
Panic over, we headed down the road to the only remaining dog-friendly path to the beach, this one being on the eastern side of Salthouse Marshes. Basically we did the same as at the last place, meandered then sat on the shingles watching the clouds roll by, whilst Toby rolled in the pebbles!
Eventually, as we both found ourselves yawning, we headed back to the van and thankfully uneventfully, headed back to The Boathouse for our final evening.
Tomorrow we will strip the beds, pack and load the van, check out and head home via CleySpy (because I want a new strap and some Len’s protection for the Zeiss binoculars).
We are all sat or lay here yawning and nodding off, so I’ll wrap up this series of blogs by thanking those that read them and wishing you folks good health and happiness!
Until the next time!
X