Wednesday 28 April 2021

The Elephant In The Room

A girl can only unpack so many boxes - regular breaks are important. We decided we would go out on Monday and have a Proper Walk. Having loaded backpacks with coffee flasks and books [in case we found a seat and decided to have a read] we set off. Two stops en route - to pick up a couple of bits from the garden centre, and drop off a bag of tins at the foodbank on behalf of a neighbour["Can you find a good home for these, Angela? I was sure you'd know where to take them"] Then on to West Runton.

West Runton is a small village between the more well known resorts of Cromer and Sheringham. Here you will find Beacon Hill - the highest point in Norfolk, it is part of West Runton and Beeston Regis Heath, and maintained by the National Trust. There is a car park, and a circular walk

The NT walk starts by a stone cairn, in an area known as Roman Camp. Roman quern stones, used for milling grain, have been found on the heath Because of its height, this spot was a brilliant lookout, to watch for invaders- and a beacon was first sited here 700 years ago! There was a fortified lookout point during the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

The view across to the sea is gorgeous. We walked part of the route, then stopped and drank some coffee. 

We didn't bother to do any reading, we just enjoyed the view. When we got down to point 5 and the Animal Sanctuary, we skipped the left hand loop, and just returned to the car to go into Cromer for lunch. We can come back to complete the walk another time!

The weather was sunny, but 'fresh', when we sat down outside the King's Head in Cromer.There's been a hostelry on this site for centuries. Bob had a steak sandwich, I had a fish finger one [well, cod goujons to be precise] The side salads were beautifully fresh and the buckets of chips were very generously filled [tbh I think we will share one-between-two another time] Staff were friendly, and the covid-10 protocols were good, the toilets clean and pleasant. ***** All in all a superb day out, relaxing and enjoying the fresh air and Norfolk countryside.

And the elephant? you thought I'd forgotten. Well, little old West Runton's greatest claim to fame [even more important than a visit of the Sex Pistols to do a gig in 1976] is the discovery of the skeleton of a prehistoric elephant in 1990 by a couple going for a walk.

Read the full story here. Basically, this is the most complete set of bones of a steppe mammoth dating back around 700,000 years!

We didn't find anything like that on our walk - maybe next time...












9 comments:

  1. Ah, that sounds a good walk and a great idea to take a flask! I never think to do that nowadays! Must change that! The lunch sounds delicious! I do love a good FF sandwich! And I could just eat some chips right now! Feeling v hungry on this train!

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  2. Two good recommendations for our forthcoming holiday in Norfolk!
    We'll definitely be taking our new flask with us. Our stainless steel one needed a new seal because the old one had become rather stinky. Sadly I couldn't find one anywhere so replaced it with a whole stainless flask from Ikea for about £10, a bargain!

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    1. Looking forward to meeting up if we can - on Monday we passed a sign to the village where you a
      will be staying. Such a pretty area

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    2. That's good to hear. Our part of Derbyshire is not as pretty as it could be as the roads are in poor condition, grass verges untended and litter up to your ankles in places. So sad. I'll be glad to leave it all behind for a week.

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  3. Nice walk. Bracing winds up here too, though it's deceivingly sunny. Keep a lookout for pubs and eateries that do 'senior citizen' portions (and prices). Mid-week up here are usually the days they offer them.

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  4. Sounds like a lovely day and a well deserved rest!

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  5. Sounds like a wonderful walk! How interesting to read about the mammoth fossils!

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  6. Sounds a lovely walk and good to blow away the cobwebs.I have booked a short break in Norfolk in the early autumn. I have never visited the county so looking forward to discovering its charms.

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    1. Oh it is BEAUTIFUL -do email me for some suggestions on good places to visit, Catherine!

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