Living The Dream: Norfolk

Friday 21st November and John at Lime Farm Marina was just about finished with the installation of our gas on LJ, it just so happened that it was also the day Mum and I had arranged to go to Norfolk for the weekend.

Mum arrived in Rugby at about 10.30 so after a quick cup of tea we set off for Great Yarmouth leaving James home alone. Arriving at the hotel a few hours later we checked in had another cuppa and then it was off to the Christmas market which was being held in the Minster. Meanwhile James left Lime Farm in the afternoon and made his way to Brownsover just before dark.

Our hotel 'The Hamilton'

Great Yarmouth Christmas Market in the Minster

We had a browse around the stalls in the church but decided to go back Saturday morning to look at the stalls in the big marquee in Market Place as time was getting on. We had a wander round the town early evening, then into an Indian restaurant for a lovely curry. Then it was a battle with the easterly wind back along the coast road to the hotel.

One of the arcades in Great Yarmouth

Saturday morning was a bit damp and drizzley so therefore we could hardly see the sea from our bedroom window, we made our way downstairs and enjoyed the lovely breakfast that I had been looking forward to.

Mum enjoying breakfast

Yum yum

After breakfast we walked back into town, the route took us through the churchyard where a few people were feeding the squirrels.

Once we finished browsing in the market we headed off in the car to Norwich, we had tickets to see Lord of the Flies at the Royal Theatre there. The show was brilliant, it is a dance based on William Golding's book and is performed by local boys aged 9 - 22. Its was only on in Norwich for four days and each show was a sell out, we were one of the first few to arrive and the theatre looked quite empty, it was surprising how quickly it filled up. After the show we went back into The Forum, home of BBC Norfolk and the Norwich library. There were a few cafes there and Pizza Express, where we had dinner. It was very handy as we had parked the car in their huge multi level underground car park, so once we had finished we didn't have to brave the cold and rainy evening to get to the car we just hopped in the lift.

Norwich centre

The Royal Theatre in Norwich

Sunday's weather was just as forecast and it rained all day, we planned a trip up to Cromer. After breakfast we set off and when we arrived in Cromer there were quite a few road works and everywhere looked closed, after a brief stop to look at the beach we decided to carry onto Kings Lynn. After a bit of a panic with the petrol light coming on ans not passing any sign of life for miles we eventually came to a garage, so Mum was a happy bunny again as we continued on our journey. We arrived in Kings Lynn, still pouring with rain and made our way through town to the Wharf on the River Great Ouse. I'm guessing this is where the boats pass through to get to The Wash. Unfortunatley it didn't look too attractive, it was raining, dull and the tide was out. I expect it looks completely different on a nice day.

The River Great Ouse

We decided to look for somewhere to get a nice Sunday roast and were lucky enough to stumble upon The Rathskeller, it certainly didn't disappoint with the food and the inside was lovely too. I took a photo of the room to the left of me, which makes it look empty, to the right was just as lovely but with four or five other occupied tables I thought it would be a bit rude to start snapping my camera.

The Rathskeller, Kings Lynn

Yummy Sunday roast

After lunch we had a wander back through Kings Lynn to the car, before our long journey back to Great Yarmouth.

Kings Lynn church

Monday morning and we were treated to a fantastic sunrise, the next three photos show the view from our room. Mum managed to get the sunrise photos, after living in Poole on the south coast for nearly 20 years it seemed strange seeing the sun rise over the sea.

Sun Rise over the sea

View of the Wind Farm from our room

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and walked around 'The Waterways' which we also had a great view of from our room, then along the beach. I took the photo of the hotel at the beginning of the blog from 'The Waterways' with the sea behind me.

The following is a bit of info taken from English Heritage about 'The Waterways:-

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT Great Yarmouth began to emerge as a seaside resort in the later C18 and became a leading holiday destination in the Victorian period. During the 1920s Great Yarmouth Borough Council began work to construct a major new sea wall along the length of the town. The reclaimed land which lay between this wall and the seafront promenade was progressively being developed as public pleasure gardens, including features such as a bowling green, yachting ponds, and tennis courts. In 1926 a scheme for a boating lake, designed by the Borough Engineer, was constructed and opened on the northern end of the promenade, within part of the North Denes dune area.

Following this work, Councillor Docwra's proposal for the addition of Venetian-style water gardens was taken up by the Council. The gardens were designed by S P Thompson, the Borough Engineer, who had previously designed the boating lake. The Venetian Waterways were constructed between January and June 1928 as part of relief work for the unemployed. It is thought that the channels were all dug out by hand, using shovels and wheelbarrows and 6639 tons of soil were brought in from nearby Caister to replace the sand. The scheme contained winding rivers for gondolas, paths through rock gardens, leading to picturesque bridges over the water, and several thatched shelters. The Venetian Waterways were opened to the public on 2 August 1928. The Venetian Waterways and the boating lake together are known as the Waterways.