Sheer bliss with nature in Norfolk
Friendly goats, hundreds of seals, bike riding through ancient woods and a surprising fish and chip shop are a delight for Noreen Barr and her family
“SEALS! Over there!” shrieks my daughter, pointing excitedly along the beach – apparently at a shoreline sweep of black rocks. Except as we edge closer, I realise she is right.
Occasionally, one of the prone lumps rises and drags itself over the sand towards the water.
A deep sea smell – part animal, part harbour– drifts towards us and there’s a low, honking kind of singing from the hundreds of Atlantic grey seals lolling between the groynes on Horsey Gap beach in Norfolk.
Here on a weekend break, we have come across some magic.
Between October and February, the seals – which spend two-thirds of their lives in the North Atlantic and can dive 70 metres – haul themselves ashore to calf their pups.
For three weeks, the vulnerable newborns – whose white fur is not even waterproof – are fed milk six times a day by their mothers, so they pile on about 2kg of weight daily, before they’re big enough to fend for themselves.
Retreating to the grassy sandbank to avoid disturbing the seals
– the signs say to stay at least 10 metres away – my kids, Eve, seven, and Max, 16, look on in wonder. As do their dad, Mark, and I.
With its sweeping beaches and peaceful countryside, Norfolk is a great place for a family getaway at any time of the year.
And so, on a Friday evening, we arrived in pitch darkness at Fielding Cottage, 20 minutes’ drive west from Norwich and three minutes from the little village of Honingham.
Warmth, modern and bright furnishings and comfy beds are our first impressions of our twobedroom bolthole.
Named Kingfisher, it’s one of three adjoining cottages newly built in the style of traditional black wooden barns. By 6am on the
Saturday, long before dawn or the others wake, Eve and I are up, out and exploring in our pyjamas, jumpers and wellies.
At the end of our little row, we discover a well-heated, open-allhours games room, offering board games, books and table tennis.
As daylight breaks, we find a large, fenced grassy area, accessed from the patio doors of each cottage, meaning younger children can also be safely packed off outdoors to play in freedom.
Later, Sam Steggles, the energetic farmer/entrepreneur who owns Fielding Cottage, pops by and offers to introduce Eve to the farm’s eight female Boer goats.
Slightly nervous of the goats’ curved horns, my girl climbs into their pen while Sam reassures her they are gentle and won’t bite, especially as they only have bottom teeth.
Crouching down and holding out a handful of food pellets in her palm, Eve lets the inquisitive animals approach.
Sam also allows us to poke our heads round the door of his factory, where he starts work at 1am on Mondays and Wednesdays to produce about 50 tonnes of Fielding Cottage cheese each year, in a giant metal bath stirred by two huge paddles.
The milk to make it, he explains, is now brought into the farm, and the little herd we’ve met are kept as
pets. We spend the rest of our morning at Horsey Gap, wandering southwards gazing at the seals, before crossing to the other side of the dunes.
We find ourselves on a gorgeous part of the 84-mile Norfolk Coastal Path – WintertonHorsey Dunes, a 427-hectare site of Special Scientific Interest.
In springtime, little tern birds nest on the beach and rare natterjack toads breed in shallow pools. It’s wonderful just gazing at the marshes, the birch woodland starkly beautiful.
Dusk approaching, we drive to Norwich and venture into the 900-year-old Norman Cathedral as the choir is singing (entry free, recommended donation £5 per adult, £12 per family group).
Wandering through the medieval cloisters, we nosy up a narrow spiral staircase to find a treasury filled with 16th-century golden cups and plates the local parishes “forgot” to melt down in the Reformation.
Next, we explore Elm Hill, a cobbled lane flanked by Tudor buildings, and delight in the antiques and collectables on offer in a converted church – Saint Gregory’s Centre for the Arts – finding a rotary phone for £28, royal wedding thimbles for 50p and Beanos from the 80s.
Hungry after all our exploring, we drop into the nearby Grosvenor
Fish Bar, expecting fish and chips for supper. There are surprises too – Max orders The Krusty Krab Po’boy (£9.50) and finds a whole soft shell crab in his roll.
The seating area downstairs is in an underground grotto and, had we wanted alcohol, the chippy was happy to deliver our food to The Birdcage pub over the road.
On Sunday, we set off for the National Trust Blickling Estate, 18 miles from Fielding Cottage, fully intending to explore 15th century Blickling Hall – where Anne Boleyn was born. But the day is too bright to be indoors and we veer off course as we spot cycle hire (adults £5, child £4 for three hours). Max and Mark tear off ahead on the four-mile trail, while Eve and I pedal slowly and find some short cuts. Our rides take us through the centuries-old Great Wood. We crunch over beech seed husks in places and stop to admire incredible views of the Hall, its grounds and lake through the tree branches. Another wonderful sight among so many on our Norfolk adventure.
■■Coronavirus restrictions means the cathedral, fish bar and pub are currently closed.