The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Slowing down, coasting along
Friendly goats, seal colonies and a 900-year-old cathedral delight Noreen Barr and her family on a trip to Norfolk
Pointing excitedly along the beach, my daughter breathes: “Seals! Over there!”, 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 upon hundreds of Atlantic grey seals lolling between the groynes on Horsey Gap beach in east Norfolk.
SEAL WATCHING ONLY IN WINTER
Here on a weekend break, we have come across a piece of magic that only happens in the colder months. Between October and February, the seals – which spend two-thirds of their lives at sea in the North Atlantic and can dive 70m beneath the surface – haul themselves ashore to calve 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 around 2kg of weight daily before being abandoned to fend for themselves.
Retreating to the grassy sandbank to avoid disturbing the seals – the signs say to stay at least 10m away – my kids, Eve, seven, and her big brother Max, 16, are torn between wonder at these powerful sea creatures, and horror at their callous parenting style. Their dad, Mark, and I semi-joke that abandonment is sometimes tempting for humans too.
The truth is, all four of us had needed a break and while Norfolk – with its sweeping beaches – is well known as a summer destination, we couldn’t wait that long to get away.
ARRIVING IN THE DARK
And so, on a chilly Friday, we found ourselves travelling in pitch darkness to Fielding Cottage, 20 minutes’ drive west from Norwich and three minutes away from the little village of Honingham.
Warmth, modern and bright furnishings and comfy beds are our first impressions of our two-bedroom bolthole. Named Kingfisher, it’s one of three adjoining cottages built 18 months ago 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-all-hours games room, offering board games, books and table tennis.
As day breaks, we discover 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.
MEETING THE GOATS
Later, Sam Steggles, 38, the energetic farmer/entrepreneur who owns Fielding Cottage, pops by and offers to introduce Eve to the farm’s eight female Boer goats. They normally live in a paddock but are wintering in a shed (with an old Christmas tree to nibble on).
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 pristine factory, where he starts work at 1am on Mondays and Wednesdays to produce around 50 tons of Fielding Cottage cheese each year, in a giant metal bath stirred by two huge paddles. The milk to make it is now brought into the farm, and the little herd we have just met, are kept as pets.
DISCOVERING A SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST
We spend the rest of our Saturday morning at Horsey Gap, wandering southwards as we gaze at the seals, before finally crossing to the other side of the dunes. We find ourselves on a gorgeous part of the 84-mile long Norfolk Coastal Path – WintertonHorsey Dunes, a 427-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Come springtime, little tern birds will nest on the beach and rare natterjack toads will breed in shallow pools. But
on this chilly day (it’s around 6C) the grazing marshes and leafless birch woodland are still, quiet and starkly beautiful.
EXPLORING HISTORIC NORWICH
Dusk approaching, we drive to Norwich, and venture into the city’s 900-year-old Norman cathedral as the choir is singing.
Strolling through the spectacular 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. Norfolk, we suspect, has probably always done things its own way.
Next we explore Elm Hill, a cobbled lane flanked by Tudor buildings, and delight in the antiques and collectibles on offer in a converted church, Saint Gregory’s Centre for the Arts.
CYCLING AT BLICKLING ESTATE
On Sunday, we set off for the National Trust-run Blickling Estate, 18 miles from Fielding Cottage, 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 again when we spot the cycle hire (adults £5, child £4 for three hours).
We crunch over beech seed husks in places, avoid tree roots in others and stop frequently to admire incredible views of the Hall, its grounds and lake through the bare tree branches.