Today we finished the Norfolk Coast walk in Cromer on a wet and windy day.
Tomorrow, we're going to the Peak District.
She Said:
Some
Catch-up –
We walked in
the rain all day on Friday – but, amazingly, we were cozy and warm in our
head-to-toe GoreTex. Drizzle, then a
good wind, and finally, a good bit of driving rain.
The
difference from the day before’s calm, lapping beach waves to yesterday’s
angry, gray, open-ocean-looking sea was pretty dramatic!
We did walk
through Sheringham, usually a happy beach resort town, now a
closed-up-against-the-wind/rain-town.
Still, the Path passed along Sheringham’s Art Walk, and we enjoyed a
wonderful look at the town through the eyes of local artists.
Up until
about 1950 (?), fishermen from Sheringham each wore sweaters with distinctive
cable weaves. This was so that, if they
capsized and drowned, their bodies could be identified by the sweater they
wore.
We walked up
Beeston Hill (supposedly the only hill in Norfolk). Beeston Hill was the sight of a
lookout/transmitting station during WWll – “manned” completely by the Wrens,
many of whom spoke German. The Wrens
kept a lookout, and if they saw or heard something, they intercepted it,
translated it, and sent it along via motorbike runners to Bletchley Park, to be
further decoded and sent on to London.
As with the Bletchley Park women, they were sworn to secrecy for 30 years!
We ate our
first lunch in All Saints Beeston Regis Church, out of the wind and the rain. (We walked through one of the ubiquitous “Holiday
Parks” to get there – acres and acres of trailers, owned or rented, near the
sea for city folks to feel they are getting away from it all even though they
are really still in the midst of it all.)
As with most
country churches, All Saints had some interesting quirks:
·
The tower was built in the late 11th –
early 12th century.
·
In the 15th century, the roof was braced
with wooden arches, embellished with “the instruments of the Passion” – that is,
nails, hammer, cross, crown of thorns.
Creepy.
·
The Rood Screen (the carved wooden screen that
separates the common people from the altar and the clergy) dates from
1480. It has been refurbished, but the
bones of it are still intact and quite intricately carved.
·
There were more “poppyhead pews” and we learned
the real derivation of the term. From
the French word “poupee”, meaning puppet, or figurehead. This finally made sense, as we had seen and
read reference to poppyhead pews in the church in Weybourne but could see no resemblance
there to actual flower poppies. Now that
we knew the origin of the word, it was easy to see worn figureheads at the ends
of each pew.
·
Framed “Communion Linens” – beautiful handmade
laces used to serve the communion bread and wine.
Then, onward
into Cromer, and our accommodation for the night, The Grove.
Even in the
rain, it was easy to see the attraction of Cromer. It is a lovely seaside town, with wonderful
shops and restaurants. It has a jutting
pier with a Theater and a long Promenade along the water. We stopped in St.
Peter and St. Paul Church in the center of town and were warmly greeted by some
parish representatives. St. Peter and
St. Paul has the lucky distinction of holding a full house of 400 parishioners
every Sunday – quite an accomplishment in this day and age. They have a strong vision for their future
and seem to work tirelessly towards it – happy families and a congregation of
1000 by 2025!
Then, a 15
minute walk through a clean and well-kept town to The Grove.
The Grove
has been run by the same family (the Gravelings) since 1936. And, it shows. Definite pride of ownership in all they do. The big house was previously owned by the
Barclay (of Barclay’s Bank) family, but the history goes back further. The current Gravelings have brought their own
flair to the enterprise – in addition to the big house - a swimming pool,
Glamping facilities, cottages. And, the
restaurant - the food is fantastic; the wine and beer list superb. The staff is perfect.
Our only
regret was that we were only booked in for the one night. We would have happily stayed for several!
Photos:
No comments:
Post a Comment