Saturday, 25 May 2013

25/05/13 - Heacham Beacham

Distance - 6 Miles
Geocaches - 2
Walk From - Country Walking Magazine

Heacham



Well Norfolk better be good.  It took us 5 hours to do the 162 miles, avoiding the police incident that shut the m6 at Corley Services (someone stole some petrol) but getting stuck for best part of 2 hours for a non existent crash on the A14.  For that length of time, I wanted to see an upside down caravan on fire, at the least.

But still, I have the world's best holiday traveller as a companion.  Not for us, the multitude of McDonalds that we passed.  No, we had a pre-cooked Spag Bol and two bottles of wine to refresh ourselves when we got here.  She also passed all other tests as we entertained ourselves on our epic journey.  Yes, I do have my shaving stuff.

Honey cottage is a delight.  Usual tour working out where everything is located, whilst Alex baggsies the double bed before his sister gets here on Monday.

Honey Cottage
Chez Mappiman
No clock in the bedroom, so I am chomping at the bit to do the first walk of the holiday at first light. Sonia says 5.30am is too early to get up. I make breakfast and we head off to Heacham for our closest walk. Heacham is a bit of a weird place. Sonia thinks the rough bits and the posh bits are too close together. Bowling club over the road from a kebab shop. We park up at North Beach and at £3.20 for three hours, I know what the posh people do for a living. Squeeze out through the beach huts to start the walk.
Huts
Who lives in a house like these?
Our first experience of Norfolk Coastal Walking.  There are no ups and downs and I explain the great flood of 1953 to Sonia.  She thinks I am making it up. 

Keep the sea to the right
Its like this all the way
We start the walk on the beach.  Its windy.  We then go up on the sea defences.  Its even windier.  We then drop down to some nice shelter between the dunes, the sea defence and a canal.  Grab the first cache of the day by crawling into a bush.  One runner and three dog walking muggles hit us at the exactly the wrong time.  Sonia says it doesn't help that "I look shifty".

Up on Heacham Dam for some concrete walking.

Standing on a Beach
Bracing
We get to the caravan park at Snettisham Scalp and turn back, walking parallel to our outward walk on the other side of the canal.  The caravan park has all lagers and ciders for £2.  It's that sort of place.

The walking is a little monotonous as we have seen this landscape before.  One cache, our favourite type and a sea defence to walk back on.

Battlements
Leave the dog to navigate
There is relief as we hit the South Beach at Heacham and spy the café. Time for some much needed refreshment. Sonia observes that I still have a nice red wine moustache... well I am on my holidays.

Nice cup of tea
Don't mug yourself off
Cafe at end
Ahh... Pirate Cafe
A short walk on the dunes to get back to the North Beach.  We pass a memorial to the 1953 floods.  Sonia admires my general knowledge.

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