27/05/13 - Don't Pay the Ferryman (on a bank holiday)

Distance - 5.5 Miles
Walk from 1001 Walks in Britain - AA
Caches - 4

Kings Lynn

Yesterday
Wells Next To Sea.  You entice us in with your oceanic promises.  The sun is shining, so the rest of Norfolk is also suitably enticed.  You charge us £5 for car parking (as long as you are out by 6pm) and then you make us walk a mile to the beach.  And then a mile to the sea.

But what a town.  We waited for the Goulds to park up by going to the pub and then I taught them how to stealth cache (just tie up shoe laces) before we had an unforgettable day.  A labradoodle taught a cockerpoo how to swim.  Until he lost his confidence, deploying a technique that can only be described as "Mississippi Steamboat".

A meal at the Duck Inn, Stanhoe, that was almost worth the wait and a couple of beers in the garden watching the sun go down.  Once again, in bed comatose at 10pm.

Today's Walk
It's all setup for a classic.  An historical tour of King's Lynn, up the Great Ouse to a bridge and down the other side to pick up the oldest ferry in England to get back into town.

We are on tight timescales as a new holiday maker needs to be picked up from the station.  So the rambling contingent is increased to 7 and 2 dogs.

Good job I checked the Internet before setting off.  The ferry doesn't run on bank holidays.

What a shame... the walk will need to be adapted.

We are the first to park up the Clough Lane multi storey and straight out into the park.  Sonia keeps the spirits up by acting the goat.

How to embarrass a Doodle

Once again, I have an audience, as I take far too long to find a cache in a tree.  We then head up to Red Mount for a bit of history and some photos.

Ramblers on Red Mount

Up through the park and out into the roads, passing through the South Gate and a DNF on park gates.

Ramblers Passing South Gate

Over the ring road and I think I read the map wrong (shh, don't tell the Goulds) as Alex points out that the loop around the Nar was wholly unnecessary.  We cross over and through the pits to pick up the Ouse.

Sitting in the Public Art

Nice walking alongside the river, aiming towards the Paper Factory and picking up a cache at the bridge.  This is where we should cross over and walk down the other side.  The kids ask me many questions as to whether there is somewhere else to cross but its open water all the way to the sea from here.

Great Ouse Up

We walk down streets, aiming for town, when we see the cycle path sign for the Riverside to town.  We take this route and end up back on the Ouse Side.  Oh well, at least the walking is good. And Alex has found someone to carry his jumper

Alex Invents the Pack Doodle

Quayside

We need refreshments and stop off at the Quay Side at a pretty little bistro.  I would say Café, but they only have Toast or Bacon Sarnies on the menu and the latter are £4.50 - so I will stick with Bistro. 

Breakfast at the Bistro

Then we head further down the riverside and into Town - looking at the stunning cathedral, guild hall and working our way through the Medieval old town.

I have to have a look down Ferry Lane to see what I could have won.

We would have arrived down this alley

If only the Ferryman wasn't on Hols

Then all that remains is to kill an hour in town.  Charlotte and Alex head off clothes shopping at trendy outlets and the rest of us make use of M&S vouchers and an extra 20% off everything in Mountain Warehouse.

When everyone else goes into Primark - I head off for a Micro Cache on the top floor of a multi storey car park.  Caching has it all.

At 12:20 - Ellie arrives from Manchester on a train from London (public transport, only the old understand it and that's because they have been alive more than us).

Doodle greats the new holiday maker

The holiday gang are complete.