Kevin will be picking us up at Burnham
Overy Staithe this afternoon and, on his way there, will pick up our rucksacks
from the Marine. So another day of lightweight backpacks. Also, it was
confirmed last night that breakfast at the Marine couldn’t be served before 8
o’clock and, given that we will therefore be setting off before the arrival of
staff, we’ve arranged to leave our rucksacks in John’s room for collection. A
longer than anticipated bathroom visit for Ben means a slightly delayed
departure from the hotel but we’re back to the sea front by the Waterside Bar,
and already looking forward to breakfast in Thornham, at 7:25. Some pretty
heavy overnight and early morning rain has fortunately cleared, and things look
set fair weather-wise for the next few hours at least. Our route out of
Hunstanton – to the north of the town – is less holiday oriented than our route
in yesterday. There are no arcades in evidence, just a collection of rather
smart houses leading to the equally smart Hunstanton Golf Club which, at this
early hour, looks unpatronised. However, we only catch sight of a couple of
holes, including the very narrow SI 2 eleventh, before turning east towards
Holme-next-the-Sea. Once again, this takes us through quite an extensive area
of marshland but, rather than having an embankment underfoot, we have a lengthy
stretch of boardwalk which makes for easy walking – and also running if the
number of joggers we see is anything to go by. Shortly after 9 o’clock we come
to the end of the boardwalk and reach a road leading into Thornham. As three of
our number walk along the road, we turn and realise that the reason for the 25%
deficiency is that, rather oddly, Ben has stopped to have a lengthy chat with a
total stranger, a chap who was getting out of his car with a dog at the top of
the road when the rest of us passed. When we become fully quorate again at the
Thornham Deli, it transpires that the man is called Clive Wakes-Miller and has
been heavily involved with the development of the Norfolk Coast Path. He’s
written a book about it which Ben is going to order. Anyway, this unscheduled
conversation does not delay our much anticipated breakfast which doesn’t
disappoint. The menu is such that we rather radically eschew the full English,
and plump instead for kippers (Ben and John), eggs royale – or maybe benedict
(for Mike) and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon (for Gary). We’re there for 35
minutes and, duly fortified, set off again along Thornham’s main street which
contains quite a number of smart looking eateries/pubs to include The Orange
Tree which has apparently been Norfolk’s dining pub of the year on several
occasions. On leaving the village, we have to take an inland diversion to get
around the RSPB site at Titchwell Marsh and avoid the busy A419. This takes
well over an hour along a minor road and across some fields, but we eventually
regain the main coast road at Brancaster which we cross to follow the narrow
lane which leads to the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club. However, before getting
that far, we turn right along another section of boardwalk and past some very
substantial properties. This brings us to Brancaster Staithe where we’re able
to resist any temptation which might be offered by either the Jolly Sailors
(not quite opening time) or the White Horse (we miss the turn off). Instead we’re
back on an embankment and soon able to see Bunham Overy Staithe. It looks to be
no more than 2 miles away, but this is as the very fortunate crow flies: our
route is more circuitous to get us around some winding inlets. It takes about
an hour to reach the road into BOS and we arrive at our destination, the Hero
pub, just before 1:30 and just before a sharp shower of rain. The Hero proves
to be something of an upmarket establishment with Cambridge College oars on the
wall, and lots of smart wellies and barbour jackets (or similar) in evidence.
But the staff are friendly to include, behind the bar, a Brazilian with an
Irish accent (she spent a few years in Dublin before coming over to England),
and the Adnams and crab sandwiches are excellent. Kevin arrives with our
rucksacks a good 5 minutes ahead of schedule and, following a journey which
includes his views on the Duke of Edinburgh’s car accident near Sandringham in
January and takes a route which brings back a few childhood memories for Ben,
we arrive at King’s Lynn station in time for the 3:44 train. Before getting out
of the cab, we establish that Kevin will be able to take us back to the Hero
when we return in September….despite the fact that he’ll be getting married the
day before!
Postscripts (1) Three weeks later, Ben and
Gary do the Sutton Bridge to King’s Lynn section of the walk. Ben still has to
complete the stretch from Gedney Drove to Sutton Bridge, and also get over or
around the Humber. Gary still has to do the two trips which he missed in 2014 and
2015 namely Pool Quay to Oswestry and Overton Bridge, and Haverigg to Bootle
and Ravenglass. (2) Ben duly receives Clive’s book and it is established that a
steeplechase bearing Clive’s name (snappily called the Clive Wakes-Miller 70th
Birthday Celebration Beginners’ Chase) was run at Fakenham in 2007 and won by a
horse ridden by AP McCoy.
