Back in Norfolk

 Sunday 12th October

An early morning start for us when we headed towards the Norfolk Broads. These are canals, rivers and small lakes that were caused by medieval peat digging for fuel once the trees had been felled and used. They filled up with water, it is a National Park, but as with National Parks in the UK it has villages etc. And the waterways are used by many pleasure boats, it is also a conservation area. We went to Ranworth at first in the hope that we might get to see otters. The wildlife centre there has lots of info on how they are trying to re-establish fresh water there to bring back the wildlife that once thrived prior to the polluting years in the 19th and early 20th century. Alas we didn’t see otters.

This was as close as I got to an otter in the wild, the whole area has a boardwalk as is quite boggy. we did see a kingfisher, a fleeting streak of turquoise, which is quite rare, they have large butterflies there in the warmer months, so all we saw were cormorants, swans, ducks and this 

Monster black slug! It was quite a pretty area though even if the smell of rotting vegetation was a bit high at times.

There are some lovely thatched cottages and buildings around this area, the Village Hall in Ranworth.

Each thatcher has his own decorative style, they are rather beautiful, this cottage is next to where we had buttermilk pancakes for breakfast with berry compote, delicious! 

We moved on to Horning meaning something about a bend in the river, that being the river Bure. Quite a few houses and holiday homes on this stretch of the river with their own moorings

Some interesting architecture around and about as we walked through the village

Pity about the cars in the way but quite a pretty building. 

This is called the Brambles it has 1682 on the end of the building, although I have been told that there can be different dates at each end of the building.

the brickwork in the above house was quite a feature, Ronda saw them re thatching this roof in the summer of 2024, there was scaffolding up and one younger man was throwing sheafs of reeds up to the older man on the scaffold it was quite impressive watching the video.

Below the cladding is slabs of wood trimmed. Of it’s bark but not shaped into planks.

Some recent thatching showing the skill around the dormer windows, it is quite impressive. And below a windmill, converted into living accomodation.

We had a bite to eat in a little cafe by the river, was very cute but spoiled by an abundance of fake flowers inside and out.

We sat and watched the boats go by through the front window, some of the panes had nipple glass. Apparently in the summer the place is heaving. What wouldn’t you know it there are bloody cabbage trees giving a taste of exotica.

So a lovely day despite the fact there were no otters spotted.