Glorious Norfolk bathed in autumnal sunshine…

We can’t believe our luck – another beautiful autumn day and an easy decision is made to return to the North Norfolk coast.  Another visit to the Knight’s Hill Farm Shop and we come away with more lovely fresh bread, cakes and fruit and veg, including a free box of local tomatoes because there was one which had started to go and there were no others available. You wouldn’t get that in Sainsburys!

First things first and we head straight to Brancaster Staithe where we find a queue at the Crab Hut.

Not to be put off, Peter is soon returning with a pot of cockles.  This time there is photographic evidence!

Stuffed full of cockles and bread and butter, we took a walk around the staithe.  Turnstones were flitting around again, although one below was taking a rest on a nearby boat.

Meanwhile, out on the mudflats there is activity from the small waders and ducks and a lady is painting the scene plein air.

A Little Egret appears and in the water the fishermen are sorting through their catches.

We eventually left Brancaster Staithe and continued along the coastal road towards Morston Quay, our next stop.  Well, we thought we were continuing along the coastal road but it soon became evident that somehow we had come off it and were heading due south.  But, it was a bit of luck that we were as in our detour back up to the coast we passed through some lovely places.  This windmill at Burnham Overy Staithe is now owned by the National Trust and has been fully renovated.

We took a turning towards Little Walsingham – an attractive  town with charming buildings in the North Norfolk style of flint and limestone with red pantile roofs.

We eventually got back on track and found ourselves at Morston Quay as intended.  It was pretty busy but a lot of cars were already leaving.  The tide was up and the  boats were very busy – each one packed with men, women and children, eager to see the seals around the coast.

We followed the track across the saltmarsh that we had trod last summer – it was still pretty muddy and there were some tricky bits to navigate.

The light was fantastic and we couldn’t stop taking photographs.

The old lifeboat house on Blakeney Point

There were some birds around but most of them were quite some way in the distance but this flock of Fieldfares flew over our head.

A small portion in close-up

The sun was getting lower in the sky so we turned back the way we had come.  The last of the seal boats were coming back, still packed to the gunwhales.

We regretfully left this golden place just before the sun set.  How fortunate we were to have been there on such a lovely day.

As we drove back the sun set in spectacular style.