Today looks like another bright sunny one and we headed north from our orchard home with no detailed idea of what we would do and where we would go. I had an idea about Holkham Hall, a large country estate along the northern coast of Norfolk. We had passed it many times in the past but not investigated further on these occasions.

The house (if you can call it by such an ordinary name) is privately run by Viscount Thomas Coke (pronounced Cook don’t you know) the son of the seventh Earl of Leicester. 

Holkham has 48 different businesses, from a boutique hotel to a caravan park and 300 houses. Apparently, each year more than half a million people visit Holkham’s beach, which is also a national nature reserve. It is approached by a magnificent carriageway (Lady Anne’s Drive) which is a good half mile long on the opposite side of the road. Parking is on both sides of the drive (including visiting horses in their horse boxes, still leaving a generous central walkway. After a walk of another quarter of a mile through shady pinewoods we came across massive wetlands and grazing marshes behind the dunes which, I’m afraid, we never reached! Alfie thoroughly enjoyed himself of course.

One thing they could do with are some more seats! When the one and only bench became free, I hastily sat on it!

Then it was back through the pinewoods and, looking up, the needles made a lovely photo…

A skein of geese on the way back

Looking back up the drive…

We took a cross-country route on the way back to the orchard, passing the wonderful church in Burnham Overy that is the header picture for today.