Monday 30th September 2019

Another great night’s sleep. Up bright and early this morning to have an early breakfast and finish packing … to be ready for our trusty steed arriving between 8.30 and 9.00am. Looking forward to travelling in transport that resembles something from this century. After a few phone calls had been exchanged, our taxi finally showed up about 10.30am. And I say ‘our taxi’ – the car parked outside was nothing at all like the car or driver we had made the arrangement with. Apparently this was a substitute and to make matters worse, they requested some additional money as we were to be the only two passengers. Alarms bells rung but after lots of questions about fuel, tyres and the general road worthiness of the car we made the decision to accept. They managed to squeeze our two suitcases into the boot and we settled into the very uncomfortable back seat of this old Fiat Uno. For some reason two drivers had been provided … a couple of likely lads but pleasant enough. Obviously no English but that’s our fault.

Lots of hugs and farewells exchanged with Aunty and Grandma – we had loved our stay at Casa Susy.

The first stop just down the road was to fill up with petrol (you think they may have done that before)! On pulling out from the garage the car engine cut out and we were coasting … alarm bells ringing once again but we kept the faith … the car got going. Then the driver struggled to find the road out of town – we began to doubt that he knew the way at all …. in fact I began to wonder if he could even drive!! So within 15 minutes he was stopping to ask for directions … and this was repeated at several points during the journey, in what they had estimated to be a 5-6 hour drive.

They managed to find their way on to what is their nearest thing to a motorway – you have to see it to believe it. It’s a wide road with no lanes but, with potholes just about everywhere, the method of driving involves swerving in and out of the dangerous spots. Fortunately there’s not a great deal of traffic, presumably due to fuel shortage. But for a major road linking their national cities it was hysterical, like something out of the Wild West …. with passengers being transported in horse and carriages, tractors and carts, fully enclosed people trucks as well as local jeep like taxis bursting at the seams. I’m a terrible passenger at the best of times but, despite several travel sickness tablets to try and keep me calm, I was pretty much struggling from the start … but compared to be being in an packed open-cart attached to a tractor, I guess I should have felt lucky.

But then things took a turn for the worse, we broke down. We’d only been on the road about an hour and the car packed up – dead as a dodo. Steve and I tried to keep each other’s spirits up as we waited and paced around on the side of the road … for over an hour, while the two ‘lads’ fiddled with the engine … taking bits off, adding bits, fiddling around, seemingly not having a clue. It went from being pretty hot to raining heavily so we had to get back into the car, which equally freaked me out as we were parked in one lane of a two way road. Finally something happened and lo and behold the engine started up … and they were SO pleased with themselves. So, off we headed – the rain pretty torrential by now, but at least the windscreen wipers worked. And after another 20 minutes we watched their faces change from smug to concern as the engine faltered again and we ground to a halt. We kept our cool very well, considering, and this time it took about half an hour before we were on our way again. But it wasn’t sounding good and the car felt very hot.

It had been 4 hours since leaving Santiago by this time and, to put it mildly, we just weren’t enjoying the ride! When we saw a sign that said it was another 260km to Camaguey we knew that we just couldn’t endure another 5 hours of this torture – our lives were at stake. So we asked to be dropped off at nearby Bayamo instead – this of course involved a heated argument and so we ended up being practically dumped in the town and we still had to pay the full money, even though we had only covered about a third of the journey. No tip obviously! Stupidly we had left ourselves short of money, thinking we were going from door to door … we didn’t envisage having to fund further travel or possibly overnight accommodation. And of course, there are no card transactions here. So, leaving me to mind the luggage, in the pouring rain, Steve set off in shorts and flip flops to find an ATM or a bank. It took him about 40 minutes during which time I imagined all sorts of things … but success, the pot had been filled. And we found the bus station.

Then a whole new chapter of chaos began. It took ages to figure out who to ask, no-one seemed particularly helpful, lots of pointing and talking loudly but nothing we could understand. Eventually a helpful passenger came to our aid and escorted Steve to an outside office that apparently dealt with buses (well, one bus a day) to Camaguey. But Steve returned having had no joy … he hadn’t been able to make himself understood and the ticket officer had no positives to offer. We sat there at a bit of a loss, considering taxis, finding a hotel for the night … !? I decided to give the ticket office a go myself so went armed with phrase book and put on my brightest smile (find it works wonders in these sort of places) … latched on to a very friendly and smiley member of staff who spoke no English but offered some reassurance in his body language and saying ‘wait’ indicating to a chair in this waiting room. So I waited for a while and got the feel others were waiting for the same thing … I went and fetched Steve and the luggage and we did as we were told and waited…. and waited… and waited. Eventually we were called into the office and a ticket was issued and our luggage labelled.

After 3 hours of waiting, the bus arrived and we joined the pushing crowds to get our luggage safely loaded. By the time we got on the bus there were only 2 seats left and they were right at the back. We managed to negotiate 2 seats together by asking a nice Cuban chap to swap. At least this meant we could eat our dinner together – a cheese and ham sandwich which our casa hosts had provided for the journey. We realised fairly soon that we had drawn the short straw in our seating – the elderly couple in front had their seats pushed so far back, even though as Steve put it “she was only 3 bl***ing feet tall!!” I literally had a few inches of leg room, my circulation was almost being cut off at the knees. After enduring a couple of hours of this, Steve stuck his legs out into the aisle so that I could free my legs up into his side. It was a bumpy 5 and a half hour ride in all – we tried to manage some sleep but I had a rattling window at my side which was like having a cicada in my ear hole, torture! We were travelling in darkness by now so I couldn’t see the road ahead and it definitely felt safer than being in that excuse of a car. So mustn’t grumble!

We arrived at Camaguey bus station just after midnight and readily agreed to a taxi price to take us to our Casa Particular. Although it was late, we were cheerily met at the door by Maria, our wonderful host. We had a little chat as she speaks some English and then we said we were just ready to collapse into bed. We turned down her offer of food even though we had only eaten two rolls since breakfast but we did accept 4 ice cold beers and iced glasses to help us unwind. Maria’s son Mario came to say hello when he came in shortly afterwards and he seems very friendly too, well educated, has travelled a bit and speaks excellent English.

The house we’re in is quite magnificent – looking forward to exploring it further tomorrow.

b

And so, we sat up in bed and enjoyed our cold beers and talked and laughed about the absolutely horrendous day … but felt so lucky to have (1) survived it and (2) actually managed to get to Camagüey…. and we’ve certainly learnt a few lessons along the way.

A little restoration of faith in Cuba required right now!

* obviously it wasn’t a day for photos! Just a few of our new home for this week 😊

Friday 27th September 2019

Today was a day of HEAVY rain – a sort of non-starter day. Every time we made plans to do something it would start to pour again, so we just muddled our way through the day – reading, blogging, listening to music etc. Getting a blog done here takes the patience of I don’t know how many saints!! Especially with photos downloading … it’s like watching paint dry! So far we have been using the internet through our ‘Casa’ and it’s unbelievably slow, hoping to find alternative methods.

Luckily the weather improved in the evening so we set off for the city to meet our friend Odelquis who was to take us out on a music trip around town. We stopped for some pizza and chips first at the Hotel Casa Grande – lining our stomachs. Our friendly guide arrived and joined in with our mojito round – then whisked us off to the first music venue which was quite smart. A great Cuban band and more beers/mojitos. Odelquis got me up dancing – he was amazing at leading me in salsa dancing, quite the expert – I loved it.

It was fairly quiet in this venue however so we moved onto a more popular lively club – a line up of young talented Cuban musicians, singing and dancing and lots of audience participation. Both Steve and I were led into the salsa experience – Odelquis for me and a young Cuban lady got Steve up on his feet. More beers, more mojitos, more fun! We got chatting to a couple of the American musicians who had been on our plane out – they’re in Santiago on a musical trip. We had a great night all in all but spent an arm and a leg … everybody wanted money from us and sometimes it’s so hard to say no, especially when you’ve consumed too many of the local cocktails!

Saturday 28th September 2019

Immediately realised that 7 mojitos is a couple too many – it was to be a bleary day ahead! Our casa host, Susy, has had to go to Havana for a couple of days which has left us with Aunty and Grandma, who speak no English – this is going to be fun! A beautiful blue sky day so we spent most of it lounging in the sun, dozing, swimming and just generally recovering from our wild night out!

With lots of hand gestures and google translation we can make ourselves understood – we got through breakfast, ordering coffee, ordering lunch and taxi request with ‘Aunty’ and with ‘Grandma’ we just smile lots and say ‘Ola’ and ‘Esta Bien.’

At 3pm we headed off by taxi into the city again. It had cooled a little so we wandered around some different parts, trying to find the music venue that the Americans were playing in this afternoon. After 3 or 4 miles of walking however we still hadn’t found it … we did however find the telephone shop where you can buy internet cards, so naturally stocked up. We’ve finally cracked it …. you buy these scratch cards and then find a Wi-fi spot, normally the plazas, where you log in the code provided to access an hour’s internet time – it’s easy once you know how! After a bite to eat we got lured into a truly authentic Cuban music experience – rows of upright wooden chairs and they insisted we sit right at the front … and apart from an old lady (who kept nodding off) we were the sum total of the audience. The band were hilarious, all old chaps, so passionate about their music and singing and trying desperately to entertain us. We sang and clapped along and smiled lots as way of encouragement … and naturally we bought the CD! We even got up and danced when they played ‘Guantanemera’ especially for us. Luckily they took a set break and we were able to slip off without too much protestation to find our taxi.

Sunday 29th September 2019

Santiago de Cuba is known for its love of music, especially at weekends … last night it seemed to go on till the early hours! And then we woke up to church music … quite the contrast. Felt refreshed however, having stuck to water last night.

Had a chilled out morning, hanging out with Beethoven the dog and the cat, who’s name we’ve not quite grasped.

They’re clearly loved these pets but sadly when the cat bothers us at breakfast he gets the wash basket put over him with a bucket on to weigh it down! Had to take a photo though – he looks so put out!

Steve has read in our Lonely Planet guide that you should always have a Plan B in Cuba. And so it is that we go to the bus station, again, to try and buy a ticket for travelling to Camaguey on Monday …. even though we have booked one of the smart yellow taxis. We manage to buy two tickets and so our back up is in place, in case the taxi (as yet unpaid) does not turn up. ‘Be prepared’ is our motto!! From there we take a ride up to the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, a recommended place of interest. We watched the changing of guards on arrival which was quite a spectacle – can’t beat a good old goose-step! We were led first to the burial spot of Fidel Castro, the man himself. His request for no headstone or monument has been abided by … he is in fact buried under a rock and his name sits on discreet signage. We were then left to walk freely around the cemetery with its spectacular graves, headstones and monuments (our friend Jeff would love it!) – evidently no expense spared at the end of their lives! Vultures circled low overhead adding to the ethereal atmosphere.

And after that spot of culture it was time for culture of another kind … music and beer. We made our way to the Plaza del Dolores where our American friends were playing. Even had our portrait drawn by a very shaky old local chap – his eyesight clearly needed some attention!!

Sat and chilled and appreciated the trumpets, trombones, saxophones and flutes for a couple of hours until our tummies were calling out for food. Found a nearby restaurant and actually managed to successfully order and enjoy the food – pork and rice for me and seafood paella for Steve.

As it was our last day we left enough time for a final drink at the Hotel Casa Grand which had become our safe spot in the city. On nearing it however, we bumped into Odelquis who was out with his father. He was so excited to see us and introduced us to his Dad and of course we all went for a drink together. They readily tucked into mojitos at our expense but we did have a few laughs … and then it was time to go.

Said farewell to our taxi driver who had looked after us most of the week (he reminded us of our friend Warren)!

And took some photos with ‘Aunty’ and ‘Grandma” before we settled down for our last night of sleeping at ‘Casa Susy.’

It’s been an interesting week – a bit of a culture shock for sure but on the positive, our Casa Particular has been great and the music and dancing a wonderful experience. Let’s see what the rest of Cuba has to offer.

** hopefully will upload photos later – struggling with internet here 😘

Sunday 22nd September 2019

As we had an early morning flight, we checked into the Bloc Hotel inside the terminal at Gatwick Airport on the Sunday evening. Quite the experience. Slick service through from parking and registering the car, bus ride to the terminal and a smooth and friendly hotel check in. The room however was like moving around on a postage stamp – the bed took up most of the space and was cleverly tucked right up to the edges of the room leaving a small space for manoeuvring in through the door, with a bijou wet room en-suite to one side. You literally could have showered sat on the toilet! But such amazing design – all that you needed at your fingertips and the bed was huge and SO comfortable. The large TV was installed into the wall at the foot of the bed. After dinner in one of the terminal restaurants we tucked ourselves up in bed to watch the final episode of Peaky Blinders – it was so close it was like having Tommy in the room with us!! Would highly recommend this hotel experience – although probably a whole sight less precarious if one of you hasn’t got a broken foot!!!

Monday 23rd September 2019

We were up at 6.00am fresh as daisies and all checked in by 7.00am. We were impressed with Norwegian Airlines – for a low budget airline we found the service excellent, the aircraft was roomy and the food not bad at all. Of course it was a sort of no frills experience – luckily we had come prepared with film loaded iPad as the in-flight entertainment was non existent. But, considering what we had paid to get us as far as Miami, we gave it the thumbs up.

Now, Miami airport was not such a joyous experience. The airport personnel were SO stern and militant, I couldn’t help but giggle all the time at the seriousness of it all. We snaked for miles through passport control and then on reaching the desk we were interrogated police style and had our fingerprints taken. I maintained my British smile and eye contact but only a deadpan face was returned. Checking onto the flight and obtaining the Cuban visa was the easiest and quickest and most friendly part … and then it was on to the security. Well, it was like we were being lined up to go into prison or into the army. This rather large security officer barked instructions at us – “ 2 lines” “I said 2 lines” “walk now” “walk quickly” “stop” “stay in your line” “walk together” “come back, start again” …. and all the time sniffer dogs were being paraded around. I had to keep thinking of something serious so that I didn’t fall about laughing.

Relieved to get through in one piece, we checked onto our American Airlines flight to Santiago de Cuba. All good, had a delicious meal in the airport, flight was fine despite being surrounded by a large group of particularly noisy American fellows who were on a musical jolly (numerous musical instruments in the overhead lockers) to Cuba. Short flight and a more relaxed experience through Cuban passport control. Incredibly hot and humid, outside and in, even though it was 8.00pm local time. Baggage collection took some time and it was interesting to see some of the items coming through – lots of TVs and plastic clad bundles. The next mad situation was getting out of the airport – we had to queue and be checked one at a time to see that your luggage matched up to your details. But naturally, Cuban queueing is not polite British style – it’s a free for all. So in the end it was ‘do as the locals,’ we had to drop our principles and push our way through like everyone else. Once the doors opened, we faced a barrage of taxi drivers and hoteliers plying for business, so it was a case of further physically pushing our way through. Luckily our airbnb had arranged a driver for us and he dutifully showed up with sign displaying “Steve and Dee” … we had been rescued! The immediate impression of Cuba is one of a land that time forgot, one of tiredness and decay – the cars and buildings being the most visible signs. Yes, the old 50s American cars are something to behold – Cadillacs and Chevrolets a’plenty – but our particular transport tonight was a clapped out yellow Lada that rattled us all the way to ‘Casa Susy’ – our home for the next week.

Susy and her family are an absolute delight – we were greeted with warmth and shown our room which is perfectly comfortable. We had drinks on the terrace and met Beethoven the dog who was to become a close companion. English speaking is fairly limited in the household so broken Spanish, google translation and hand gestures are going to be in full use. We opted for an early night after our long and ‘interesting’ day. And both slept well despite thunderous rain.

Cuba is definitely going to be an experience!!

Santiago de Cuba

Tuesday 24th September 2019

Susy and her family had laid out a tremendous breakfast for us on the terrace. Seems like we may eat like kings. There was a large platter of home grown fruits, yoghurt, cereal, fresh bread rolls, preserves, luncheon meat and cheese and a freshly prepared omelette. Fruit juices, tea and coffee were also set out and cake arrived later. We are the only guests here – we’re not sure if that’s because it’s out of season – there is only one other room. So we are literally being lavished with Cuban hospitality. It is essentially their family home – Susy, her Aunty and her Grandmother and Susy’s boyfriend (who had been our knight in shining armour at the airport)! Our room is an annexe to the house and has air-conditioning (thank the Lord) and en-suite. And there’s a pretty garden area with swimming pool – not 5* luxury but certainly everything we need.

After breakfast we took a walk around the local area – we are quite some way out of the city, we find ourselves in the heart of Cuban village life. In some ways it looks run down but with the sunshine, the brightly coloured houses and the oversized green plantation, palms and vivid coloured flowers, there’s such a richness too. We found our way to the village market where there seems very little to sell but crowds gather all the same. Young boys circle around with their horse and carts … looking at the state of the poor horses this is definitely not to be encouraged. There are absolutely no tourists in sight, we must seem such an oddity. The people all look healthy and smiley – some greeted us, others just stared. We felt a little conspicuous in taking photos so just snuck in a discreet couple of selfies.

We enjoyed a bit of pool time on our return. 50 laps of the pool followed by some relaxation on sun loungers and getting stuck into a good book. The resident dog (Beethoven) and his sidekick cat hardly leave our side. The garden is surrounded by luscious fruit trees of numerous types and we are serenaded by cockerels, donkeys and grunting pigs in the neighbourhood. Overhead vultures circle in large numbers – always reminds me of the ‘Jungle Book.’

So, after a few hours of jet lag recovery, experiencing extreme heat and then a terrific downpour, we headed into the city of Santiago de Cuba. Susy had called us a taxi – another ancient Lada arrived – fills you with great confidence when the driver struggles to keep his door closed! And boy this is pothole city – makes for an interesting ride.

On reaching the centre we were struck by the magnificent buildings from a time gone by, carefully maintained and painted in appealing yet clashing colours. And in between there are what would seem to us derelict buildings, unkempt streets but with the charm of local cafes, rooftop terrace restaurants and music venues. We had clearly chosen a quiet time of day as there were few people around and definitely NO tourists! So we just had a good wander trying to be brave enough to select somewhere to eat. The decision was taken out of our hands as one of the many ‘promoters’ that linger in the city streets casually struck up conversation and before we knew it we were being guided to a rooftop restaurant with a view … and his company for the next hour! Our new friend, Odelquis, spoke some English which was comforting, and he was chatty and funny, but being sceptical British tourists we just couldn’t figure out what he wanted out of the deal. After a couple of rounds of drinks which he’d asked to be included in, and during which time he’d told us his life story and about his daughter and how poor he is (even showed us his empty wallet), Steve bravely asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted nothing and that he would leave us to have our dinner in peace, but if we could spare him a couple of CUC (about £1.50) he’d be grateful. We made a deal to meet up with him on Friday night so he could take us to a couple of music venues for which Santiago is famous – he was more than pleased with that – he was positively beaming!

The mojitos and beers had gone down jolly well so we ploughed ahead and ordered dinner in this restaurant (with a view!!), we had a friendly waiter and live music entertainment…. and were the only diners in the house. Now, how could you go wrong with grilled chicken, rice and salad? Well, for one, the ‘chicken’ neither looked nor tasted like chicken – in fact it was so heavily garlic flavoured that you couldn’t eat enough of it to determine its source. We were also presented with a huge plate of deep fried banana chips which started off tasty but were also so over doused in garlic and salt that the banana didn’t get a look in! Our Lonely Planet book had pre-warned us that Santiago was not on the map as far as decent eateries were concerned, maybe this is to be an understatement. We settled ‘la quenta,’ embarrassingly leaving the majority of our meals, making gestures to suggest that we were full. Why do we feel it necessary to do this!?

We made our way back to the main square and ventured into the posh looking terrace of the Hotel Casa Grand, having done our local bit!! We mused through the menu while enjoying a couple of night caps, only to find that the food here was cheaper than where we had just eaten. We suspect that the local restaurants must have menus with different prices for tourists – had we been done? …. we shall find out over the next few days.

Wednesday 25th September 2019

A leisurely morning followed by a cultural walk of the city of Santiago de Cuba. We headed out to the city about 1.00pm and stopped for some lunch on arrival … a ham & cheese toastie seemed like a safe option. So it was about 2.00pm when we embarked on our Lonely Planet suggested cultural walk – taking in places of interest and museums etc. It was a long walk downhill to start and this took us to the waterfront – some large boats but very little activity. It was pretty enough I guess and there was some loud music blaring out in the park – sadly not live entertainment, it was coming through speakers! We wandered on … now following the uphill route. It was incredibly hot by this time and so humid – “mad dogs and Englishman…” springs to mind! To be honest we were struggling to locate said places of interest but then spotted some terracotta steps that were mentioned. Although feeling a little drained by this point we climbed them – unfortunately it was a climb too far and at the top I was suddenly overcome with heatstroke. I’ve suffered with this a couple of times in our last couple of years of travelling and so know the symptoms all too well. I had to sit on the kerb in the shade and moan and groan with tummy pains and nausea. Unfortunately my ham and cheese sandwich made a guest appearance!!! Eventually I mustered up the energy to walk on and had a shaky walk to a hotel for a mad dash into the toilets! After some shade and lots of water my body recovered. Managed a mooch around the cathedral but sadly that was the extent of our cultural afternoon.

Came back to our ‘casa particular’ for a refreshing swim. Susy cooked for us tonight – a delicious spaghetti bolognese – enough to feed an army. For a poor country they certainly don’t scrimp on portions … and to be blunt, they all look well fed! We’d managed to purchase a rather large bottle of Spanish red wine in the city which we enjoyed with dinner … well it was drinkable, let’s leave it at that!

Thursday 26th September 2019

Treated ourselves to some internet time after breakfast. It’s so weird how much of a culture shock it is not to have internet access at your fingertips, even for old fogies like us! It’s incredibly hard to get hold of and incredibly expensive when you do.

We hadn’t realised until a few weeks before travelling that we were actually coming during the hurricane season. Touch wood, no sign of too much wind yet but boy does it rain … fortunately it’s mostly during the night but occasional daytime downpours too. But today it is hot hot hot. So we enjoyed some pool time, swimming and lounging (mostly in the shade)!

Late afternoon we went to the bus and train stations to try and organise our journey to our next stop of Camaguey on Monday. To say nothing is simple in Cuba is a complete understatement. We had pictured meeting an English speaking driver who would willingly ferry us here there and everywhere – have yet to stumble across such a person. Instead we were met with serious faced personnel speaking only Spanish and showing no understanding of our pigeon-Spanish. It’s so weird how things happen though – there was a young Cuban girl there who was trying to journey herself and she spoke perfect English … and she came to our aid. It turns out there are no trains running and the bus cannot get enough fuel. She did however introduce us to a taxi driver who has said he will take us to Camaguey for CUC40 each … and there will be others in the car too. And it’s a much more substantial looking car! So we made the arrangements – now we just have to see if he turns up on Monday morning …. at least no money has exchanged hands yet.

After that we took a walk up through an area called the Oriente which is slightly more western than we had discovered before … but still no tourists! We made our way to what has become our favourite spot – the Hotel Casa Granda – our safe haven. We took the lift up the roof garden today which had amazing views over the city. When the cathedral bells rang out to the tune of ‘Ave Maria’ it was so atmospheric – as was the sky.

We downed a couple of beers and then decided to brave the food – Steve had beef fillet and I had grilled pork … both came served with tinned vegetables!! It was edible but meat quality here certainly leaves a lot to be desired. It seems such a classy rooftop restaurant, and large, but again we were the only diners there!

We listened to some Cuban musicians while waiting for our arranged taxi. Fortunately the heavens opened just after we had got into the car. We were laughing at the ‘one wheel on my wagon’ scenario … the taxi only had one working wiper blade and it was torrential rain …. luckily it was on the driver’s side!

We got back to Casa Susy to find there was a power cut. So we polished off our red wine by candlelight and retired to bed once the power was back on and the A/C was back in use.

Such is the life of two aging adventurers 🤣😘

We’ve been back from Norfolk for a little while but have just realised that I needed to wrap up our experience with a blog. And especially as Tom and Jess came to visit – needed to record the fun times we shared.

25th July

Tom and Jess arrived in the evening – the hottest day of the summer (so far!) … and so naturally we barbecued and, despite good intentions, had a few beers! We had all the doors of the cottage open due to the heat and so unfortunately managed to attract flies, and I mean hundreds of them, inside every room just about. A great first night though, despite the fact that Steve and I had a long drive to London the next day!

26th – 28th July

On Friday we had a five hour trip to Roehampton to attend Nathan and Lizzie’s wedding on the Saturday. A fabulous weekend, most beautiful of weddings, a catch up with friends … loved every minute.

While we were away, Tom and Jess settled into the cottage, getting to know their next door neighbours.

29th July – 1st August

As well as a whole string of chill out sessions at the cottage with these two party animals (Steve and I did our best to keep up), we also managed to fit in a few local day trips during the day too. We enjoyed swims at Brancaster Beach (our nearest beach), explored the Holkham estate and had a fabulous day in Blakeney, including a boat trip out to Blakeney Point, recognised for its seal and bird breeding colony.

On Thursday it was time for Tom, Jess and I to head back to MK. I had planned a girlie weekend with Anne, Tina and Gina – a weekend full of laughter, eating, drinking and even some table tennis!

And so Steve had one more week in our gorgeous Norfolk cottage alone …. to enjoy the cricket in solitude! He continued to enjoy his photography and was able to leave the house and garden in perfect condition for Virginia and Joss’ return. They sent us such a lovely email of gratitude and have even mentioned a possible house-sit in their holiday home in the South of France.

This was our first house-sitting experience and, apart from getting used to the solitude, we absolutely loved it. When we left after the 3 months it felt like leaving home. It was amazing having the time to discover this part of the county – its stunning beaches and stately homes, its farmlands, salt marshes, picturesque villages and ponds. I will remember the area for its lavender and poppies, its abundance of churches, narrow roads and windmills … and of course the birds …. oh so many birds. I’m sure we’ll be back.

Saturday 20th July 2019

Today’s planned walk was between Overstrand and Mundesley. Naturally, being Saturday, we stopped off first for Parkrun and this week’s choice was Sheringham Park – and what a beautiful spot although Steve wasn’t too enamoured with the trail running terrain.

From here we drove to Cromer for some breakfast and then on to Overstrand where we parked up ready for today’s trek. Free parking too – always a bonus. Just to confuse things, we reversed the walk by getting the bus to Mundesley and walking back (there is logic to this, honestly). When we got off the bus there was much excitement in the village as a Soap Box Derby was about to start – they were all lined up – some simple entries and others that clearly had competitive parent involvement!

It was an incredibly hot start to the day, clammy even. We kept being diverted away from the clifftops as many of the caravan parks chose to not admit walkers on their land. Some did let us in …. but there were lots of signs, including some fine examples of Norfolk colloquialism … “Slow You Down!”

Not too far into the walk however, as we wandered through woodland area, we encountered a deafeningly loud thunderstorm and bouts of torrential rain. We were a couple of little drowned rats. Each time we thought it had cleared, another downpour happened … but it eventually stopped and the heat returned, so aiding the drying process.

And the coastal path finally took us to the coast …. the second half of the walk was beautiful – the most scenic of clifftops, stunning beaches, farmland and wild flowers … we had the lot.

It did get slightly scary when we came across the part of the cliff that recently crumbled and fell to the beach. We trod carefully over the cracks on the path and had to laugh (nervous laughter) at the signs that said you must keep 5 meters back from the edge, when often there was only 1-2 meters width of path, unless you trampled all the farmer’s crops.

The day ended well with a little country lane walking back to the car …. even met a friendly little pony on the way! Just over 4 miles today … a very manageable distance.

Monday 22nd July 2019

We’d had a rest day on Sunday so we left home this morning full of energy and enthusiasm. Mundesley to Sea Palling was on the agenda … but again, we planned to do it in reverse due to limited bus services. In fact, so limited that the 9.15am bus we turned up for in Mundesley (after an hour’s drive) didn’t arrive at all. On enquiry we discovered the next bus wasn’t due till after 1.00pm – nightmare! And so it was we shelled out £25 for a taxi to Sea Palling.

The beach was popular with families – golden sands and nearby cafes. There was an option to take an alternative coastal path inland but we decided to walk on the beach coastal path …. which was literally on the beach. This was great to start off with as there was a stretch of concrete steps – but these ran out and we were then forced to walk on hot soft sand … the sun was blazing down by this time …. it felt like walking in the desert. We had a little ‘difference of opinion’ when Steve wanted to us to walk on the sand dunes path. I didn’t fancy this option as (1) it involved climbing over a barrier to get onto it + (2) the sign said “do not access the sand dunes!” So, we carried on with the sand walking for about 2 miles until finally we came to a ramp that took us off the beach. We did see a magnificent area of tern nesting, with hundreds of terns swooping around so Steve got into wildlife photographer mode.

We then had a pleasant walk along a nearby path that had farmed fields, including lavender, to one side and some attractive beach chalets to the other.

This path led us into Happisburgh and to another beautiful beach. Having walked 3 miles so far we decided to stop off and tuck into our sandwiches. Lovely views from the top and I couldn’t help but think what a fabulous place to live with such a jolly name …. until a local lady burst my bubble and informed me that the village is in fact pronounced ‘Haze-bruh.’

Unfortunately after this lovely stop, things turned grim. The next 5 miles took us on an alternative route, away from the coast …. mostly walking through farmland and at times on the roads. And with the day getting hotter and hotter it began to feel suffocating …. and silly me didn’t have a hat! But there was no choice, we just had to soldier on.

After about 6 miles we found a cafe and wearily stepped in, dreaming of an ice-cold drink (our water was pretty warm by now). We were met by the owner who informed us that she was closed, she’d only popped in to water the plants! Seeing the desperation on my face she kindly gave us each a glass of chilled water and refilled our bottles.

We carried on … more farmland, more roads, all the time being told by the signs that the alternative route was to be followed, the proper coastal path was closed off. Steve did get to see a bit of farm machinery though … he does love a combine harvester!

The sun was literally beating down, there was no reprieve. I was struggling big time – feeling dizzy and nauseous – it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. Eventually the path led us back to the clifftop for the final mile which was so much more scenic and with a little more breeze.

So it was a dizzy day …. 9 miles would generally be manageable but not in that intense heat. But we made it and spent a lovely hour on the beach, swimming and cooling off.

From now on it’s a few beach days while this heatwave lasts!

And today Tom and Jess arrive for a week – yippee … let the party begin 😆🎉❤️

Tuesday 16th July 2019

With the knee pain easing up a little, we decided to tackle a few days of walking some longer stretches of coastal path. And so it was on Tuesday, a particularly hot day for these parts, that we picked up where we had left off in Wells next the Sea – our destination the pretty village of Blakeney. A relatively easy flat path and a heavily populated one at that. So lots of ‘Good Mornings” and “Hellos,” even stopped to chat to passers by sometimes – this rambling can be jolly sociable at times! At other times it can be just us and the open path, but not today, far from it.

We walked for mile upon mile with the sea in the distance and marshland to one side, farm land to the other. Very pretty but spectacularly flat. We were entertained along the way with some military aircraft overhead – the Hercules we did get to see but the F35 Lightning flies so high that you don’t see it … it’s like being at a Red Arrows display in regards to noise level but without sight of the planes or the red, blue and white smoke.

As the miles clocked on, the old knee was starting to give me some grief. When we arrived in Morston I was so relieved to spot a tea shop on the beach … but no such luck, with only another mile and a bit to do the decision was made to soldier on to Blakeney. And yet another picturesque village to add to the collection – busy with tourists, walkers and seal spotting day trippers. 7 miles completed, we then wandered up from the harbour to the main road passing pretty country cottages and gardens, to find the bus stop.

Country Cottage Gardens

There’s a great Coastline bus service here so we didn’t have to wait long to be picked up and ‘whisked’ (literally) along the narrow winding roads back to where we had parked the car in Wells. At one point along the way, the traffic was held up both ways by a thoughtless driver who had pulled up to take photos of some cows in water. Gave us some photo opportunities however!

So chuffed with myself for managing 7 miles with a poorly knee …. and have now added to this a gigantic blister on my big toe – hey ho …. the joys of rambling!!

Wednesday 17th July 2019

Another 7 miler planned for today. Set off with toe blister and knee all wrapped, ready to tackle the journey ahead. As long it was flat easy terrain like yesterday I would be just fine!!!

Another fabulously hot day and to start off it was the sea defence ridge path, comfortable underfoot. It was interesting with the two areas of pain vying for attention, if I concentrated on one I could forget the other – I played around with this and tried to focus on other areas of my body – it was quite powerful in achieving some temporary relief.

The path took us on a great loop skirting around the marshland … but it did take us through the pretty village of Cley next the Sea with its numerous art galleries and local craft stores. And we walked though the beautifully kept grounds of Cley Windmill which offers guesthouse and self-catering accommodation, even weddings. A gorgeous setting, I picked up a brochure – perhaps a romantic stop off at some point!?

From here the path took us down to the beach and led us on to Cley Ridge – shingle!! We presumed this would be just a short interlude as its not great terrain for walking but unfortunately it turned out to be 4 miles of uncomfortable shingle and ridged sand. Great! I had to stop feeling the pain and just think of the quads workout I was getting. Stunning beach all the same and the sea looked so inviting. There was only a handful of people along the whole stretch but plenty of birdlife to admire (and not the bikini type!) – Steve’s become quite the David Attenborough!

After 7 miles of walking (4 on shingle) we reached Weybourne. Again we had a walk uphill through the village to locate a bus stop on the main road … to find the faithful old Coasthopper bus. And once again, beautiful houses and gardens …. they do love a hollyhock in Norfolk!

Thursday 18th July 2019

And today we were back for more … leaving Weybourne, Cromer was our original destination.

After yesterday’s shingle nightmare, we were pleased to find ourselves walking along cliff top paths. This felt like proper coastal path walking …. up and down hills, steep steps in parts but a bit more interesting than the flat of recent days and minimal shingle. The weather was not so great today, drizzle and then some full on rain too, mostly cloudy … but the sun did come out to shine on us occasionally. While we walked, swallows swooped all around us …. so hard to capture on photo – they dart so quickly.

From our clifftop viewing vantage, the beaches all day were stunning spectacles – large expanses of shingle that eventually turned into sand stretches. We passed Sheringham Golf Course en route and Steve couldn’t resist helping golfers locate the balls that had wandered onto the path!

We actually treated ourselves to a coffee stop in Sheringham where there were some inviting promenade cafes. One of the nicest flat whites I’d ever had …. and we enjoyed the rest break. But onwards and upwards, Cromer was still some way off.

A little bit of prom and a bit of a cliff top, all the while gazing down at the increasingly sandy stretches – a fabulous walk.

We arrived in Cromer which the signpost informed us is “The Gem of Norfolk.” Certainly an attractive seaside town from what we saw. We even located ‘The Red Lion” pub/hotel where we had stayed for a weekend some 27 years ago – we puzzled over how we had ever managed to source this or book it prior to having internet access!? We didn’t go into the town but certainly the seaside frontage was spectacular – great architecture and grand hotels.

❤️ Beach huts

But, we didn’t want to stop walking in Cromer … we weren’t tired enough … oh no we weren’t!!! We decided we could make it a little further to Overstrand. The path took us down onto the beach where we were faced at first with the dreaded shingle. Luckily the tide was out and still going out so we headed down to the shore and enjoyed the most stunning of strolls along the wide sandy expanse of beach between Cromer and Overstrand. What a spectacular place and hardly a soul around. Loved it and loved the whole walk today – one of my favourites.

It was almost 9 miles today – things are definitely improving. Bring it on!….

On Thursday afternoon we picked up Alice from Kings Lynn station – we had miraculously found a train route from Manchester, so saving Alice the long drive. She had come to check us out in our country cottage residence. The sun was shining when we arrived back at ‘Honeysuckle Cottage’ so we lazed in the garden, chatted, bored Alice to death about Norfolk birds and countryside animals, drank Prosecco and barbecued – a perfect first evening together.

Friday 11th July 2019

We talked Alice into joining us on a stretch of coastal path walking … nothing too arduous as I’m still banging on about my knee injury! So today’s path was from Holkham Beach to Wells next the Sea, two very beautiful places to visit. The path was actually woodland most of the way – very pretty but particularly hot, being sheltered from the coastal breeze – we were stripping layers off as we walked.

And so we rambled along a few woodland miles until we found a path to take us up through the sand dunes onto the beach – the city girl was longing to see the sea. And Alice could not have been disappointed – this beautiful coastal stretch, looking back to the wide expanse of Holkham beach and walking along to the popular, beach-hut lined sands of Wells.

We envied the bathers as we continued our walk, still a mile or so to go. Once off the beach we had a long straight walk alongside the harbour – a walk that seemed to go on for ever. But worth it to reach the quaint town of Wells next the Sea, where ice-cream and shopping awaited Alice and I whilst noble Steve ran back to fetch the car.

Saturday started as all Saturdays in our world start …. with the Parkrun! Alice was able to keep Steve company this week as I’m still ‘signed off!’

After breakfast and showers we headed back to Wells next the Sea, armed with picnic, with the intention of spending a couple of hours on the beach – desperate for a swim. The weather up this way is pretty hit and miss at the moment though so with clouds gathering we embarked on the Light Railway journey from Wells to Walsingham. A quirky little ride, 30 minutes of chugging along some rather overgrown paths – a beautiful montage of wild flowers and busy butterflies … but also ‘something to entertain the children I guess’ …. fairies’ washing lines, unicorn stables, elf lodges and a few scary witches.

I wanted to visit Walsingham as my Mum used to come here with her church group for retreats – I had heard so much about how wonderfully peaceful it was. Tradition has it that in 1061 Mary, Mother of Jesus, appeared in a vision … and so it has been a shrine for nearly 1000 years – a place of pilgrimage for Christians.

The village itself is picture postcard – we visited the churches and shrines and then enjoyed a fabulous walk around the Abbey grounds. Definitely left with a feeling of spirituality. Unfortunately, couldn’t get access to the well where miracle cures are said to have happened … had high hopes for my knee!

The village of Walsingham

In the grounds of Walsingham Abbey

Alice being given a photography lesson!

A product of said photography lesson

When we got back to Wells it was even more cloudy, so we abandoned our swim and beach trip and returned home for a relaxing couple of hours before getting ready for our posh night out at the pub. If ever you find yourself in these parts, we highly recommend ‘The Duck Inn’ gastropub in Stanhoe – the food and service is first class.

My goats cheese and beetroot starter – exquisite!

And when we got back to the cottage, our next door neighbour horses ran over to say hello – they probably were looking for food but we like to think they were being neighbourly. One of them is identical to Spirit – a book/video that was a childhood favourite of Alice’s.

Alice and I had a little lie in on Sunday – came down to find Steve gearing up excitedly for his day of cricket – The World Cup finals. He was so relieved that they were showing the game on terrestrial TV as, throughout the Championship, he has been struggling with internet connection, lots of buffering, watching it on the iPad or listening to it on the radio. He’s considered driving home to watch the games on many occasions.

After breakfast, Alice and I left Steve in peace and headed off for a girls day out. I mustered up all my bravery and drove us along these ridiculously narrow country roads to Sandringham. And we loved it. Walked through the grounds, visited the house, the museum and the church. Felt so special being in the actual rooms that the Royal family use just in everyday life …. where they have dinner, where they watch TV etc. And the scenes that you see at Christmas as the family walk to church … we were there! Love a bit of Royal, especially the Queen.

We spent 3 or 4 hours at Sandringham and then took a detour on the way home, to Old Hunstanton, so Alice could have a final paddle before heading back on Monday to the Manchester City life.

And we were back in time to watch the last hour of the nail-biting match with Steve … we were jumping out of our seats, agonising, crying, cheering and finally celebrating our boys winning the Cricket World Cup for the very first time … so proud.

Old Hunstanton

So this morning we waved farewell to Alice …. and in 10 days time, Tom and Jess are coming up for a visit. Feel very blessed – it’s all about family ❤️

We haven’t been idle in the last few weeks, just waiting patiently to heal. Steve’s back to the Parkrun, building up his running strength. I’ve been venturing out sightseeing, hobbling a few miles each day to keep up some activity. We’ve joined the ‘Meerkat’ club and have been enjoying half price cinema and 2 for 1 meals. Even squeezed in a couple of beach days when the sun decided to shine. And lots of birdwatching.

This weekend, Tracey and Jeff came to stay and we managed to fit in a BBQ, Parkrun, Holkham Estate, Holkham Beach, Houghton Hall and grounds, dinner at our local pub – the Duck Inn (absolutely first class meal), some shopping in the beautiful Burnham Market shops and Old Hunstanton. Such a fun weekend, great company.

Brancaster Staithe to Burnham Ovary Staithe

However, on Monday we decided to get back on that coastal path. We made the decision to cut the task down into smaller segments so that I could join in. So it was with plenty of meds, voltarol, knee support and walking poles (or cheat sticks as some like to call them) that we set off from Brancaster Staithe late morning.

The tide was in which made the walk a little more scenic – sometimes it can just be miles of mudflats with abandoned boats. The high tide in fact meant that we had to detour temporarily onto a path overgrown with all sorts of prickly things – lots of leg scratches. It was a little cloudy on starting out but the sun broke through soon enough.

On the initial stretch of path, we got a glimpse of how the other half live – houses designed to maximise the sea views, with long long stretches of garden dipping down to the coast. Many a perfect lawn for Steve to envy.

It was a pretty walk all in all with a large selection of butterflies criss-crossing our path, fabulous seabirds and wildflowers a-plenty. And as the sun began to shine it was so picturesque looking out at the boats on the blue water – summed up by a local walker who commented in true Norfolk tones … “bootiful voo!”

We pass numerous fields of cows along these paths but today we came alongside some rather interesting types, with very large horns …. we’re guessing Highland Cattle. Now, I don’t know much about their nature but I was mighty glad to find that there was a ditch and a fence between them and us.

And so the walk passed without incident and after just 4 miles we arrived in pretty Burnham Ovary with its fine windmill and fields of barley.

It was fabulous to be back walking albeit with some discomfort. Obviously our pace is much slower but Steve has taken full charge of the photography which gives me a little time to get ahead. I feel I have an affinity with Andy Murray … longing to be pain-free … I feel your pain Andy!! 😘

Once we got to the harbour, I rested up on a bench while Steve ran the 4 miles back to get the car.

Burnham Ovary Staithe to Holkham

After an intermission day of World Cup Cricket (come on England!) and Wimbledon, we embarked on another stretch today – just 3 and a half miles this time. It was drizzling as we left the pretty harbour area but we didn’t let that put us off. And neither did it deter a handful of artists who were busily poised over their easels, capturing the pretty scenes.

The initial path was along a stretch of sea defence ridge with perfect views all around. Plenty of oyster catchers busying themselves in the shallows … got us thinking about their diets – do they only eat oysters!? And plenty of walkers on the path today which is not always the case. It is a very flat stretch however which is probably more appealing. I’m not sure my knee would be up to the South West Coastal stretches right now, although funnily enough the pain eases up when I’m walking uphill …. it’s the downhill and flat that kills.

About half way we climbed a steep sand dune and found ourselves on the wonderful stretch of beach leading up to Holkham. It has to be one of the country’s most striking of beaches, even world class. I love to stomp my way along the hundreds of scattered razor shells … comparable to the joys of popping bubble wrap!

Razor shells

The walk along the beach started off well as the sand was hard, but it turned to heavily ridged and then soft sand which wasn’t too great for those knees. So we found a detour into the woodland area alongside and it was a pretty and more comfortable way to finish off.

So by lunchtime we’d reached the cafe at Holkham. Steve quickly swapped his walking boots for his trainers and set off to run back the 3 and a half miles to fetch the car. I hung out with a coffee until my chauffeur returned!

❤️ coastal walking

Walking the Norfolk Coastal Path ~ Hunstanton to Brancaster Staithe

Well our Alice would have been very pleased with how todays walk started!!  Leaving Hunstanton in lovely sunshine heading towards Brancaster it was only a few minutes before the Coastal Path offered the beach walk option for some five miles, passing through some picture postcard seaside villages notably Holme Next The Sea and Thornham.  

The North Sea with the wind blowing, it’s rainy and the tide is out can be very grey and dismal, fast forward to when its sunny and the tide is in what a beautiful sight and wonderful to see so many people on the beach. There was sun bathers, dog walkers and even a few fellow coastal walkers for the first time in three days walking this part of the coast!

There’s a lot of work going on along this coast with sea defences, there being some threat from that global warming thingy we hear so much about and you do realise how very flat the land is up here, a high tide could and does cause serious damage. 

Having said that a lot of the coast is already marshland which after the first few miles caused quite a diversion to avoid that ‘sinking in the mud’ feeling. 

Tried crossing one small stream, getting feet drenched in the process although this part saved probably a couple of miles only to find a little later that it was impossible (and bonkers) to try and cut across the several miles of salt marsh which forms the coast just after Thornham.  So those clever people that organise these paths have made a diversion inland which I’m all in favour of other than it’s a huge three / four mile inland loop meaning for the best part of an hour there’s no sight of the sea!  Anyways walking across fields is good and there are some wonderful wild flower displays, probably better than my garden!

Today’s walk though finished very brightly with the last part towards Brancaster Staithe (wharf or quay, I checked wikipedia) being on a raised wooden walkway through the marshland, spectacular wildlife and flowers before entering aforementioned Staithe where a well earned sandwich and cuppa awaited following a near 13 miles walk in almost four hours with not a break in sight!  Oh happy days…..

PS Just in case you missed it, when we first mentioned to Alice a couple of years back that we were walking the Coastal Path there was a thought it may have been ‘just a stroll along the beach’ ha ha….

Walking the Norfolk Coastal Path ~ Shepherd’s Port to Hunstanton

These days of walking present various planning challenges, with today’s challenge being how the heck did we co-ordinate our car being at either the start or the end of the run?  Not essential I know but if your picnic lunch is in the car then planning is definitely required….

The walk today in theory was just five miles and the normal plan is we drive the car to the end of the walk and then catch a bus back to the start and then walk to the car.  Only problem being that the Shepherd’s Port bus stop is nearly three miles away!

I’M NOT LOOKING TO WALK THREE MILES EXTRA!! 

This is before we walk the five miles..do you get the idea?

With my foot being nearly better and Deirdre’s knee seeming okay for a short (in theory) walk we hatched a plan.  I would drop Deirdre at Shepherd’s Port and then take the car and park somewhere near the bus stop and then I’d walk back down to our startpoint.

This plan went reasonably well and we had a lovely walk through the sand dunes (I’d already walked the three miles!) and it turned out to be a wonderful sunny afternoon.  A mixed terrain of walking included the sand of course but also the pure delight of a couple of miles walking along the promenade as we arrive into Hunstanton. 

Whilst walking we’ve posted loads of beach and sea pictures but today some of the best pictures were the wonderful display of wild flowers that occupy all the hedgerows and open spaces in North Norfolk!