norfolk

With Norfolk in the news today I realised it was about time I got round to posting some of my photos from our trip there last month.

Wouldn't you just love a woodpile like this?

Norfolk is a big, big county and nearly all of it is absolutely lovely, but the north west coast - sometimes called the Saltmarsh Coast - is the loveliest part of all. One of the reasons for this is that it's miles and miles from anywhere, and it always takes us a good half-day to get there - very bad news for the impatient holidaymaker.

Blakeney village is full of quirky things like this funny old door knocker

Once you're there, though, you might never want to leave, and this is always what happens to me. I spend a good part of the holiday feverishly plotting how we could move there and live forever in such a peaceful, beautiful place... until I work out that a) there's no work, b) living somewhere is never the same as being on holiday and c) all my family would be hundreds of miles away. This very same thought process occurs every single time we go. Doh! You would think I'd learn.

Ancient painted wood screens in the beautiful, lonely church at Salle which sits all by itself in the middle of fields and is almost big enough to be a cathedral

Anyway, it's always lovely and we always have a wonderful, reviving time. There are six main things to do in Norfolk: 1) Walk slowly looking at things 2) Cycle slowly looking at things 3) Watch birds 4) Eat delicious local food 5) Mooch about 6) Absolutely nothing. As we like to pack in as many activities as possible, we generally make the effort to fit in almost all of these every day and thus get the maximum benefit from our visit. We are no slouches.

One of the places we enjoyed eating and drinking was Wiveton Farm Cafe which is in an utterly beautiful setting on the edge of the marshes and surrounded by gently rolling woodland. You can watch marsh harriers hunting and eat freshly picked strawberries from Emma Bridgewater pottery. It was only about ten minutes walk from where we stayed.

On our last day, we pushed the boat out and went to visit the very lovely and delightful Voewood House, a gorgeous Arts and Crafts house near Holt which is owned by the bookseller Simon Finch and has been decorated by his friend Annabel Grey.

It's made entirely from local stone, brick and concrete - one of the first houses to be built from concrete in this country.

Annabel Grey did these lovely mosaics in one of the bathrooms.

As well as being beautifully restored architecturally, it is a brilliantly quirky interior packed full of original artwork, unusual artefacts and little displays of books and ornaments.

The garden is beautiful as well.