Go East!

We procrastinated
put off making a decision
and were generally indecisive.

The grey wet weather hadn't helped.
How can you plan a holiday when the weather is so rubbish?
Hibernation felt more appropriate!

I kept looking at the calendar
trying to work out when
a) we had some free days
and
b) when the sun would be likely to shine!

In the end we realised that we would have to go as soon as the KHT broke up from college.
Norfolk was our chosen destination
We have only been to Norfolk for a holiday once before
and on that ocasion we seemed to be camped in the middle of an earwig infestation.
We were NOT going back to that site again!
I took a deep breath and picked a site near Cromer.

A flurry of activity ensued, as we frantically tried to get everything done that needed to be done before we went away - including making all the invitations for the Afternoon Tea Service, which will take place a few days after we return.

Last time we headed east,
which was possibly in 2013,
they were in the process of upgrading the A14.
Six years later and they were still in the process of upgrading the A14.



It was interesting to see parts that I remember as being a muddy building site, were now much improved sections of road - with the sea of mud replaced by landscaping.

Our car has a built in sat nav.
When we bought it the salesman assured us,
with his promotional parlance,
that the satnav would update itself automatically.
At the time I was doubtful.
Having driven along the A14 I am even more doubtful,
as we traversed sections of tarmac of which the satnave was blissfully unaware.
We often had to guess where we needed to go.
Satnav - you are supposed to tells us!

We found Cambridge services, in the middle of roadworks.
Six years ago, it was a welcome oasis,  safe place to stop.
Today it was noisy, overcrowded and accessed by a tortuous route past partially built road bridges.
We ate lunch, drank our coffee and didn't linger.

Heading northwards, suddenly a large church looms out of the plains
"Wow! That must be Ely Cathedral!" I guessed.
"We must visit it sometime!
"Can we go there today?" asks the KHT
"Not towing a caravan..."

I wonder how many other cities have a name as short as Ely?
At Ely we had to guess which way to go - and guessed wrong. Fortunately we found a bit of road which looped around, saving us any complicated manoeuvres with the caravan.
Look on the bright side, at least we saw the cathedral twice - albeit from a distance!
The satnav then took us up a narrow very bumpy road past some depot - Queen Adelaide or some such name.
As we travelled we had tantalising glimpses of Ouses both Great and Little -  as they traversed the countryside.





We found the campsite and checked in.
"Have you visited before?"
"No"
She rattled of some directions and handed us a map.
I had forgotten the directions before we left the office.
Anything with a reference to left or right is doomed before it is spoken.
By now there were about five other vehicles queued behind us.
DH asked the KHT to open the gate for us.
She did and we pulled forward.
The KHT then wanted to let all the other vehicles through as well...
"No, they need to check in first!" DH pointed out.
Reluctantly the KHT climbed in the car, deprived of self appointed role as chief gate-opener.
By this time I have definitely forgotten the instructions and I am trying to make sense of the map,
"Do we turn up there?" I ask, as we pass a track
DH drives forward.

We find ourselves in a farmyard.
Things are not looking promising.
Who else, besides us, could get lost on a farm?!
I get out the car and ask a couple who are admiring the view
if they know where the camping fields are.
"Oh you shouldn't be in here!" says the man,
"You need to turn around, then I will show you where to go."
Poor DH then has to try and turn around the car and caravan, with his spatially-challenged wife giving directions.
At the third shunt he makes it, without demolishing the carefully stacked hay bales.
A bemused head appears outof a barn doors and looks at us and shakes his head in bemusement at another set of visitors incapable of following simple instructions..
The couple show us where we should have turned and we follow the track up to the field.

DH greets the sight of the toilet block with joy. It is a couple of hours since lunch.
He greets the sight of the cleaning team with less joy,
however they direct him to an alternative block which is surprisingly close.
We find our pitch which has a view over the sea, with an onshore breeze to match!
Welcome to windy Norfolk.