Overstrand, Norfolk.

For our holiday we stayed in the very pleasant seaside village of Overstrand which is just a mile or so east of Cromer. Our cottage was situated in The Londs which is one of the prettiest lanes I've ever come across. After a wander down the Londs (with much peeking over the flint walls to admiring the beautiful gardens and cottages) access is gained via a short but steep path to miles of sandy beaches. Here are some images of Overstrand, though the beach photos will be getting their own post!

On arrival at the cottage the children admire the view from their window. Swifts are darting around the skies and are fascinating to watch. We have no swifts near our own home so it's a novelty to watch them and listen to their shrill calls. I don't know why there aren't any near us, I'll need to do further research. I know they are found further north than us so there must be some other reason...

The drive down to Norfolk was not very pleasant at all. The weather was atrocious and flooding on the A1(M) caused delays. We ended up having lunch at a roadside cafe, the like of I didn't think existed any more. I've never been in a greasy spoon where the plates, seats, tables and indeed spoons were quite so greasy! However, my bacon roll was rather tasty and the toilets were functioning if incredibly grubby, so fortified and refreshed we carried on with the journey. At last the rain stopped, the clouds dispersed and the sun shone for the last 60 miles or so of the journey which made all the difference to our first impressions of this part of Norfolk.

Over the holiday we had mixed weather. At times it was sunny and warm, but we did also have a fair bit of rain though never for a whole day so it was always possible to get out and about. Overall it was warmer than at home - I didn't wear socks for the whole holiday! On returning home the socks are back on, as are the sheepskin baffies (slippers to those not fortunate enough to have ever lived in Angus, though on searching for an on-line definition it appears that the word is becoming more prevalent in Scotland as a whole - the things you find out when writing a blog post...). 

OK, back to topic. Here we go for some pretty shots of things (other than sand, sea and groynes (I'd never seen groynes before) which will follow soon!) to be found in Overstrand...

A boat and tractor (and N) at the top of the cliff beside the path to the beach.

Convolvulus.

Umbellifers and lovely weathered wood.

Mallow.

Roses. These particular ones topping a garden wall in The Londs were a most striking bright orange shade. All the gardens along The Londs seemed full of the most beautiful roses. I definitely want to plant a climbing rose (or two, perhaps even three) in our garden now.

A view down the Londs. This cottage is called Crab Cottage and was my favourite.

Pretty gate.

Looking back up The Londs, lovely flint walls and red roofed cottages.

A & N a top the climbing frame in the park.

Scabious.

The wind vane at the top of the path to the beach. I took this photo right at the end of my bike ride mentioned in my previous post...

...and the next morning I took an almost identical shot - purely by coincidence as I often take photos of the same things at different times though I was surprised to see the angle of the shot was so similar. The lighting is obviously quite different, I like the effect of seeing both photos together.

One of the rusty tractors down by the beach. These are used to haul the crabbing boats into and out of the the sea.

A bit of the crabbing boat, and N's balance bike.

Yes, I like umbellifer photo ops.

Daisy.

Looking down at the beach huts from the top of the cliff. This is the first time I'm aware of seeing beach huts. I sound like I've led a sheltered life but the kind of UK beaches I've visited in the past (East & West of Scotland, North Wales, North Cornwall) don't have beach huts as far as I recall.

I had a prawn cocktail baked potato at the cliff top cafe.

Breakfast made by hubby. I love fried mushrooms on buttered toast, mmm.

Crab cottage again, this time in sunshine and with deep blue skies.

Looking down The Londs from Crab cottage, you can see the sea at the end.

Another view of the boat and tractor at the top of the cliff.

The sea wall and a fluffy cloud.

A little peek at the beach.

The best burger ever. From The White Horse. We ended up going there two nights for tea and I enjoyed the burger so much the first night I had it again when we went back on our last evening.