CLUB SITES THE SANDRINGHAM ESTATE & THE COVERT TALES Don Jolly uses two wooded Club sites as bases from which to uncover a host of East Anglian attractions

T FIRST glance, the Club’s two A shop reached along a tree-lined Snettisham, found on The Wash, is a quayside, the Custom House. Nearby If that sounds too energetic, you can There can’t be many caravan sites with Not to be missed: west Norfolk sites – The footpath offers basic foodstuffs, while must for all self-respecting birdwatchers. stands a statue of local lad Captain relax on ‘Sunny Hunny’s’ sandy beach a Second World War armoured vehicle at a mass take-off at Snettisham RSPB Sandringham Estate and The nearby West Newton’s village store sells One of the natural world’s spectacular George Vancouver, famous for exploring backed by red and white ‘layer cake’ cliffs, the entrance, but that’s what you’ll find A reserve Covert – appear very similar. Both lie meat from the royal estate. More down- sights is the mass take-off of thousands of North America’s Pacific coast. visit the Sea Life Sanctuary or take a boat at The Covert. ‘Little Audrey’, a within forest, but closer inspection reveals to-earth, the mobile Village Fryer calls on wading birds as the tide approaches. Miss A quarter of an hour away by car, Castle trip to view seal colonies. Beyond Cromwell tank, commemorates the five ❖ important differences. Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings the moment and you could console yourself Rising has a superb Norman castle, while, Hunstanton, Norfolk’s north coast has months members of the 7th Armoured Most obviously, Sandringham is handy with fish and chips. Standard pub grub is with the east coast’s finest sunsets. With farther afield, Heacham’s popular Norfolk more sandy beaches and boating havens Division, nicknamed the Desert Rats, for coastal visits, while The Covert, available at The Feathers in Dersingham luck, you might witness both... Lavender attraction is certainly worth a such as Brancaster Staithe and Burnham were based here before they shipped to though not far from the sea, is better or the Black Horse in Castle Rising. Near Sandringham, west Norfolk’s visit. Here, you can see how lavender is Overy Staithe. Normandy in 1944. Indeed, if you opt Ordnance Survey Landranger Maps 132, suited for countryside wanderings. Popular reasons for staying at biggest town, King’s Lynn, has its roots in distilled, buy it in various forms and tour Inland, Bircham Windmill is a family for a hardstanding you’ll be lowering 143, 144 Sandringham, while surrounded by Sandringham are the vicinity of the medieval times. Standing where the river the growing fields, at their colourful and favourite, being part museum, part your corner steadies on the original mature woodland, features larger open famous estate – the Queen’s retreat – and Great Ouse meets The Wash, it was once fragrant best between mid-June and late bakery. Children can meet small concrete tank park. More attractive spaces dotted with small silver birch. Snettisham RSPB reserve. ’s third largest port, trading August. An additional draw at this site is animals, there’s a tea room-cum-art grassy pitches are among the pines. Fortunately, the forest effectively screens Visitors to Sandringham Estate profitably with northern Europe’s the Rare Breeds & Animal Centre. gallery and bikes can be hired for local I’ve mentioned a couple of differences the A149’s traffic noise. will find a museum, magnificent gardens Hanseatic League. Farther north, Victorian Hunstanton exploration. Peddars Way, a former between Sandringham and The Covert; “As long as the wind isn’t blowing and the Royal Stud, created by the Several buildings from the period stand has a genteel air, but if you’re a kite surfer Roman road, passes close by and another is that the latter has no toilet in the wrong direction,” says Forbes Prince of Wales (who would later behind South Quay, including St it can be wild. As stiff breezes blow across Houghton Hall, a mansion built in the block. Such a facility was planned, but Scott, a regular visitor from Norwich become Edward VII) in 1886. A statue Margaret’s church, the Trinity Guildhall The Wash, surfers skim the waves beneath 1720s for Sir , Britain’s permission wasn’t forthcoming, to the with his wife, Judy, and family, “it’s of the Stud’s 1896 Derby winner, with its chequerboard frontage, the their colourful kites, leaping occasionally first prime minister, is a gentle three or resounding relief of most members nice and peaceful here.” Persimmon, graces the grounds. Old Gaol House next door and, on the to astonishing heights. four miles’ ride away. regularly using the site. >>

20 The Caravan Club Magazine November 2010 The Caravan Club Magazine 21 CLUB SITES THE SANDRINGHAM ESTATE & THE COVERT

artefacts relating to Howard Carter. Brought up locally, he was one of the discoverers of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Another lure is the Ecotech Centre, where you can learn about alternative energy and climb inside a wind turbine for views over Breckland. North of the town, Castle Acre is a pretty village on Peddars Way. The castle remains are somewhat further ruined by ugly metal railings (the heavy hand of health and safety, no doubt), though the extensive earthworks are among England’s most complete. Nearby, in the Nar valley, you will find the not- inconsiderable ruins of a Cluniac priory. Nearer The Covert, along an unclassified road between Swaffham and Stoke Ferry, a DID YOU trio of attractions comes in quick succession. The Iceni The Covert KNOW? The Wash is fed by the Village at Cockley Cley is the rivers Great Ouse, Nene, WellandWitham and reconstruction of a settlement One couple who like the lack believed to have been in the area ATTRACTIONS of amenities is Peter and Jan Ripley, 2,000 years ago, while Gooderstone Water n Sandringham Estate –call frequent visitors from Llanelli. “We love Gardens was created from waterlogged 01553 612908 or see this site so much for its peace and quiet,” pastures in the 1970s and restored in 2002. sandringhamestate.co.uk they say. “Building a toilet block would Finally, Oxburgh Hall is a romantic n Houghton Hall – call detract from all that.” 15th-century moated manor house in the 01485 528569 or see The Covert is terrific for wildlife, and village of Oxborough. Don’t miss the houghtonhall.com you’ll as likely see a muntjac deer needlework created by Mary, Queen of n Castle Rising Castle –call 01553 631330 or see wandering through or hear a nightjar, as see Scots, and the secret priest’s hole. english-heritage.org.uk a slow worm slithering across the ground or Even closer to the site, Lynford n Norfolk Lavender, a small copper butterfly fluttering by. Arboretum and Lakes was once part Heacham – call 01485 Domestic animals love it too – it’s excellent of the estate of Lynford Hall (now a 570384 or see norfolk- for dog walking. hotel). Unfortunately, you can’t take lavender.co.uk Many people have difficulty dragging dogs, but there’s easy walking and n Searles Seatours, themselves away from such tranquillity, interesting wildlife. Hunstanton – call Bircham 01485 534444 or see Windmill but those who do will find plenty of Farther south, the isolated lunar seatours.co.uk enticements. Swaffham has a big square landscape of Grime’s Graves is the result n Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary – call 0871 423 2110 or see surrounded by Georgian buildings which of Neolithic miners digging for flint with sealsanctuary.co.uk comes alive for Saturday-morning markets. antler picks. Visitors can descend 30ft n Bircham Windmill, Great Bircham – call 01485 578393 or Meanwhile, Swaffham Museum contains into one of the 400 excavated shafts. n see birchamwindmill.co.uk n Swaffham Museum – call 01760 721230 or see swaffhammuseum.co.uk n Ecotech Centre, Swaffham – call 01760 726100 or see The Sandringham Estate ecotech.org.uk n Iceni Village, Cockley Clay – call 01760 724588 or see icenivillage.com

INFORMATION SITE Details can be found on p165 (The Sandringham Estate) and p166 (The Covert) of the Sites Directory & Handbook 2009/10 TOURISM n King’s Lynn TIC – call 01553 763044 or see west-norfolk.gov.uk n Hunstanton TIC – call 01485 532610 or see west-norfolk.gov.uk n Swaffham TIC – call 01760 722255 CYCLING n From The Sandringham Estate: for a ride to The Wash estuary in King’s Lynn, join National Cycle Network Route 1 and head south on a combination of quiet roads and traffic-free paths. n From The Covert: the nearest National Cycle Network route is NCN 13. It takes in quiet roads from Fakenham to Thetford, and passes through the market town of Dereham. See sustrans.org.uk for more information on both routes.

22 The Caravan Club Magazine