Best bits: proper coastal walking for most of the day
Worst bits: saying goodbye to Viv and Frank
Distance: 14.8 miles
First thing this morning I had an egg McMuffin and a cup of tea to set me up for the day.
After popping into Asda to sort out parking I said my goodbyes to Viv and Frank as they gave me a lift back to Corton to start the day.
According to the map today I would be walking along the coast without any long detours in land. The sun was out but it was very breezy making it feel much cooler than it probably was.
Not long after starting I got chatting to Ann, Theresa and Harry. They did invite me in for a cuppa but it was a bit too early.
After initially walking on the clifftop path it was time to walk on the beach. There are extensive sea defences along this coast protecting the sandy cliffs from erosion.
I was now on the Norfolk Coast Path and thus sign indicated how far my next few days will take me.
I got my feet wet trying to get between the water and the rocks. Then it was a long walk on soft sand into Gorleston-on-sea where there were numerous cafés.
I carried on walking along the waterfront which changed from beach to harbour along the River Yare swapping cafés and houses for large ship, docks and industrial units.
I was able to take a little shortcut from my original plan due to the Herring bridge over the River Yare which opened last year and I was able to cross as a pedestrian. after walking along the dockside on the opposite side of the river, I decided to take another shortcut towards the beach at Great Yarmouth. This brought me out at the Pleasure beach.
Today was bank holiday Monday and the start of half term in England for some schools and so there were lots of families around. Most people were wearing jackets because it was cool. Although I was wearing just a T-shirt and a high viz vest. Great Yarmouth also has a big wheel and horses and carriages that trot up and down the prom.
I was looking for somewhere to have lunch when I spotted the Happy days café. It was done out like an American diner and the team there were really friendly. I’m sorry I forgot to get their names. I had a massive jacket potato with cheese and beans and a cup of tea. It was hard to get going again due to the massive carb overload.
It wasn’t long before I was moving away from the busy area. A traffic warden was putting parking tickets on two motorhomes but when I looked more closely they had parked in the disabled spaces so it was their own fault.
The Venetian waterways and boating lake are highly manicured gardens and it was a shame that the grass areas look so brown due to lack of rain. There was even the Great Yarmouth model boating club where several older men were sailing huge model boats.
I managed to capture this bee landing on these purple alliums that were in full bloom. I was wondering how the alliums were doing in my garden at home as I used to spend a lot of time watching bees feeding on them. 
The boating lake had pedalos and rowing boats on it. I had a flashback to when our whole family were racing, and crashing into each other and boarding each other like pirates on the lake at Centre Parcs for Danny’s 21st birthday.
It was back on the soft sand at Caister-on-sea which makes for slower going. Then there was an alternative route which took me through the bracken, obviously paying attention for any adders that might have been basking in the sunlight.
The sky started to fill with black clouds and I wondered whether I would get wet.
As I continued to walk along the beach at California, I was fascinated by the various types of sea defences there were, most of which haven’t lasted the course. These included, concrete blocks, interlocking blocks, gabions, wooden supports, concrete foundations and fences of many different materials.
There was some clues of what might have been there before including pipework, concrete foundations and telegraph poles. The cliffs are literally sand dunes with nothing holding them together.
The long flat stretch of beach from Great Yarmouth to Hemsby seemed to go on forever. Eventually, I was able to get off the beach and was very surprised at how busy the area was. There were multiple amusement arcades, bingo holes and eateries. The streets were absolutely packed with people.
I managed to find the bus stop and jumped on the Coastal Clipper service. I had to swap buses to get me back into town where it was just a short walk to Priscilla. I was very tired today. I had to make sure I didn’t fall asleep on the bus.
Yesterday we saw two old fellas sitting on the seawall eating ice cream. It made me think about all the times Angela and I had talked about growing old together but alas that was not meant to be. I’ve been very tearful on and off today. I’ve noticed that this happens more when I’m feeling tired. So I jumped into bed as soon as I got back.
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