A Hop and a Skip to Cley (rhymes with Sky)

Wells has many good things to offer, not least a locally renowned deli. Guess where we were headed first thing this morning? I'm still determined to get my hands on some of Mrs Temple's cheeses but with two days' walking still ahead we restrained ourselves, feasted just our eyes for now and simply grabbed a sarnie before heading off, destination Cley-next-the-Sea. The locals had been up early, and we watched a haul of crab being unloaded before leaving town to follow the line of a grassy embankment through the salt marshes. 

Legend has it that a giant dog haunts this area at night and whilst it was clearly a tale put about by smugglers of old hoping to keep people off the marshes so they could have the place to themselves, the story of Black Shuck became the inspiration for Conan-Doyle's  "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Bleak it most definitely is.

Our first port of call today was Morston, normally home to just a National Trust kiosk and a quay from which boats take visitors out to Blakeney Point to see the seals but sadly, today, overrun with schoolchildren and where work to relay the car park was noisily in full swing. Managing only a tepid cup of tea in a paper cup we were soon ready to leave, hoping that Blakeney itself would be more peaceful. It was. Charming, quiet and unspoilt. 

From here the terrain changed again. Finding ourselves atop a purpose-built ridge, part sea defence and part pathway intended to discourage visitors from eroding the protected breeding grounds, the clouds soon lifted and before we knew it the most celebrated Norfolk windmill of all was visible in the distance. 

Note: Vast blue skies and not another person in sight :-)

Cley Windmill

And so to Cley-next-the-Sea. Remarkably, having anticipated a 5.00pm arrival, we found ourselves checking in at 3.15pm! It had been a lovely, easy 10.5 miles and our only complaint was that there isn't more of Cley to explore. 

Final push tomorrow. The last leg starts with 4 miles of shingle, said to be challenging, before the afternoon approach to Cromer. Blog may be delayed till Saturday as we'll be celebrating with our old friends, Ian and Ann, who have joined us this evening for dinner and with whom we'll rendezvous again tomorrow.

Ridiculous pic in the beer garden - me teaching Ann how to take a selfie (on request)! Yes, it's true, this was a genuine technical lesson.  I fear we should call this not so much 'the blind leading the blind' as 'the grin outgrinning the grin'! She'll kill me for using this. These smiles did not last. Our pals are footie fans. Apparently something dreadful happened tonight. Dur?? X