Time and space...

Over the last couple of weeks it had become clear that we weren't going to manage a holiday this year, so instead we decided to make time for a few family days out. The North Norfolk Coast was on our list of places to visit, but Chris's accident meant that many of our usual haunts weren't suitable. However, I searched the internet for disables access, found that we could hire a wheelchair from the RSPB reserve at Titchwell, and off we went.

We'd never visited Titchwell before, preferring the slightly wilder and less populated parts of the coast. It was rather busy along the western embankment, with families and keen birdwatchers lugging around huge telescopes. But there were views across freshwater and brackish lagoons, as well as extensive areas of saltmarsh, which we could all enjoy without having to sit in a hide. The range of birds was excellent. Amongst the highlights were plenty of avocets, black-tailed godwits, bar-tailed godwits, little egrets and a few juvenile little ringed plover. But the star of the show for me were the spoonbills - well over twenty of them. I've seen them in the Netherlands, but this is the first time that I've seen British ones. They were mostly fairly distant, but we had several good views of them flying, and feeding in the saltmarsh.

The wheelchair had to be returned by quarter past five, which was a bit early to go to the pub for a meal. So we headed to a car-park in the saltmarsh at Thornham for half-an-hour or so. This was less densely populated than Titchwell, although there were families crabbing round the pools and even a wet-suited snorkeller swimming in the main channel. My image was taken from the car-park, but it sums up what I love best about the Norfolk coast - sky and marsh and sand dunes, whose appearance changes subtly from moment to moment.

After an excellent meal at the Jolly Sailors at Brancaster Staithe we headed back home, just missing a beautiful sunset. Although it was short, just for a day I really felt as though I was on holiday...and no packing or washing afterwards!