Lots of things on the list you could do as a family activity yourselves. But I’m going to try to do things at the 7 participating National Trust properties in Norfolk as they’ll be lots of people about to lend me a paw! Butterflies conkers and blackberries will have to wait but that’s half the fun! One of the 50 things is tracking wild animals!! I don’t think they mean Barnaby, my brother! Here we are climbing though not strictly TREE climbing, so I can’t tick that one just yet! Another is run around in the rain, perhaps Paddington will let me borrow his Wellingtons? You too can join in. Sign up on the 50 things website to get the list, create a personal explorer account, earn ‘rewards’.

The National Trust has just updated the list for 2013! I’ve just printed out three copies – two for me in case I make a mistake, and one for visiting Barnaby to take back home with him to Surrey.

You can get help from 5 elite National Trust rangers: Tree man (a tree climbing expert) Captain Skim (mega stone skimmer) Midas (the treasure hunter) Den Boy (an outdoor hideaway-building champion) and The Bug Collector (minibeast expert).

Follow my antics online and tune in to Facebook and Twitter (@ournorfolk) for updates!

Head gardener Paul Underwood provides Our Norfolk with a ‘potted’ history:

The garden itself probably pre-dates the existing Hall as Dagworth Manor occupied the site prior to the Hall’s construction and would have had a medieval garden. The present day grounds were initially laid out as a formal Jacobean garden. Early garden plans dating from 1729 show Blickling’s graceful lake was formed by the damming of a stream which runs down into the River Bure from Pond Meadow. It was Lady Lothian who planted the lovely topiary in the 1870’s (that adorns our story icon image) now clipped to symbolise the current patron’s logo: the National Trust’s ‘acorn’. I especially like the Oriental Plane trees, planted around 250 years ago. There is one main tree. Branches have been encouraged to ground level, intentionally layered, producing three further trees. A low brick wall, part of a Victorian bastion, gives the impression of the trees residing in a ‘tankfull’ of bluebells. Nora Lindsay, a socialite gardener specialising in designing new gardens for old country houses in 1930’s was brought in by the 11th Marquis to make changes to the garden’s design. It was she who introduced more informal plantings, redesigning the Parterre into four large square beds.

But who introduced the bluebells? Possibly Nora pre 1930’s, nobody’s really sure. What is certain is gardens, by their very nature, keep evolving. Fast forward to 1987. That famous gale brought down 260 trees. As a result, The Avenues were replanted with an under-planting of bulbs including 10,000 Narcissus. The Woodland Dell was created from a damp corner only 8 years ago. There are plans to further open up and renovate the Walled Kitchen Garden complete with its Mulberry tree. The Orangery, built in 1781, now has a splendid new garden stocked with woodland planting. A seat, designed by John Adey Repton, son of the great garden designer Sir Humphrey Repton (he of Sheringham Park fame) adorns this latest Blickling garden initiative, a fitting juxtaposition of old and new.

Blicking Hall’s 55 acres is looked after by 5 gardeners + a great team of volunteers. The on-site second hand bookshop generously provides funds for new projects. Look out for the information board as you enter the back garden, featuring ‘plant of the month’ and ‘what to look for in Spring’. Free guided tours are available at set times, just ask about ‘garden guides’ at Reception, 1300 visitors did throughout 2012!

As for Blickling’s ‘front’ garden, you may already know that those iconic Yew hedges, already recorded as tall by the 1740’s, are trimmed once a year in an annual trimming spree lasting 3 months (culminating in a mile long haha hedge around the edge of the garden). But did you know that their clippings are collected (by Friendship Estates) and used as a vital raw ingredient for the production of anti-cancer drugs?

The collection encompasses over 3000 items, collected since the 1970’s following numerous journeys through South Asia, featuring architectural items, vernacular furniture and objects which illustrate the everyday arts and crafts of the region. In reality, this translates to an eclectic display from whole facades of buildings to display cabinets containing delicate treasures. Take a look at this article, published in Green Pebble magazine, before you visit as it interviews Phillip and Jeannie Millward about their collection.

I suggest you split the day by venturing back into England for lunch at the Metfields Deli situated only a 5 minute walk away in Upper St Giles, before diving back into ‘Asia’ for the afternoon.

Turn right at the front gates and take a short stroll up to the church at St Giles, which should be clothed in its stunning seasonal purple wisteria (breathe in that smell!). Keeping the church on your right, you’ve now entered Upper St Giles where Metfields can be found a little way up on the right. Choose from their daily specials and rest your feet.

Take another few minutes, go a little further up the street and you’ll find the irresistible interiors abode of The Bell Jar, offering mostly French pieces of a certain patina and hue at prices that are so competitive, don’t expect any piece to loiter if you are of wavering mind.

WHEN
The Collection is open to view 9.30am – 5pm Monday to Saturday, the current featured exhibitions for May are ‘Early visions of India: Three pioneering British Artists’, ‘Beadwork from Gujarat, Western India’ and ‘Recent Acquisitions’.  If you visit between 11th and 26th May, you will additionally encounter the Norfolk and Norwich International Arts Festival, established 240 years ago.  Check out their site for a varied programme including music, visual arts, circus, theatre and dance.

WHERE
Bethel Street Norwich. Stand with your back to the market with City Hall on your right and the Millennium library on your left, the street in between, going away from the market, is Bethel Street. SADACC is part of Country and Eastern, look out for an old pub-like sign at a brick wall a little way up on the right, just after the fire station, and big metal gates which should be open with a C&E board on display. If you can’t find it, ask the nice ladies in the Tourist Info at the side of the Millennium Library. Parking is available.

HOW
There is no charge to view the Collection. Stroll in and be instantly overwhelmed with the location and its contents. For further information, call 01603 663890 or check our their informative website at: www.southasiandecorativeartsandcrafts.co.uk

Bruin’s ‘Bear Essentials’:This is an activity for family fun!

However I like to imagine myself back in the time when the place thronged with activity.  Helpful information boards provide details of what life must have been like when the Castle was in its prime. In the 1450s John Heydon established a home here.   Having extricated himself from the Wars of the Roses he made money from the practice of law and then from the wool trade.  A successor in 1561 successfully applied to the monarch for a Licence to Crenellate which granted one permission to fortify a building, not a bad strategy in unsettled times, though it was probably a matter of status too.  (Crenellations are those crinkly bits that form the top edges of battlements.)

So the Castle was elaborated to the point of grandeur.  For a couple of hundred years the family continued to live there. By the early 17th century  the family fortunes had declined and eventually they demolished parts of the structure to sell off as building materials.  (I wonder where they turned up?)  The castle largely fell into disuse apart from the gatehouse which was occupied until the 1920s when one of the two pepper-pot towers collapsed. These days the site is tranquil except in spring as toads in large numbers frolic around the moat in the ecstasies of spawning.  At a human level the place is open for  imaginative activities.  A good example was set by a family who invited the children who were with me to join them in a hunt for craftily hidden Easter Eggs.

GETTING THERE
Baconsthorpe Castle is best approached from the A148 as it by-passes Holt. Take the turn towards Hempstead.   There is an English Heritage brown direction sign for the Castle.  Follow the road beyond Hempstead through to the far end of Baconsthorpe  village then turn left into Castle Road. Soon a farm track veers off left towards the Castle.

1 The Tea House, Elm Hill, Norwich
Situated on Norwich’s oldest street, stroll the length of cobbled Elm Hill with its independent shops and glorious architecture before heading into Wrights Court and The Tea House (approx 1/2 way down Elm Hill, look out for a doorway and tunnel into its courtyard). Co-owner Peter will guide your nose through 30 different loose leaf teas that are on offer which you can try alongside a traditional fruit scone cream tea or other bakes such as white chocolate and raspberry muffins. Join in the conversation on Twitter @teahouseNorwich or find them on Facebook.

2 Byfords, Shirehall Plain, Holt
Believed to be the town’s oldest building, Byfords houses a Store, posh B&B rooms and an all-day café. Rummage through the independent shops of Georgian Holt then sit down to tea, served between 3pm – 5pm. Apart from THE CLASSIC (finger sandwiches) team traditional afternoon tea fayre (scones, preserves, clotted cream, Byfords cakes, tea and coffee) with unexpectedly quirky additions - ’The Deli’ includes meats, cheeses and pickles and ‘The Seafood’ has Thai-style fishcakes, whitebait, Cley smoked prawns and harrissa and lime mayo!

3 The Coffee Van, Salthouse Beach Car Park
No cafe amenities here, its all about the man, his van and its location. To enjoy afternoon tea requires a bit of audience participation; own chairs for a shingle bank or beach view and own cake (as it’s only on offer at random times). Or partake in your car.  Park with your back to the bank and ‘drink in’ the landward view; Wolsey Hills Nature Reserve, Salthouse, Cley and Blakeney in the far distance. Julian does have biscuits to dunk, custard creams or bourbons. He also does a very nice hot chocolate and of course, offers freshly ground and brewed coffee from Norwich purveyors Wilkinsons. Turn up on a Sunday morning and you may meet Wells regulars Mr and Mrs Morris Minor in their lovely Traveller, Nelson and I did.

4 Sandyhills Amusements and Café, Sea Palling
From the outside, the quintessential bucket and spade café with perhaps the highest concentration  of ‘A-sign’ ad boards in the County but don’t let that put you off!  Enjoy a stroll on the stunning beach then pop in for a proper cup of tea, some freshly baked doughnuts (the ones you get to shake in a paper bag full of sugar) and take some time to look round the walls of the café, covered in framed newspaper cuttings about the Great Flood of 1953 and more recent events.  The personal accounts make interesting reading and the images remind us of our coastline’s sometime destructive nature.  Out of season you may find their one-lane bowling alley free. Loser pays for refreshments?

5 Heydon Tea Rooms
The picturesque cul-de-sac village of Heydon provides perhaps the most lovely Norfolk village setting I’ve yet seen, complete with an idllic village green, church, Husk Bakery, Heydon Hall and The Earle Arms pub. The traditional Heydon Tea Rooms serves afternoon tea from a front room that overlooks the village green. The cake selection is beautifully displayed under glass domes. Mars bar shortbread and sticky gingerbread with Guinness are two I can recall. Mismatch china adds a quirky touch.

Bruin’s ‘Bear Essentials’, this is an activity for family fun! (can I have honey on my scone please says Bruin!)

According to ‘British Birds, their folklore, names and literature’ by Francesca Greenoak, the Norfolk nightingale has historically been referred to as the ‘barley bird’ though she knows not why.  Has anyone else heard this and does it refer to the bird returning in conjunction with agricultural events?

Did anyone who’s a fan of Desert Island Disks hear Vikram Seth’s music choice no. 3 and his ‘castaway’s favourite’, ‘Nightingales and Lancaster Bombers’? Taken from a CD of nightingales and recorded in a Surrey wood in 1942 by the BBC, the 20 second or so extract features a nightingale in full song alongside songless birds, bombers, on their way to a bombing raid in Germany.  Seth describes the encounter as ‘heartbreaking in its counterpoint, each forming their own kind of music’.

WHEN
This is nature, therefore cannot be guaranteed, however, nightingales should return any time through April/May. Keep checking on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates!

WHERE
Take New Street or Cley Road, which is opposite the King’s Head Pub in Holt High Street, and follow it out of Holt for about 1.5 miles. Watch for a right turn signposted to Salthouse. Follow this lane till you reach a crossroads – this is The crossroads. In previous years, the birds could be anywhere between this first crossroads and a second which is directly ahead.

HOW
PLEASE be quiet, mindful of others and ultimately respectful of the birds. I suggest drop into first gear, wind down the windows, look for a clump of like-minded listeners, and leave the car in one of a few safe places, not obstructing the road.  Good luck! If you hear them, it will create a memory that will last a lifetime.  Do please send me any recordings and I will post them onto the site so that more of us can listen and smile.

Bruin’s ‘Bear Essentials’: This is an activity for family fun!
But you’ll have to be V quiet, no growling!

1 The pineapple-topped Obelisk
on the High Street, one of a pair of gateposts moved from the nearby estate of Melton Park (therefore all road distances are wrong!). The other was given to Dereham and, in order to avoid assisting the enemy during an invasion, they flung theirs down a deep well! Holt whitewashed theirs, thus its good condition has been preserved.  It is the iconic emblem of The Holt Society. The  neighbouring Lamp Post was given to the town during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee year of 1887. Originally situated in Market Place, its nickname is ‘Blind Sam’ as due to the town’s sporadic gas supply, it was often not illuminated.

2 The Methodist Chapel Gardens
opposite the entrance to Albert Street Car Park, a perfect place to enjoy a picnic lunch. Compile your own with bakery bits from Bull Street’s The Crusty Loaf, fruit from Crowes greengrocers virtually next door and deli delights from Byfords.

3 Spout Hills
nature reserve for a green evening stroll. Just yards off the High Street, a special place of streams, ponds, marsh orchids and wild mint. Walk past Obelisk Plain (see above) and continue right leaving the High Street. Immediately opposite, you’ll see a wide entrance with houses and cars parked. Cross the road, walk straight ahead, and Spout Hills will open up before you!

4 North Norfolk Railway
the station setting and watching the train as fun as the ride to Sheringham itself! Read Bruin’s railway adventure in his blog. A fifteen minute walk from town, follow the high street left around the war memorial, past Adnams on your right and the Post Office at left. Keep walking, past Gresham’s school and a wooded area.  The station will be found on your left.

5 And independent retail
of course, of which Holt is fiercely proud. ‘Our Norfolk’ favourites include the High Street’s ‘Richard Scott Antiques’, an ‘institution’ of china, Lees Yard’s ‘The Red Dot Gallery’, because everything Colin does is simply ‘just so’. Colin has contributed a story to Our Norfolk –  ‘Apple inspired art‘.  ‘Old Town’ clothing for its dynamic utilitarian style. For a good read, ask Miss Willey for their ‘newspaper’, ‘The Evening Star’!

Don’t miss:
Holt Christmas Lights the town festooned with white fairy lights from end November till January’s 12th night.
Holt Festival week with top-flight entertainment, end of July, where Maynard Flip-Flap’s a regular, Alan Bennett, Michael Palin and Chris Packham previous headliners.

A complimentary copy of The Holt Guide, complete with town map, is available from most retail outlets or Tourist Information on the High Street, near the War Memorial.  Bring your library card and enjoy Norfolk’s ’Adult Lite’ lending service at Holt library. Dip into its local section, find ‘Holt, An Illustrated Guide’ or borrow ‘A Stroll Through Georgian Holt’.

HUNSTANTON Just look at that expanse of yellow on the map! Traditional seaside attractions in  town but head for the Lighthouse and the ruined 1272 St Edmund’s Chapel area and explore the beach; stripy fossil-rich cliffs, the wreck of The Sheraton, (a commandeered troop ship run aground in a stormy 1947), those algae-covered rocks in weird regimented formation, mussels to pick from their beds at low tide.

HOLKHAM Always a favourite with the National Press, rightly so though a beach to look at rather than engage with perhaps? However, plenty of children and their pack-mule parents decamp here for a day’s swimming, sandcastle-making (click on the image to look at this beauty!) snoozing and general dune exploration. Four miles of white-gold sand, a basin of samphire and sea lavender that fills up on hide tide, ‘Somewhere to catch your breath in a busy world’, so says Lord Coke. A firm favourite with Nelson, both mine and our county’s national hero. Much to look out for in winter; the tideline post storm, exhausted migrant birds, dawn and dusk sights and sounds; overwintering Pink-Footed geese, sharp winter light. Not so obvious summer delights; Orchids in Wells Dell, dark green fritillary butterflies and dancing male ghost swift moths. Beat a less trodden path to the beach by walking left, parallel to shore, through pines and behind first bird hide by way of boardwalk and out onto the vast empty sandy expanse.

CLEY Sometimes sandy, mainly shingle, Cley offers an unmissable vista back to land, taking in coastal community landmarks such as Cley Mill and Salthouse Church. Its now unmanaged shingle bank landward-side ribboned with saltmarsh creeks and associated flora and fauna. Stroll any amount of way west in the direction of Blakeney Point’s shingle sand spit to catch its moody magic.  Dispel a gloomy mid-winter’s day with appropriate clothing and pockets of treats and plod parallel to the sea.  Summer sun induces picnics, papers, bathing (for some) snoozing, mackerel fishing and subsequent bbq’ing (if they are obliging). Both the shifting shingle bank profile and the tideline always turning up something new to see.

CROMER Why not walk into town? From the west and The Runtons or easterly Overstrand for a good leg stretch.  Happy Valley Lighthouse (through Cromer, park on main road at Cromer Golf Club) affords sweeping views over countryside, town and its church spire and sea before descending to the beach by way of steep wooden steps – just ask if you can’t find them! Cliff-top prom views, East and West beaches, a veritable selection of old tractors thanks to longshore fishing, the Pier, Mary Jane’s’ fish and chips, the Rocket House Café for coffee and a twizzle biscuit, the Boxing Day Dip, the magical New Year’s Day firework display.

AND IN AT No. 5? A Cheat! Already way over word count and miles to go, No. 5′s slot is for all those expanses of ‘beach’ out there whose common traits include sand and solitude but whose individual vistas mark them as unique: Holme, Titchwell, Brancaster, Burnham Overy, Wells, Overstrand, Sidestrand, Sea Palling, Winterton. Find them on the map, share with us your route and the stories of your day and we’ll share them online.

Bruin’s ‘Bear Essentials’: This is an activity for family fun!

We were met at reception by Fiona, who took us off to The Turnery. Many kitchen and household jobs were done in here. Lots of objects looked really weird and I had to guess what they would have been used for. I tried my paw at churning butter! Those paddles were really stiff to whisk around!

There was a big box full of fun garden games. It was really windy outside so instead, I played at ‘hiding’ in the leather fire buckets down a long hallway. See if you can spot me on Facebook!

The box in the servants dining hall contained dressing up clothes. Although I don’t usually wear clothes, I LOVE dressing up! Can you guess what I am? I’m a scullery boy. One of my duties would have been to lay the table for supper. In the box was also a tablecloth, cutlery and napkin folding instructions (Sarah helped me with this!). The stewards in the next room (the Drawing Room, no crayons?!) said there were two treasure chests to find! How exciting! We played the game ‘warmer’ or ‘colder’ and found them! They said they were not allowed to tell us what was inside. We couldn’t decide if they knew or not. That made it even more exciting! There was another box on legs which the steward said was for mixing tea leaves – how posh! It’s called a ‘teapoy’. What a great new word!

Next we came to a room full of colourful stained glass windows. This box had binoculars, a pair of opera glasses (bear-size bins) and a kaleidoscope toy whose patterns and colours looked just like the windows!

Here am I sitting at the head (of course!) of the dining table in the posh dining room. One of the girls who used to live here kept a diary including what she ate! Her printed menu included lobster, oysters, mutton (lamb), turkey, pheasant and four different puds including iced pudding – yum! There was cheese, biscuits and already cracked walnuts tied back together with ribbon. Presumably to avoid the embarrassment of cracking a walnut badly and watching it go flying about the table, maybe even into someone’s iced pud!?

The ‘Cabinet Room’ didn’t have any cabinets in it but it had lots of pictures collected from a ‘Grand Tour’, the ‘fashion’ of the day to see all the grand sites of Europe. This ‘holiday’ lasted four years! Wow! That’s a lot of ice creams!

Up an impressive flight of stairs was a huge portrait of the tourist, William Wyndham, in a jaunty red suit holding an ice pick (he’d scaled some cool glacier on his hols).  The library was next, full of books of course but ask to see the terrestrial (earth) and celestial (stars) globes, they’re great. Then on to the bedrooms! One was very stripey and red. There was a box of hats to try on (bit girly so I didn’t). One of the beds was quite high but it had a handy set of steps alongside, very handy if you’re a bear with short legs.

This is me peering gingerly into a slipper BATH! Once in, I’d never get out! We then descended the ‘back stairs’, a very steep twisty staircase. All the hot water then soapy water would have to be bucketed in and out of that bath down these stairs! No plumbing or plug to pull back then! I loved the Chinese bedroom with its paw-painted wallpaper. Look out for the two ‘mandarin’ men whose heads nod. Why? Ask the room stewardess!

A quick trot around the gardens to see possibly the oldest still lived-in octagonal (six sided) dove cote. I peeked in. The doves peeked out! I explored a willow tunnel.

And there were bee hives!!  Fiona looks after the bees. They even have a fancy QR code square so she can zap all her findings about the hive onto computer. What a thrilling way to finish a splendid day!

The boxes are a brilliantly fun way to get dressed up and use things to explore as you tour. Get’s my thumbs up – if I had any! They’ve also got an insect booklet trail entitled ‘Who’s eating Felbrigg’ ! – not me! and you can borrow a set of flashcards to play ‘I Spy’ from A-Z as you explore! I was so well behaved that I’ve been asked back to attend their HONEY DAY, August 21st, where they’ll be a traditional fete and bee-related products (just don’t plunge me in that slipper bath to wash my paws!) Sarah’s coming back for their Herb Day, 29th May.

The founder of the collection was Bob Morse, who came from an engineering background. Always having had a fascination for windmills, he purchased the then almost derelict Thurne Mill, which he restored. Bob also began to rescue and restore wind engines* at his home in Repps. He successfully salvaged and amassed an intriguing collection including two historic wind generators, working on different engineering principles and using various ways to utilise the power of the wind. Bob’s restored Thurne Mill and its associated magnificent wind pump is just a short walk along the riverbank. Working demonstrations and guided tours of this unique collection provide visitors with an informative insight into the use of wind power.

Educational benefits are extensive as each exhibit varies in dimension, construction and operational function. Sourced from various geographical locations, examples from Australia & America sit alongside those from the UK, allowing us the opportunity of seeing how other countries harness wind power. Combine this with information on the modern turbines at Martham, Somerton and Scroby Sands, the story of wind power through the years is complete here in Norfolk.

Volunteers at the museum play a very important part in the upkeep and preservation of the collection. Our job list is extensive offering something for everyone; engineering, carpentry, gardening, painting, greasing and much more besides. We hold several volunteer days each year with a big annual  event held in June. This has been going now for seven years and is extremely well supported.

We are aiming to engage with the energy sector, which is all around us, as the collection is their heritage. Together, our aim is to tell the complete story of wind energy through the ages.

Article contributor Debra Nicholson – The Wind Energy Museum & Morse Collection.

* A wind engine is a mechanism for harnessing the power of the wind to drive pumps or other machinery.