Holkham Beach

This year we’ve had a very mild winter. No snow. No subfreezing temps during the day. Nothing wintery, except a very-very cold wind. I believe I started seeing trees blossoming in January, which is just crazy to me. One particularly sunny Saturday in March, we decided to go to the beach. Robert went running in the morning, while I packed our lunch, and then we were out of the house by 9:30. Sorry kids, this trip is under two hours, you don’t get to watch movies (1:53 min is UNDER two hours, right?).

This map will show you our route to Wells-next-the-Sea. I mean, how cool of a name is that? Our GPS took us to the coast via some picturesque country roads and ancient village streets.

Holkham Beach Reserve is an awesome open place! When I read what people were saying about this beach, I underestimated the vastness of it.  To get from the parking lot to the beach itself is an adventure, we had to walk for about a mile through some mud and wet sand.  I saw some people walking through the sand with their strollers, and I don’t envy them.

Only half way there after crossing a small river that forms with high tide. The best invention ever—WELLIES! (rain boots).

Nearly there. We can see the water.

None of the kids complained! They were so excited to go play.

It turned out to be indeed a very sunny day, but man, it was windy too. Incidentally, I grabbed our kite last minute and I am so glad I did. Katya and Alex played together for a long time with that kite..until it broke. They had a blast, a very windy blast.

It was so windy, that I had to wear my gloves, my hood and my hat to stay warm. All our stuff was full of sand blowing towards the sea.

While I was reading my book (something happened to that book, by the way, and I still cannot find it--maybe it was buried in the sand?), Robert and the kids went crazy on the dunes.

“Hey, mama! We are going to go rolling down the dunes!”. That’s me, reading my lost book (it may or may not be in Russian).  Yes, I was the only person reading my book on the beach, everyone else was walking with their dogs.

And back to crazy kids.

Here goes Mark, having the best time ever!

Who needs roller coasters?

“Come on, Mark, I’ll show you the best trick ever!”.

“Make sure your whole body, including your head, is rolling in the sand.”

We stayed at the beach for almost four hours. This is definitely a great beach to explore. Many people had the same idea as us, so we saw a ton of people here, but we never felt crowded because it is such a vast coastline. Between April 1 and November 1, dogs are not allowed, but since we were there in March, we saw lots of families walking  and playing with their dogs.

Oh, we cannot wait till it gets a bit warmer so we could go play at some sort of beach again. I think next time, we’ll head to the eastern coast.

Bye for now,

Lyana.