Day 3 – Saturday 28 August 1999 - Bacton to Winterton

13.5 miles walked today

38 miles walked in total (average 12.66)

Got the coach to Norwich last night and stayed at Mum and Dad’s so I could start with no gaps today.  Woke up early as planned, but spent an hour mooching around getting ready.  As I was trying to sniff out where I’d left my boots the last time I was here, having spent ten minutes unsuccessfully forcing my gear into my bag, Dad suggested that he pick me up from wherever I finished today and drop me back in the morning so I could stay another night.  However, I was planning to walk further than Dad was planning to drive, so Amanda stepped in and offered transport.  Spent a very successful few minutes then unpacking my bag so I didn’t carry any more than I needed for the day.

The walk to Happisburgh was on soft sand once I’d got past Walcott on the sea wall.  At Happisburgh, I climbed the ramp past the lifeboat station and headed over the cliffs on to Sea Palling.   I was very pleased that I seemed to be making good time.  The cliff walking didn’t last long and I had to walk through a housing estate from Cart Gap until I could find a path back up to the sand dunes that run along the stretch of coast to Winterton.

Stopped at Sea Palling for an early lunch and to find some plasters.  How I could have rubbed blisters after having had my boots for six years is anybody’s guess!  I did have to empty my boots of sand at least five times today though so maybe that’s the reason.

Sea Palling’s sea defences have been in a serious state since the bad storms in the 1950s.  There are now manmade reefs out at sea which have formed lagoons – to make bathing safer and to shore up the coastline a bit longer.  I can’t help thinking though that diverting the waves from one bit of coast to another isn’t really going to solve anything ultimately.

Very hot for walking again today – what on earth possessed me into wearing a black teeshirt?  Lunacy!  And to think I panicked yesterday when I realised I’d left my new fleece at work!

I saw my first nudists today!  I kept tripping over them as I walked the path through the dunes.  I don’t really understand why they can’t go and lay on the beach?

After the umpteenth naked body, I decided to head down into Decoy Wood and walk through the nature reserve which was covered in heather.  This wasn’t a good idea as it was also covered in brambles and I ended up with bloody legs.  After a while, thinking the naturist beach was behind me, I headed up the dunes again to carry on into Winterton which I could now see.

I met a chap walking in the opposite direction to me and he asked if I’d stumbled across any naturists as he was looking for the beach.  I told him that he had an hour’s more walking to go so he decided to give it a miss – lightweight!  I should add here that he was fully clothed.  I don’t make a habit of talking to strange naked men.  Well, not so early in a relationship anyway …

He and his wife discovered naturism a few years ago and make their annual pilgrimage to Studland Bay in Dorset with the odd weekend at Corton (Great Yarmouth) and up at Holkham (North Norfolk).  He said he’d give me a wave when I got to Corton tomorrow!

I said I didn’t understand why the naturists were all in the sand dunes, waiting for me to fall over them, and not down on the beach.  Apparently they like to be discreet!  My new friend suggested that, as soon as I’d seen the first, I should have whipped my gear off and gone walking au naturel.  Would I have been allowed to keep my boots and socks on, I wonder?