Story Telling Sunday April 2013 - Our Very Special Place

We’re back in Wells for a holiday!  Wells-Next-the-Sea in Norfolk is our very special place to be – if we could afford to, we’d live here.  Instead, we have to be content with a visit whenever we can manage – usually at least one a year.

It’s a lovely small town by the sea, with a great atmosphere, nice people and plenty of beautiful scenery all around.  The town has been carefully kept free of many of the things that make many seaside towns seem too alike and too commercialised.  There are amusement arcades, but they’re quite small and there are only two.  There are shops, but most are “normal” shops, such as you’d find in any nice small town or large village; some sell souvenirs – even the plastic ones, but many items are local and efforts have been made to keep them varied and interesting, as well as relevant to the area.  Some stuff is expensive, but there’s also plenty of inexpensive thing to balance it out, without descending to the totally tacky! There are fish & chip shops, but only a couple; restaurants are small and well-run, popular with locals and visitors alike. 

Many people come here to holiday – it’s very popular – but the town has a good permanent population and a full and thriving life of its own, which enhances the visitors’ experience, rather than being swamped by too many holiday-makers.  There seems to be a good balance here, between the residents and their lives and the visitors – both regular and occasional.  They seem to compliment each other; the visitors add to the town’s revenue, but the town provides a lovely place for a holiday, where people will be happy to spend time (and money), relax and enjoy themselves.  Wells is busy, full, popular, but not spoiled.

So we are here for the week, staying in a really lovely cottage, which is in a lane just off the main quayside road.  We can literally step out of our door, take a few steps and look straight out over the harbour – it’s great! 

See – right by the quay!

So we can walk round the town and enjoy shopping and the scenery. 

And we can take the little train, or walk along the long pathway to the pinewoods and the beach beyond.

Of course, you can’t expect a 15-year-old to have his photo taken, while keeping a straight face… He’s at that stage that Abi recently complained of, where he pulls a face if you show him a camera lens.  At least he let me Take the photo!

We had a Sunday afternoon walk – just me & James – to the Beach. 

Wells beach – sunshine, blue skies – and an Easterly wind that cut like a knife! It was about 5 degrees Celsius, but with the wind blowing directly across the North Sea, it felt more like Minus 5 degrees! 

We’d already been cold after our walk along the walkway by the harbour, which was exposed to the full chill of the wind.  We walked along the beach for about five minutes, then made our retreat up here, into the pine woods, where we could find a bit of shelter!

We had a nice time rambling about in the woods, then walked back to the camp-site, where we got on the little train and headed for home. 

The little engine being run along the siding, to re-couple it at the front of the train…

…so we could ride home again.  James even managed to smile for the camera!

We were glad of a hot drink when we got back.  A fairly exhilarating – and very cold – walk.

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Thanks for reading today – this post is part of Sian’s special series, Story Telling Sunday.  This year, the theme is “Pick Your Precious”, all about the little things that are special to us.  I know Wells is a rather, well, Large thing… but it’s so special to our family, so as we were here on the first Sunday of April, I had to join in. 

In fact, this is the first Story Telling Sunday post that I’ve managed in 2013, so I’m quite pleased with myself.  Being on holiday has given me time to start catching up with blogging again – both my own posts, and reading those of others.  My Blog Friends should watch out for a rash of commenting from Lizzie!

Meanwhile, do follow the link above, to read this month’s posts, which are linked into Sian’s blog via a Linky.  The second link above will take you to the summary page and links to all months’ posts.  Why not write a little post of your own and join in?  Sian leaves the Linky open for a week, so you have until Saturday 13th to join in with April’s posts.  Leave me a link to your post in my comments here – I’d like to read it too!

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