Royal Norfolk County Show with Midi & Netty

 Royal Norfolk Show 

Two fabulous days were spent at the Norfolk Show showcasing Norfolk at its best. It's participants and exhibitors come from across the country to compete in many equine and livestock competitions. We started off with saying 'hello' to all the best of the different breeds of sheep. The Beacham Well Border Leicester sheep that have long, bunny-like ears, was very unusual and was the breed that fascinated us the most. Naturally, we were surprised at the quantity of different breeds. We were told that there are over 80 different breeds of sheep in the country. 

We moved over to the agricultural machinery and couldn't resist some photos with the different tractors. There were classic and modern farming machinery that has made our countries farming industry one of the strongest in the world. 

We had a great view of the show jumping arena to witness a display from the hunting dogs and jumping. We remained here, cheering on the horses and their riders jumping over the high obstacles. It was then to the main arena where we enjoyed a show of the best of all breeds grand parade. The cattle were first up. We loved the Jersey, Red Poll, Sussex, Highland and the Shorthorn breeds that were on display. 

The Heavy Horses were next up, and we were blown away by the sheer size of them and also how seamlessly they galloped around the arena. We cooled off with a delicious ice cream before the next event. 

Our day ended with The Royal Salute consisted of an orchestra alongside local school children waving Commonwealth flags. It made for a very upbeat and lively show where everyone joined in with dancing. Before our eyes the sensational R.A.F parachute regiment jumped out of their plane that was flying a few thousand feet above us. Six very well-trained parachuters made their descents down, completing different drills in the air which had us in awe. Huge cheers greeted all the parachuters once they landed safely. 

Day two started browsing the many tents full to burst with animals, local homemade produce and souvenirs. We bumped into a lovely lady spinning the wool into yarn and saw all the sheep that had been sheered and all the wool that it had produced. We even held the sheep's fleece. 

We continued around the park visiting various other animals, classic car showroom, fun fair, food stalls and agricultural machinery. 

There were beautifully manicured flower beds for us to marvel at with all the colours and smells of

the different varieties of plants. 

After lunch we were raring to go again so headed to a dog training show. Here, there were different breeds of hunting dogs from the Norfolk Hunting Club. The dogs of different ages were impressive in their ability to follow precise instructions and commands from their trainers. We were fascinated by how obedient they were. 

Another beautiful day was spent in the countryside and our next adventure was on The Bure Valley Railway. This is Norfolk's longest narrow-gauge steam railway and runs between the market town of Aylsham and the bustling Broads town of Wroxham and is within easy reach of Norwich and the coast. The nine-mile line ran through the picturesque Bure Valley countryside which we all loved looking out onto! Our favourite moment was sticking our heads out of the window for a photo opportunity. 

It was time for an adventure on the water with the much-anticipated canoeing activity. It wasn't long after we started paddling that we could hear laughs and comments of how enjoyable being out on the water was. Next, we hopped onto a sailing boat which was a little faster and different to the canoes. The wind helped us glide down the Broads with only the sails to help us. Occasionally, we had to turn the engine on to give us a helping hand, but this only made it more enjoyable for the group. 

We love celebrating a birthday on one of our holidays. Today was Hannah's special day and she loved the balloons that filled the living room, all the presents the group had been kind enough to gift her. During breakfast, we all had our party poppers ready - BANG! Happy birthday Hannah!

The sky was blue so we made our way down to the Broadway-Walk that opens up onto the Broads. We were joined by a local bird enthusiast that claimed he had seen a few kingfishers flying around. We were also fortunate to meet a volunteer who held a wealth of knowledge for everything to do with wildlife. We asked him a few questions and he enlightened us with great knowledge about kingfishers, ducks, butterflies and any other wildlife found here. 

We  head to one of our favourite places in Norfolk- The Nancy Oldfield Trust. Here, we met Jenny and Jack, our volunteer drivers of an impressive cruiser that has been adapted. We were so excited to climb aboard and start our cruise! We sailed through the stunning river side villages of Horning, with its multi million pounds worth of properties. We loved imagining which house we would want to live in. We continued sailing for a while until we arrived at Wroxham. What an adventure!  

 

Next, was our favourite part of the cruise. We had the chance to take turns to drive the boat around the broads - a chance to be the captain onboard our vessel. The pictures of everyone smiling as they steered their way around are priceless! Again, we enjoyed spotting many wildlife that call the broads their home. It was so relaxing and calm.