Royal Norfolk County Show with Wendy, Adrian & Derek

We were all looking forward to our annual trip to the Royal Norfolk County Show, and were lucky to have good weather all week. On our way to Norfolk we stopped off for lunch at the historic cathedral city of Ely. Once at our luxurious lodge accommodation near Norwich, we quickly settled in.

We spent two marvellous days at the Royal Norfolk County Show, with so many things to see and do. On our first day we fired bows and arrows, watched fine buggy driving, saw magnificent heavy horses drawing carts and went around the stable yards. There were some very shaggy donkeys, rare bread sheep, pigs, cattle, goats, rabbits and hens. Towards the end of our first day we sat in the stands and watched parades of heavy horses, cattle and the glory of the huntsmen and hounds.

On our second day we headed for the flower and vegetable show. After that we went to the countryside area where we made friends with a giant tortoise called Monty. We watched some very clever ‘Drug Dogs’ and ‘Gun Dogs’ before making our way to the main arena where we watched a very exciting show jumping competition. This was followed by a fast moving horseback display by the Lifeguards.

When not at the Show we also found lots to do. We took a Steam Train from Holt to Sherringham, where we strolled along the front, taking in the sea air, before taking the Steam Train back to Holt. In the club house we enjoyed playing pool and darts. We also took a pleasure boat trip along the Norfolk Broads where we were able to get up close to some wildlife including Swans, ducks and even some Grebes swimming with their young.

We had all enjoyed a great week; with the good weather we were able to enjoy our picnics and BBQ's whilst looking out over the lakes by our apartments.





Butlins with Derek, Jim, Myra and Jen

Once at Butlins we checked in to our spacious accommodation and did a little exploration of the area before going to the “Sun & Moon” pub for a lovely dinner. That was followed by a night in “Centre Stage” where we watched the cabaret and danced until the close!

The next day, as the weather was good we went to the fun fair and spent the morning on the rides and tried our luck on the side stalls trying our best to win a prize. After lunch we took a ride on the land-train along the front of Minehead and admired the lovely views. We had booked dinner in a very friendly pub in the village so that we could enjoy a nice meal and watch the England game at the same time! We had a friendly sweep-stake of a single pound for the first and last goal scored, which made it even more interesting. As only the one goal was scored, Myra was the lucky winner of both!.......ice creams were on Myra the next day. Afterwards it was back to “Centre Stage” to finish the night watching the shows and dancing until the close.

We woke to another decent day and after another cooked breakfast; we set off to the Owl and Falconry centre in Exmoor. At first we were inside the barn as we watched the owls flying from one end to the other. After that display, we settled outside in a field to watch the falconry display. They are magnificent birds and it was a very enjoyable time spent out in the sun. We had a cream tea and a locally made ice cream whilst we were there. We headed home to get ready for the evening at a great pub on the moors where we had a superb dinner at yet another very friendly pub. As usual it was back to Butlins for the “Blues Brothers” show in “Reds”, with more dancing to end the night.

As expected the following day was grey and wet, so we stayed on site and enjoyed the facilities. We had booked 10 pin bowling for the morning session and enjoyed a fun filled competition which was won by Myra’s team and Martin was the highest scorer. Well done! After lunch it was time to do a little bit of shopping for gifts. Once we were all shopped out, it was either off to the swimming pool or spending a few pennies on the machines in the arcade. The evening was back to the “Sun & Moon” pub before our last night at “Centre Stage”.