HOLKHAM BEACH RIDE
Wells Next to the Sea
7th - 11th May 2009 |
Last year I tried to organise a beach ride but not enough interest came forth, not one to give up I decided to get my organising head back on and try again.
Messages flowed back and forth, many hours spent on the internet searching for the ideal beach and of course accommodation and the effort paid off with 14 of us making the holiday. (8 with horses)
Finally after many recommendations and doing some research Holkham Beach it was. Some of us booked into caravans while others like me booked into a B&B. My accommodation "The Cobblers Guest House" basically I fully recommend it NOT!!! Why, well I'll tell ya all about it when the investigation is over; let's just say I had to involve the police.
So Thursday dawns the alarm goes off and I wake bleary eyed and then I sit up as I realise today is the start of an exciting 4 days. After an uneventful journey to Norfolk , apart from me missing a few turns due to chatting with Jessie but mainly with Lucy we arrived safe. We did set off with Ella and Ulrike following us but we soon lost them and strange as it was we met up again about a mile from Mill Farm.
Mill Farm run by Desmond is superb, lovely 1st class stabling and beautiful landscaped paddocks for those booked for 24hr turnout. Nervous of your horse being kicked buy others, not a problem as you were allowed to bring your own electric fencing but by the end we all shared the paddocks anyways with no problems. There was also a room with a lock for you to store your tack of which I may add, how come I ended up as Key keeper, gosh the amount of times I panicked thinking I'd lost that key. There was also toilet and shower facilities provided which I noticed where cleaned every day, no cobwebs with beady eyed spiders ready to pounce on ya.
Standing watching the horses the view was breathtaking and from the farm you could make out the caravan site and see the ocean.
The Thursday was spent just settling the horses and checking into accommodation apart from Lucy who had to make an extra journey back to Leicester to pick up Disney. wot a gal.
The evening I spent with P eating curry and chips on the sea front watching the ducks compete for tasty treats. It was a great time for us both to get to know one another and yeah those ducks were well cute.
FRIDAY
Oh Dear. it's raining and Lucy and I just don't do rain, the others decide to brave it and they are mad or at least I think they are. Going swimming with the horses in the sea in this weather. Brrr! Maybe I'm getting old but these days I prefer a nice dry butt.
Instead me and Lucy jump into my car, and head off in what we think is the right way to the beach, Hmm!! Don't think this is right as we park up and wander to the beach, all we se are beach huts and nothing else, no people and definitely no horses. We finally find were we are meant to go but by that time we decided to head back to the farm and tack up.
Why the change of heart, well the rain had stopped and the sun was beaming its sunny smile, so Kyle and Spike were tacked up and off we headed to the beach. UH OH! We got lost again taking a right turn instead of a left one. Finally on track we meet the others on their way back but Lucy and I carried on. Oh WOW!... I was told about how huge the beach was but well you know how people can exaggerate.. well not this time, the beach is huge. The view as you hit the sand has you gawping with amazement.
What we did notice was the wind, but what an amazing effect on the sand it had. The sand looked like it was flowing, almost mystical with an eerie enchantment. We decided to head down the beach with the wind behind us and enjoyed a relaxing walk along the coast line. The view was beautiful; a beach so long you couldn't see the end no matter which way you looked. We looked left and right and the beach was just eternal, was there and an end to the ever stretching sand? After some time we decided to turn around and head back only to get the wind blast into us. Not so great now, but we soldier on and soon we find ourselves off the sand and out of the wind.
After getting back, casually we settled the horses give them a good scratch and a feed before setting off to get cleaned up ready for the evening. No plans had been made so while some headed somewhere others went elsewhere. I joined Brenda her husband Peter, Lucy and P at the Globe Inn and I can say the meals were brilliant. Unfortunately Peter is taking the photo for us so you can't see him.
Shattered I head back to my room and whollap I bang my head.
SATURDAY
Today was to find a welcome smiling sun and no wind, meeting up time planned. planned hey when I say planned .. well some turned up and some didn't but hey what the heck! It's a holiday, no need to rush around when we have all day.. So while some tacked up and headed off to the beach I hung around and waited for the others, and waited and waited, now where did I put my savvy times.?
Today was brilliant if somewhat eventful for me, Ella, Ulrika, Jessie, amber and myself headed off to the beach around 12pm to find it was clear apart from a few people further up the coast line. No worries about dodging people and the sea was nice and calm. I introduced Spike to some sea puddles which he handled better than I expected and he even went into the sea up to his knees. What a brave lad he was.
BUT!! Did I speak to soon? As time wore on (which wasn't long) it just got too much for poor Spike. The vast sea, strange smells, open stretches, the sounds, seeing horses cantering up and down.. oh dear!! This had Spike shaking his head (which I think had more to do with the bit), tucking his head in, spinning around, racing backwards in a straight backup and then rearing. Three times I dismounted to settle him but realising it was over his head now I decided to head back as by then the others also decided to end the day there.. Aha but not before the lasses enjoyed a gallop or two up the beach.
Later on I joined P in her car and we headed up to a Saddlery store that she'd been told about. I bought a different bit for Spike to see if it helped him and bought some hoof harder, Cor !! expensive or what. I could have pondered for ages in the store but seeing as it was 5.10pm and it shut at 5pm we kinda thought the shop keeper would like to close up.
Back at the B&B where by now I was getting bruises on top of bruises (you'd think I'd learn to duck by now) I got ready and headed back to the Globe Inn where I met up with P, Brenda, Peter and Ulrika.
I decided to try Thai Curry (which I love) with monkfish. Do I like monkfish, well I still don't know, its very chewy, and I just couldn't decide if I liked it or not. I doubt I'd try it again though.
SUNDAY
I decided after yesterday not to take Spike back the beach as I did not want him to get upset again and totally blow his mind. Instead I travelled down in the car with Peter and watched the sea waves lol, the lasses headed up the beach for a while having a blast, only bummer was they were too far way to take photo's, a mere dot in the distance. Hmm! Mixed feelings for me, pleased I never brought Spike down but wished I could have joined in. What was nice though was seeing the smiles on the lasses faces which made me feel warm thinking I'd made a good choice on coming here.
When everyone had headed back to where Peter and I were I noticed Lucy had walked Kyle back. Now I wish I knew more people like Lucy, she's always thinking of others. She decided to rest Kyle so that I could have a little ride on him.
I gets on Kyle and was shocked to feel strange on him, I guess after riding Spike so often he would feel different but I felt so .. Unbalanced.
Anyway, I'm keeping Kyle to a steady canter when "Are you ready to go" asks Brenda. I see Ulrika a little further back and Katie behind Ulrika. So I slip the reins forward and Woooosh!!! Kyle is off leaving everyone else behind, but Hey! I'm on my own, I turn around and Woooosh Kyle takes off again. That was exhilarating but left me gasping for breath. Brenda tells me that one minute I was there then I was gone, little Kyle doesn't gallop, he flies.
A great day was had by all with most going into the water for a swim. NOT ME! Too wet..lol still keeping my butt dry. Not Amber, Jessie, Ulrika and Ella though who certainly got totally soaked, but still they were laughing and totally enjoying themselves. Mad, they are totally mad..lol
On the evening Ella, her husband, Ulrika, me, and P headed to an Indian Restaurant which from the outside looked okay but inside was really lovely and the meal itself was gorgeous and you certainly got enough to eat. After stuffing our faces and probably eating more than we should have we headed to the bar across the road. We ordered our drinks (I had diet coke) and found seats to sit at and chat, the time passed by until the barmaid came and asked us ever so nicely if we'd drink up as she wanted to lock up. Back to the B&B and trouble brewed.
MONDAY
After an eventful time on the Sunday night with my landlord I ended up staying in Lucy's caravan last and it made me wish I'd just booked a caravan in the first place, they are brilliant, huge with excellent facilities and close to everything, not that Holkham is that big.
This time both Lucy and I had decided not to ride and instead went down in the car to watch the others. What a laugh it was, Ulrika had a ride on little Disney (the black Shetland) and promptly fell off, if you call it that. I looked up to see Ulrika hobbling along side Disney with one foot on the sand and the other across Disney's back.. Why didn't I get a photo? Too slow.. Ella looked great astride her horse in the sea and galloping across the sands. What a beautiful horse..
Finally all too soon it was time to head back to the farm and get the horses loaded to head off home. It seemed the 4 days were over way to quickly, we still had more to do.
Holkham 2010 . watch out. we'll be back.
