Wells Next The Sea Wander

When we visited Wells in August the temperatures were soaring and the place was rammed. A very different picture today though. On that occasion I walked from the beach at Holkham. Since then the plush new state of the art Lifeboat Station has opened, at an overall cost of close to six million pounds. We are lucky and get a guided tour and a better understanding of what the brave volunteers encounter.

Despite the name, Wells isn't  exactly next to the sea. It's about a mile walk to the beach from the town, along the sea wall embankment. Wells is famous for it's whelks. On the eastern side of the harbour the old whelk sheds can be seen. 

  A Christmas Tree 'Wells style'

 

Wells Harbour

 

Wells is the closest Port to the Pilgrimage centre of Walsingham.

Light refreshment was taken at the lovely Maltings Theatre, Cinema and Gallery Cafe. I got to sample a free pot of spiced Apple tea  in return for a bit of customer feedback. I am pleased to say it was a positive report. 

In medieval times the people of Wells had something of a reputation for plundering shipwrecks. They earnt the nickname 'bite fingers' after their method of removing rings from the poor deceased mariners..... 

 

The light is excellent, I believe it is called 'The Golden Hour'.

Nice to see a few Curlews scattered around the waters edge. After a couple of showers there is a  low sun now, still bitterly cold though.

Lat port of call was the Edinburgh Inn, a traditional seafaring hostelry. In fact I asked on of the locals if he was a Fisherman? Why he replied do I smell of fish! Quick as a flash he produced one out of his pocket. In a sealed package of course. An excellent pint of Woodforde's 'Nelson' Amber Bitter 4.5%. The beer went down well, and there was a good atmosphere too. 

Blakeney to Cley Next The Sea Circular Walk

Lovely to be back on the North Norfolk coast. The weather is a bit different from when we were here last back in August. It was sub-tropical then, today it is more like sub-zero temperature wise. 
We are starting in Blakeney, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Very popular with tourists in the Summer months , it is a lot quieter today. A few seasoned walkers around though braving the elements.There isn't much evidence of boat life today. Some days the harbour resembles 'Piccadilly Circus; as it is packed with yachts at high tide.I think it is safe to say that this is the sailing centre of North Norfolk. In medieval times this would have been the hub for boat building, fishing and trading. 

We will be following the North Norfolk Coastal path to Cley Next the Sea. Completing a circular route by following the coast road back to Blakeney. Avoiding falling in to a Salt Marsh that is also part of the plan.   

We venture out on the windswept path of marsh and mudflats. Already it has that feeling of being wild and remote. I venture off the path to get a closer look at an old wreck long since abandoned.It all adds to this desolate landscape. Having said that there is a rich diversity of plant life all year round. A great place for watching birds and animals too. The marshes are a home for Foxes, Hares, Rabbits , Weasels and Voles not to mention the Deals. Common and Grey Seals gather on the sandbank s off Blakeney Point. It is a Birdwatchers paradise with 'rarities' often blown in on the wind. We spotted Oyster-catchers, Curlews and Bar Tailed Godwits amongst others.    

The National Trust acquired Blakeney Point in 1912 to safeguard the breeding seabirds and the landscape. This was Norfolk's first Nature Reserve. Blakeney Point has for centuries been on the move. A constantly shifting pattern of shingle, sand-bars, dunes and marsh sculptured by wave and storm.

We continue our way towards Cley, which simply means Clay. There seems to be some disagreement regard the pronunciation ' Cly or Cley? The famous Windmill comes closer into view. Flour was milled from the early 1800's to the 1920's. It has now become a holiday rental. Like Blakeney it was also a thriving fishing port in medieval times. It was also well known for being a smugglers haunt. As a result many of the old houses are reported to contain 'Smugglers Holes' were contraband was hidden away from the Kings Custom men.  

There are some lovely olde worlde shops in Cley, not least the 'Cley Smokehouse'. Cley Smokehouse has been producing freshly smoked fish, shellfish, cured meats and delicious homemade pates since 1975. A nice couple of cafes too where a welcome warm drink was enjoyed. Best of all though was a second hand bookshop. I managed to pick up a virtually new copy from the Icelandic Author ' Arnaldur Indridason'.

The 43 hectares of reed beds are are the largest on the North Norfolk Coast.A great area for spotting rarities like Marsh Harriers, Bitterns and Bearded Tits. The marshes are looked after by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. The cut reeds are sold and used for thatching. It is  designated site of special scientific interest. These days the reeds are cut using machinery and not by hand. Around 7,000 of reed are cut between mid December and and the end of February.

Rather than follow our steps back the way we came we picked up the coast road as planned. There was a footpath the whole way back to Blakeney. We pas the parish church 'St Nicholas. The second tower is rumoured to have been used as a lighthouse. It is much quicker as you expect than the outward journey.

A total distance of 7.8 miles walked. 

Nightwish London Wembley & Birmingham with Beast In Black + Turmion Kätilöt

 

Fantastic to be seeing Nightwish again. Back to back concerts lined up in Wembley and Birmingham. As it is the same set list I will cover off both nights in the same review. 

It's a wet but mild night, as we arrive by train at the grand old St Pancras Station I can feel the excitement already as we walk past the Arch of the famous football station. I'm amazed at the development that has taken place since I was last in these parts. Mind you the band has also seen a few changes too over the years. I'm looking forward to seeing how new Bassist 'Jukka Koskinen' (Ex Wintersun) fills the huge role left by Marco. More importantly how will Floor be after her recent surgery? All to be revealed in the fullness of time. Before all of that we have two excellent support bands to enjoy. First up are fellow Finns 'Turmion Kätilöt'. They have been around for a while(2003) and put on quite a show. Think 'Slipknot', 'The Prodigy'. 'Dimmi Borgir' with a hint of Rammstein and WWF thrown in for good measure. They are great fun though, and do their job of getting the crowd going.

Beast in Black

The car journey to Birmingham is horrendous ... Roadworks mainly cause the delay. I'm never sure these days if it is still the NEC or not? The tickets say 'Resorts World' but then seems to change back inside the Arena. Unfortunately as a result we have missed Turmion Kätilöt this time. Thankfully we will get to see the excellent 'Beast in Black' again. No time to hang around though, as the change over is the quickest I've ever seen. We can't even find our allocated seats ... Not wishing to disturb anyone we perch ourselves at the end of a row stage level. An interesting view, seeing as much backstage as front!     

Beast in Black were very impressive and the crowd loved them. A fusion of Greek, Finnish and Hungarian Euro- Pop metal is what you get. The tunes are catchy though and before you know it you are singing along too. Singer 'Yiannis Papadoulous' is a bit of a 'Rob Halford (Judas Priest) lookalike. The vocals are not to dissimilar either. He likes to disapear off the stage too . I can report from our rear view nothing untoward was taking place.The band will back in the 'second city' next year on their own headlining tour. I think it will be well worth attending. The Nightwish banner comes down. We find our rightful seats and the tension mounts. Funnily enough the position is very similar to that last night at Wembley.

Floor Jansen

Delayed over a year, and a quarter of  a century in the making, expectations are high. Wembley is packed to the rafters and Birmingham isn't far off either. Drummer 'Kai Hahto' beats out a rhythm, the curtain lifts and the crowd roars. Sparks begin to fly as Floor Bounds onto the stage to the pounding beat of 'Noise' from the new album' 'Human :II: Nature'. A mighty explosion lifts me off my seat (again).. It's great to see Floor looking so well, after what must have been a traumatic few months for her. Tonight she looks in commanding mood, owning the stage. Close up views are available from the two huge side screens. The lighting is as good as I have ever seen, along with the back screen images. 'Storytime' from 'Imaginaerum' quickly follows.  

Tuomas Holopainen

It's great to see Keyboards Maestro Tuomas Holpainen  in an elevated centre stage position. To his left is the multi-Instrumentalist 'Troy Donockley'.  A master of the 'Uuilleann pipes', whistles and all sorts of other wind instruments. He has really added a new dimension to the band since becoming a permanent member. The flames and pyros keep on coming and  we can feel the heat up in the aisles. Part of me longs to be down at the front in the mosh pit. I console myself with the thought that the sound is probably better somewhere further back. 

Troy Donockley

As if  it were possible things crank up even more with the classic 'Dark Chest of Wonders.' I would love to see 'Wishmaster' too but that seems to have been retired since 2012 from the live shows. The current set list also has been cut short since the South American Tour earlier in the year. 'She is my Sin'  '7 Days to the Wolves' and 'Ever Dream' have been cut. I imagine in an effort to reduce the workload for Floor. The 'Northern Lights' backdrop and the blustery snow compliment 'Sleeping Sun' perfectly. We are treated to a fantastic version of ' I want my Tears Back'. A song that builds faster and faster to a great chorus and interplay between Troy and guitarist 'Emppu Vuorinen'.   

Emppu Vuorinen

No Nightwish show would be complete without the epic 'Nemo'. Just hearing that keyboard intro always gives me goosebumps. Things calm a little with the acoustic 'How's the Heart'. It is at his point in Birmingham I regretted having a pint of Lager during the interval... Sometimes you just have to go. Making my apologies I stumbled to the exit. At least I would enjoy the rest of the concert in comfort! What a remainder of the show it would prove to be as well. Starting with The fifth and final song and my favourite from the new album 'Shoemaker'

An homage to the shoe making heritage of my home town 'Northampton' perhaps? Sadly not the case, but something even more extraordinary. The American Astrogeologist  'Eugene Shoemaker'. Who spent much of his life discovering comets and impact craters all over the world. The only person to date whose Ashes are buried on the moon. The operatic ending to the song by Floor is just exquisite and takes your breathe away. Highlighting her amazing voice and range.

'And, when he shall die
Take him and cut him out in little stars
And he will make the face of heaven so fine'

The musical extravaganza culminates with two more heavyweight blockbusters. 'Ghost Love Score' and 'The Last Ride of the Day'. They illustrate perfectly how Nightwish can mix the light and the dark. Pulsating adrenaline rush heavy metal, interspersed with the subtle and delicate touches. Much loved by fans of all ages who never fail to turn out in force. It has been a wonderful couple of nights that will stay long in the memory of those attending. All band members at the top of their game. Most of all their is an obvious sense of fun and enjoyment emanating from the stage. 

The night ends fittingly with 'The Greatest show on Earth'. Which on tonight's evidence it most certainly was. 

The band leave the stage to 'All the Works of Nature which adorn the World VIII. Along with a standing ovation from everyone present.

 'We were There'.

 

My grateful thanks go to  Nigel Pearson and Bob Payne for sourcing the tickets. Also to Eddie Mallet for allowing me to use his 'close up' photographs. 
 
 Full Set List 

• Noise
• Storytime
• Tribal
• Elan
• Dark Chest of Wonders
• Sleeping Sun
• Harvest
• I want my Tears back
• Nemo
• How's the Heart
• Shoemaker
• Last Ride of the Day
• Ghost Love Score
• The Greatest show on Earth 
  

 

 

 

Puerto Rico - Gran Canaria Dolphin Cruise

A life on the Ocean Waves

I took a bit of persuading to partake in a boat trip, given my usual seas sickness issues. I was also debating hiring an electric bike and going off exploring in the mountains. On balance  it was decided that the sea trip would be the safest option in the long run. We were picked up close to our hotel at 9:15 AM.A 20 minute journey took an hour longer due to all the other pick-ups along the way.Of course there there is always one place where the participants have not arrived.. so we play the waiting game. Eventually they stroll out and get on the coach. No apologies , I resist the urge to make a comment....

I was already feeling ill before getting off the coach. We aren't doing this again, we'll get a Taxi home I murmured. I was feeling glad though that we had opted for the 2 hour cruise and not the 3 hour version. The harbour at Puerto Rico is Spain's sailing Mecca. There are options of Glass Bottomed Boats, Catamarans, Speed boats, Luxury Cruisers with a Captain, Deep Sea Sport Fishing and even a Yellow Submarine. Our vessel looks comparatively tame thankfully. We manage to clamber on board and get a seat on the top deck. Over the tannoy a crew member tells us in several different languages not to be sick in the toilets. Bags are available upon request for that sort of thing.In the next breath she advises that chocolates, crisps, cakes and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase down below. Talk about asking for trouble! I for one won't be indulging in such fayre.

We've been going out for miles and every ripple of the waves brings hope of a Dolphin. We might even see a Whale too of we are really lucky. The crew are very active with their binoculars, although all we have seen so far are other boats.' Don't worry' says a cheery chap from Essex sitting next to me. I notice he has already started on the Heineken.. 'If you don't see anything they promise another cruise for free;.. Oh great. I shall say I saw a tail or something just to avoid that scenario.   

Nobody on board is more actively searching for the elusive Dolphins than me. Suddenly a shout goes up that they have been spotted!! On the other side of the boat to where we are...For goodness sake don't all rush over or we might capsize is my only thought.. It seems that I'm the only one thinking like that though. 

 

Suddenly more Dolphins appear, there must be at least a dozen. Young ones too, what a sight as the follow along with the wake of our boat. These are Bottlenose Dolphins and seem very friendly and noted for being highly intelligent too.They can  reach a length of just over 4 meters (13 feet).  They can vary in colour too, from a light grey to almost black. Bottlenose dolphins can live for more than 40 years. Females tend to live 5–10 years longer than males, with some females reaching 60 years or more.  

I noticed a young girl with her head in a sick bag. I felt a bit smug in truth feeling perfectly fine. I think I had been so occupied looking for marine life that I forget all about being sick. A voice over the tannoy tells us to take our last photos as . we will be heading back to shore in the next few minutes. We say our farewells to the Dolphins, and settle back for hopefully a sedate cruise back the way we came. 

It has been surprisingly calm thankfully and a real pleasure to experience the Dolphins who looked so elegant and at peace.