This is the time of year for one of North Norfolk’s great sights.
This week
Pink-footed geese spend the winter here, coming from Iceland and Greenland, and their numbers build through October towards the tens of thousands; at times Norfolk holds more than half the world’s population. They roost out on the marshes and mudflats, fly inland at first light to feed in the fields on the beet left after the harvest, and come back at dusk in long, loud skeins. Holkham and Wells are the nearest places to watch, about half an hour from the cottage; at Holkham, the Washington hide is a good spot. Go at dawn or dusk, wrap up warm, and listen: you’ll hear them before you see them.
In Holkham’s park the fallow deer are rutting, the bucks groaning and clashing in the early mornings and evenings. Watch from a distance.
This year is also the centenary of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, which began in 1926 when Cley Marshes was bought as its first nature reserve. Cley is about fifteen minutes from the cottage, and autumn is a good time there for birds passing through on migration.
For a wet afternoon, Holt and the villages around it are some of the best places in Norfolk to hunt for antiques. Our antiques guide lists our favourites.
Looking ahead
- Until 18 October: the Bayfield Hall Sculpture Trail, Wednesday to Sunday.
- 24 and 25 October: the Autumn Steam Gala on the Poppy Line.
- 25 October: the clocks go back.
- 27 to 31 October: Halloween in the Walled Garden at Holkham.