Motoring royalty convened in the car park of HRH King Charles’ estate at Sandringham on Sunday 22nd September to enjoy a scenic drive of the North Norfolk coastline kindly organised by Mark Simmons.
In attendance was Mark and Leah, myself and my dad, Bob, Mike & Marion Storey, Clive and Louise Marshall and Ross, who once again brought along the wonderful Monty who is quickly establishing himself as the club’s official mascot, having attended several events this year. Joining us later in the drive were Mike and Cathy Barnes making six Barchettas in total brightening up the rather mixed Norfolk skyline during the day.
Our first stop after an enjoyable drive past some traditional local style stone cottages was Great Massingham, where we slightly gate-crashed a regular classic car event held on the village green. There was an interesting mix of cars on display in a very pretty location and our claim to fame was that we were the largest single-make and model display at the show, even though we were not actually attending!
Then we headed to the famous beach huts at Wells-next-the-Sea via Burnham Market and Burnham Ovary Staithe. After a refreshing drink at the cafe, we went for a walk on the beach to enjoy the views and bracing fresh air. Our timing here was perfect as the rain started shortly after we left, but it did not thankfully last too long.
We then arrived at St Mary’s Priory, Binham which is both the site of a church and the ruins of a Benedictine Priory. Inside the church there were plenty of interesting displays regarding the history and archaeology of the site, whilst opposite there was a small farm shop which presented the opportunity to purchase the famous Binham Blue cheese.
After our final scenic drive via Blakeney, we ended the day at the attractive village of Cley next the Sea for our excellent group meal at the George and Dragon, which included a round of drinks paid for by the club (thank you Mr Treasurer). A quick after-dinner stroll back to the cars via the village’s early 19th century windmill was the perfect way to end a wonderful day.
Many thanks to Mark for arranging the day and to all those who attended as well. We hope to see you again soon!
Neil Mead
Thanks Neil for doing the report ,and thank you to everyone who attended .
No problem Mark, thanks for arranging the day
We were sorry to miss this trip, we were returning from Italy that weekend. Beautiful part of the world to visit…well done Mark, your encyclopaedic knowledge of East Anglia is very useful!