North Norfolk in Film
The picturesque seaside town of Blakeney. 1/60s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
As we were getting through the summer, I’d realised I had done very little camping this year. Normally on a big road trip like my one to Scotland we’d be camping most of my time. But as we are now all a bit older, and supposedly a bit wealthier, we only camped one night and spent the rest of the time in hotels and hostels. Still, can’t always complain about having four walls and a roof when the rain is hammering down.
Holkham beach is vast area of sand but there’s still a few bird hides scattered around for birdwatchers. 1/125s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The wooded area had this amazing tree on its path. I’ve no idea what caused it to grow this way. 1/125s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
RSPB Titchwell is one of the best places to go birdwatching in north Norfolk. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
There’s also plenty of bird hides here that will shelter you from the elements. Thankfully the rain and thunderstorms only started after I got back to my car. 1/125s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Initially I had planned a camping trip to the Norfolk Broads in June in order to hunt down Swallowtail butterflies, but work commitments meant that had completely fallen through and the season for them ended. Instead, I repurposed this trip for August where I could explore the North Norfolk coast and do something else I had long neglected – birdwatching.
Resting for lunch in the sand dunes. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The extreme dry weather we’d seen over the summer had left much of the mud cracked from drying out. There was still plenty for waders to feed on however. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The North Norfolk coast is an easy place to navigate as it is served by a single main road, the A149, with smaller roads radiating of it. A well-placed campsite near Binham put me in a good place to spend less time in the car and more out and about. The first day I spent at Holkham Beach, the second at RSPB Titchwell (just about dodging the torrential rain and thunderstorms), the third at RSPB Snettisham, the fourth exploring the coastal paths around Blakeney & Cley next to the Sea and the final day a quick trip to Cromer before heading home.
Binham Priory was an impressive church with additional ruins that made for the perfect subject for my Intrepid 4x5 camera. 1/60s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The view of Binham Priory as you arrive. 1/30s 180mm F22 Intrepid 4x5 Ilford HP5+.
Looking at it from the side reveals more of the ruins which the monks would have used before the reformation. 1/4s 90mm F22 Intrepid 4x5 Ilford HP5+.
A rear view reveals the remaining pillars that would have supported a much larger structure. 1s 90mm F32 Intrepid 4x5 Ilford HP5+.
It's not hard to see why this part of the UK remains popular with tourists, with its vast picturesque sandy beaches, quaint and attractive seaside towns, and the opportunity for a great range of outdoor activities such as birdwatching or fishing. There’s no shortage of coastal paths here either and vast areas of sand dunes and interesting structures like grand windmills and ruined boats mean you’ll never run out of interesting things to see. Although I did make a pretty big mistake not realising the path back from Cley to Blakeney wasn’t circular and running out of time I took a dangerous trek over the salt marsh at low tide. Thankfully in this case I was ok, but this is not something anyone else should attempt as if you hit a deep bit of mud that you start sinking into, it could put your life at risk.
I came across this abandoned boat whilst walking from the RSPB Snettisham car park through to the shore. 1/125s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The sailing club were out practicing on the day I was there. 1/125s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The vast mud flats at Snettisham are home to thousands upon thousands of waders that give life to one of the UK’s greatest wildlife events, the Wader Spectacular. Although being tide based I missed it by a few days. 1/60s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
A large flock of waders waits for low tide in one of the lagoons behind the shore. 1/125s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
This modern bird hide even has slots of varying heights with rubberised curtains for you to poke your long lenses and scopes through. 1/60s 50mm F8.0 3 stops underexposed Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Next week’s blog will go into a lot more detail into the wildlife I saw and captured on (digital) camera so this week will be a selection of images taken with my Kodak Retina iiiS & Intrepid 4x5 cameras. Sadly, I accidently ruined my first four frames of Ilford FP4+ in large format which is extra disappointing as I really would have liked the one of Cley Windmill. But it’s all part of the learning process, and better to do it here than on my trip to Yosemite one day.
An end of the roll shot of an ongoing event at Blakeney gave this slight double exposure but luckily the two extra people fit nicely in an empty spot in the frame. 1/125s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+ double exposure.
A sight seen at the British seaside for more than a century. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
A ruined boat lies by the coastal path leading out of Blakeney towards Cley on the Sea. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
One of the most famous landmarks in North Norfolk, the Cley Windmill. 1/125s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
If you have any great memories, recent or not, of your time in North Norfolk then I look forward to hearing about them in the comments down below. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy these images and look forward to seeing you again next week.
I found these two birdwatchers following the activities of a bait ball that was under attack from a big group of gulls and terns. Working together we managed to spot a couple of rarities including a black tern. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
My footprints from trekking over the mudflats back to the footpath. Definitely don’t try this yourself. 1/125s 50mm -3 stops F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Blakeney had a large array of boats resting on the shore at low tide. 1/125s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Two boats speed on by at Wells-next-the-Sea. 1/250s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Beach huts are another classic view of the British seaside. 1/250s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
I stumbled upon RAF Langham by pure chance after driving past. I couldn’t say no to photographing this model Spitfire. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The impressive 14th century Church of St Peter and St Paul sits in the centre of the popular tourist destination of Cromer. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Cromer Pier is best viewed from up on the hill on a bright sunny day like this one was. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Lifeguards keep an eye on the numerous swimmers. 1/250s 50mm F11 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
Large numbers of families were crabbing off the pier. Another classic view of the British seaside holiday. 1/500s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
The view of the Cromer coastline from the pier. A lovely way to end my trip in North Norfolk. 1/60s 50mm F8.0 Kodak Retina iiiS Ilford HP5+.
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