Day 6 - Driving to Norwich - 13 September 2024

Today we leave our relatives and the beautiful village of Sible Hedingham. However, before we left, Tim gave us so many tips on cooking good sourdough.  He has many loyal customers and will be selling at a market tomorrow.  Now we have to remember everything when we get home. Tim cooks more than seventy loaves to sell at each market.

The chief baker and his wife at Ten Sheds Bakery

It was sad to go but the holiday beckoned.  We left around 10:00 a.m. and started towards Norwich. We could not book in until midafternoon, so we went straight to Blickling Hall, an old stately home now controlled by the British National Trust.

It is an amazing place to see.  The National Trust has had possession of the place since around 1970 and have kept it in good condition.  The place is enormous and covers an area of more than 4,600 acres.  Anne Boleyn and was bought by her father in 1452.  The house is considered to be a great example of the Jacobean (1603 to 1625) architecture as it was extended during that time.

That is an amazing bed

Blickling Hall

The dining room

The entrance staircase and statue

The oven

The entrance is spectacular

A huge library

The gardens are also just superb.  The yew hedges are masterpieces and perfectly trimmed. We did not walk around the entire garden.

The gardens are huge

A captivating garden

Pristine lawn, hedges and trees

We finally headed to our hotel for the next three nights.  It is an extra-ordinarily old pub that was built around 1471 but became an inn in 1650.  It is "quaint" and has that traditional English atmosphere.  The beer on tap does help. It is in Aylsham, a small village just outside Norwich. It is a very picturesque place.

That is an English pub

 We had dinner there that night and just soaked in the feeling of the bub. The staff are fantastic and the food is exceptional.  No-one finished the meal.  Somehow I think that we will enjoy the stay here.