“Touring East Anglia by Motorhome: Canoe trips, Cycle tours, National Trust Gems, Eclectic Museums and a heatwave as well”

 “Touring East Anglia by Motorhome: Canoe trips, Cycle tours, National Trust Gems, Eclectic Museums and a heatwave as well”

Join us on our recent 3 week long, fun-filled motorhome adventure through East Anglia – from bee swarms and heatwaves, to national trust houses and eclectic museums, we canoe, cycle, wildlife watch, and fall foul of Bryony’s ongoing ‘gauge’ dramas.

We have visited Norfolk and Suffolk before and you can read about our previous motorhome tour here: https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2021/06/touring-norfolk-in-motorhome.html 

You will then find all the posts for that tour following the introductory page - use the menu archive and type in June 2025 to find the posts  or you can visit this 'how to navigate our blog page' which lists all our tours and you will find all the pages there: https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/p/section-one-travel-adventures-and.html or you can just use the search bar and type in 'Norfolk'.

 

15 June – Day One

A record-breaking departure, radar revelations, Capability Brown’s first masterpiece and Blackmore CCC review

Away by 0900. Yes, really. A departure so early that both of us briefly wondered whether we’d accidentally slipped into an alternate universe where we are ‘highly organised’ motorhome people. Do such motorhome people exist? And if so, how do we evolve to this hallowed status?

Our new pre‑departure routine - loading almost everything except food, electronics and astro gear in the two days before - seems to work. Bryony practically drove herself, smugly and serenely, out of storage this morning.

As tradition dictates, we stopped at Costa Coffee on Haldon Hill - the ceremonial, ritual, breakfast gateway for any northbound escape from Devon. It’s not a trip unless we’ve had that first Costa coffee on the hill.

Our first destination: Croome Hall (National Trust) and the old RAF Defford base. The museum is a gem - radar history, wartime innovation, and the delightful revelation that some of the technology developed here now lives inside your microwave. Who knew your porridge was heated by RAF ingenuity?

The house itself is sparsely furnished but atmospheric, and the grounds - Capability Brown’s first ever commission - are a sweeping, elegant masterclass in landscape design. As someone who studied 17th–19th century garden design for my BEd (forty-four years ago… gulp), this was a nostalgic treat. Brown didn’t just design landscapes; he sculpted entire horizons.

A short hop took us to Blackmore Camping and Caravan Club (CCC) near Malvern. Gravel pitch, black squirrels, a magnificent oak, and a mobile signal so weak we may well have been better off using semaphore. £29 for one night. Nice site, plenty of space, well laid out, easily accessible, great facilities and we will definitely return. Great area for some cycle trips, canoeing and discovering old book shops.

16–19 June – Days Two to Five

Packwood House, Cambridge CCC review, a rebellious water pump, and a gas gauge with delusions of grandeur

Shockingly, we were away by 0900 again. Something is clearly wrong with us.

A stop at Packwood House (NT) delivered eclectic furniture, spectacular gardens, and the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to whisper even outdoors. A firm favourite of ours. Lovely place.

By 1500 we were pitched at Cambridge CCC (£58 for 2 nights on a 7×5m grass with EHU). Lovely site – great facilities, plenty of space, attentive friendly wardens and great bus links into the city just outside the site entrance.  One of the best motorhome servicing points we have encountered as well.

It was, however, just after arrival that Bryony decided to test our patience. Now this is a very, very rare event – so it came as a bit of a shock.

First: the water pump refused to switch off. Autosleepers forums suggested finding the pressure dial. Cue a deep dive into the handbook (yes, we carry ours - all that extra weight!). Ten minutes later: fixed. Whisper quiet. No nocturnal gurgling. The boss is impressed with my problem-solving savvy.

Then: the cooker wouldn’t ignite. The dashboard gauge showed eight green lights - supposedly “full”. A crawl under the motorhome to read the tank gauge. Reality? Zero gas. The dashboard gauge has joined the Fresh Water ‘Guess-O-Meter’ and the Waste Tank ‘Comedy Display’ in the “Utterly Useless” drawer. What is it with sensors and gauges on an Autosleeper?

Cold tea for dinner. No hot drinks. Netflix instead of noodles and stir fry then.

 

17th June - Day Three - LPG search, food stock up and an afternoon of cultural activity at the Fitzwilliam Museum

Next morning we drive to the only gas LPG suppliers in the area – Morrisons at St. Ives where we take onboard 23 litres of LPG (£27). Crisis over. Embarrassing. How did I not spot the problem?

Quick stock up at the supermarket, back to forecourt for £77 of fuel - half a tank and back to CCC at Cambridge for 1100, where we promptly catch the bus into the city centre for the afternoon.

Cambridge delivered its usual charm – a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum (well worth it – free admission, stunning artworks, collections and architecture), ice cream near King’s College, a bit of sketching and reading back on site, and finally, a hot meal thanks to a now full LPG tank. We could have used the Jetboil or Cadac the night before … but laziness won over. Shameful!

18 June – Day Four

Cycling, antibiotics, and a bee swarm straight out of a David Attenborough special

A breezy 22‑mile cycle towards Saffron Walden (less breezy for me, thanks to a tooth/ear infection). Coffee and cake at Riverside Barns, then back to site for snoozing.

At dusk, Bryony became the centre of a bee swarm. Big bees. Everywhere. One even slipped inside and vanished down the hab door slot. Each time I stepped out to investigate, a squadron chased me off – defending their Queen which I could just see in one corner of the outer lounge window area.

Now we like bees. We’d like to have some hives in the garden, so we found the whole incident fascinating. Why they targeted our motorhome in particular is beyond us.

I tried to get some shots of the bees - but I was driven back and decided discretion was the better part of valour

They eventually vanished at sunset, leaving us able to finally open the skylights – on what is a very sweltering evening. I am also free to attempt astrophotography. It doesn’t go as well as I hoped for. Bortle 6 light pollution, tracking issues, mysterious trailing - either the tracker is faulty or I’m doing something daft. The helicopters, trains and traffic at 1am didn’t help the troubleshooting thinking I needed to do. I give up and abandon the night. Some you win, some you lose.

 

19 June – Day Five

Heatwave, Wimpole Farm tour, and Burleigh Hill campsite review (full of wildlife)

No bee swarm this morning, but a few ladybirds made it through the roof top netting into the interior. All rescued and released safely. 

28°C by 09:15. Movement minimal. Skylights fully open. Hydration constant!

We visit Wimpole House (NT) — superb farm, sustainable practices, and the revelation that NT scones in Cornwall are made with Wimpole flour. Shhh. Don’t tell the Cornish! They are very particular about their scones and cream teas! The Farm is excellent too - very organic, mainly a working arable farm growing wheat, barley and oats and then using a three-year legumes rotation. Fascinating stuff. Don’t miss the magnificent ancient wooden barn. Spectacular.

Our next stop: Burleigh Hill Farm Campsite. Just to the north of St. Ives, we miss the farm entrance road and so have to drive up to and turn in the raptor centre entrance a mile up road before retracing our route back to the farm entrance. The approach road is long, almost a mile of bumpy tarmac with passing places but the welcome is lovely. Wildlife abounds everywhere (black squirrels, owls, rabbits galore), and quirky facilities ranging from a “retro block” in an old barn to “shiny white toilet and shower cubicles that look like posh portaloos but aren’t”, out near the fields. We parked under a beautiful oak, facing north, a few metres from a water and electric point. Perfect. The Elsan chemical disposal point is tucked away on the far corner of this exceptionally large field – easily accessible for motorhomes.

 

20 June – Day Six

Family time, regattas, cake, and more cake

A stroll to Houghton Mill (NT) with our son and his partner along a cycle track that skirts the river Stour. The mill is an old working mill and fascinating to visit to see how flour was milled back in the 1600’s. On the cycle path, black squirrels run along branches above us, a rowing regatta on the river is our soundscape. Then, an afternoon back at their house - chatting, and eating too much cake - with an evening takeaway indulgence on top!

 

June 21^st - Day Seven  

Cancelled due to too much cake

Today is cancelled due to overindulgence yesterday afternoon and evening. We have a lazy day reading the Sunday papers and chilling back on site. Offspring come for a picnic tea outside Bryony – where we promptly consume more cake – and then wish we hadn’t. Enough said. Lesson learned!

 

22 June – Day Eight

Norwich, medieval barns, and a perfect farm hideaway at Colks Farm CL Motorhome site

Park & Ride into Norwich and a twenty-minute bus journey brings us to the castle, various museums, the market, and a great shopping quarter. A great wander which helps walk off the effects of the ‘cake overindulgence’ from the last two days.

Then on to Colks Farm CL site, where we have the entire five‑pitch paddock to ourselves beside a huge Saxon-style medieval barn. What a stunning structure. Peaceful, shaded, idyllic – we have fallen on our feet at this site. Clean showers in a converted stables block, level pitch, midges manageable. A gem.

A warm welcome from the owner. It is an old farm, out of the way up a long country lane but easily navigated by motorhomes up to 7.5m long with no problem.  It is a great place to wash up at during this heat wave. EHU alongside. Tap at paddock entrance. Waste water drained down our coiled waste pipe into the ditch behind us with the owner’s permission. Perfect!

 

23 June – Day Nine

The Bure Trail, iced lattes, and a boat crash worthy of reality TV

A gorgeous cycle along The Bure Trail to Wroxham. It runs alongside the little narrow-gauge railway. Iced latte by the water in a lovely quiet café outside of the main hubbub streets. The peace is shattered when two enormous river cruisers collide in a dramatic display of nautical impatience, just downriver. An argument about a suddenly vacated quayside space. Boat rage is real. Lots of yelling people and revving of boat engines – wild gesticulations and little hire boats escaping in all directions. Very entertaining!

We escape to Aylesham station back along the cycle trail for ice cream and a railway fix before returning to Colks Farm along an overgrown path/trail.

 

24 June – Day Eleven

37°C, a closed NT property, a monstrous pothole, and a parking altercation

How hot is hot?

37°C outside. 30°C inside Bryony. We abandon cycling and head to Blickling Hall (NT) - only to find it closed due to heat. Website hadn’t been updated. Irritating to say the least. The exit road pothole just before the main road is the size of a meteor crater – which doesn’t improve my humour or feelings towards this particular national trust property!

And, to elevate my grumpiness level further - reversing Bryony into a Tesco’s store car park – I had to take up two spaces so that the bikes could overhang a grass verge behind. Despite several spare spaces being available – my ‘parking out of the way’ earned us rude hand gestures and mouthed obesities from an elderly couple – who clearly didn’t like the fact that we had two spaces or were outside the bay at the front by 18”. Ho hum.

Back at Colks Farm, a blessed breeze arrives. Birds everywhere. Maggie snoozes while I grapple with quantum theory under dappled sunlight. I am reading Stephen Hawkings ‘A Brief History of Time’. A second-hand book shop find from a few days ago! Bliss. I’ve repositioned Bryony lengthways across our pitch so that more of her falls under the shade of the two tall ash trees. Her top skylights are open to trap the wind and direct it inwards, her interior now pleasantly cool. 

Dappled sunlight through the branches overhead filters through the side window netting. Pigeons’ warble and coo above; a robin feeds it's just fledged chick on top of the EHU unit. A pheasant squawks in the neighbouring field. Rural tranquillity.

Quite like this motorhoming malarkey.

 

 25 June – Day Twelve

Canoeing the River Bure with ‘The Canoeman’  - damselflies, dragonflies, herons, voles and wildlife magic – and North sea Frets at Forest Park, Cromer

Norfolk Broads canoeing is a must – well it would be rude not to if in the area, wouldn’t it.

Parking at the Rising Sun Pub, where ‘The Canoe Man’ is located, is, well, - challenging!

Arrive early or risk being boxed in forever. We get moved on by the landlady from our first parking space – she is worried we will get blocked in later. We catch a lucky break and slip into a vacated slot just alongside the road by the entrance. Much better – less likely to be blocked in and we can drive straight out onto the road.

We hired a canoe from ‘The Canoe Man’ – a cheerful, knowledgeable guy with excellent kit and canoes. He operates out of the back of the pub. Great safety briefing and some useful tips on where to go, how long it will take and what to look out for.

Canoeing the River Bure wildlife experience – best way of summing up this adventure. The river is a wildlife wonderland: electric-blue damselflies, dragonflies like tiny helicopters, startled herons, plopping water voles, diving kingfishers, soaring buzzards, swooping marsh harriers, shoals of fish flashing beneath us. A rainforest-like side ‘cut’ channel completes the magic – isolation, hidden corners, off the beaten path – true explorers!

Lovely Breakfast rolls at The King's Head - before canoeing on the river Bure

Three dreamy hours. Highly recommended. A must do!

Our next site, Forest Park at Cromer, is clean but sloping, slightly cramped between open pitches, and charges £10 for a barrier card. Laundry was the priority, though – so we suck up the £30 per night fee.  Whilst Mag supervises the washing machine, I give Bryony a deep spring clean. The North Sea ‘Fret’ (fog) makes the evening feel practically arctic and very eerie.

The site is vast with permanent holiday caravans, a good restaurant and bar block and clean modern facilities. The pitches for touring motorhomes though – you will need your blocks. You may well need to borrow other blocks as well! Make sure you leave the motorhome in gear too!

It doesnt look steep in this photo but we had the ramps on the back wheels and they still didn't level up Bryony completely

Later I download my astro images from last night back at Colks Farm. Last night, sat on Bryony’s rear step, the camera set low on tripod ten feet away from me, I was delighted and amused to suddenly see a small fox at 0030 wander across the paddock. It went up to the camera to investigate. A few sniffs, a quick stare at the rear screen, a snuffle about in the tripod bag between the legs and then it turned and realised I was there. A ten-second face off and it ambled on its way - all under a 74% full moon – bold as brass, completely unperturbed by my presence. Magical, as was later watching the badger shuffle up the driveway.

26 June – Day Thirteen

Heat dome, Tesla Uber, and total stupor in Cromer

28°C at 06:30. And no sea fret to contend with.  It is a fifty-minute walk down the hill to Cromer and we are at the town centre by 09:15.

30°C+.

Costa Coffee provides the only air‑con refuge we can find.

Some browsing in the shops, a stroll along the promenade and we admit defeat. The prospect of an hour’s walk back uphill in 30C+ doesn’t appeal; we resort to an Uber back to the campsite for £6.00. Our first ever ride in an electric car - a Tesla too.

Our driver, David, gives us a fascinating EV masterclass.

Back at site its now 35°C, feeling like 39°C. Bryony hits 36°C inside. We are melting quietly and seek refuge in the clubhouse for ice creams and cold drinks.

A heat dome stalled over East Anglia and a Met Office red warning for the region.

 

27 June – Day Fourteen

Pine Grove CL site review – paradise. And a scorching cycle ride to Sea Palling

We move to Pine Grove CL site at Hickling - a wildlife haven run by Heddwyn and Debbie. Barn owls, bees, wildflower meadows, shady sycamores. Perfection. It is our all-time most favourite motorhome CL site.  Their vision for wildlife is extraordinary. Huge pond, a proper, MASSIVE wildflower meadow, bee friendly planting and away in the orchard, bee hives. For two wildlife lovers, this is bliss. A compact level grass pitches only site – with EHU at each pitch. A water tap in the corner of the paddock – you can drive the motorhome up to it and use your hose. Two toilets and showers – clean but dated – in a fun quirky way – plenty of hot water.  Immediate access onto wonderful country lanes for cycling.

If you are into wildlife and stunning wildlife friendly planting - this is the place for you if you are in teh area - such a vision, carried out so well 

A cycle to Sea Palling for ice cream in the afternoon – it is hot, heaving with day trippers, but worth it, just for the Biscoff ice cream sundaes – and a peek at some of the most extensive sea coastal defences I have seen in this country. You can take the geography teacher out of the classroom but never take ….. never mind!

 

28 June – Day Fifteen

Anglers, dreamy traditional sailing boats, nostalgia at Potters Heigham, and a National Trust windmill

A ride to Potter Heigham with coffee, cake and a dose of nostalgia at Lathams. We cycle along the river towards Martham Boatyard, stopping to watch hidden anglers in the reedbeds. More kit than a NASA Artemis moon launch. Seriously, motorised wheelbarrows full of poles and bags and bait buckets. Extraordinary!

It is astonishing how much kit one angler needs. As a kid, I went with a bamboo pole cane and safety pin hook - then green shield stamps from mum got me my first spinning rod. And just like that my teenage years passed with me spending most of my free time fishing the Gower coastline. I still have that little green spinning rod – but married to a biologist and with an ecologist daughter, I gave up fishing a long time ago! To be fair, as an environmentalist, I struggled to reconcile my enjoyment of fishing with my environmental principles – even though I was strictly a ‘catch and release’ fisherman.

I stop to drool over the traditional Broads river sail boats at Martham. I always dreamed of bringing ‘Arwen’, my 15’ John Welsford designed ‘navigator’ yawl dinghy to the Broads. Never got around to it and ‘Arwen’ has long disappeared off to Scottish waters to look after a young family of keen sailors. A missed opportunity.

(If you are into dinghy cruising – you can find out more about ‘Arwen’ here at www.arwensmeanderings.blogspot.co.uk and also at www.Youtube.com/plymouthwelshboy

A stop at Horsey Windmill (NT) for cake. 25 miles total.

The afternoon spent reading the Sunday papers.

 

29 June – Day Sixteen

New rugs, Snape Maltings, and Sutton Hoo Campsite

Tesco Lowestoft for stock up and then to Snape Maltings (Bryony now has two new rugs - RIP Florence’s threadbare veterans which Bryony inherited). Then with lighter wallets, on to Sutton Hoo campsite. Full-service pitches, hedged privacy, breezy, clean facilities, pine cones aplenty for future bug hotels and only a ten-minute walk to the National Trust site. Needed the ramps for levelling up slightly. A perfect lazy afternoon ensues.

 

30 June – Day Seventeen

Sutton Hoo Visit made magic by Spencer the guide – a review

Sutton Hoo National Trust never disappoints. Fabulous stuff. But today, Spencer made it exceptional. Spencer is a funny, knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide for the site, generous with his time and expert knowledge. He even took us into the roped-off mound areas – which was an absolute treat for us all. Outstanding guiding – terrific morning of further learning and discovery – right up our street – we learned so much more about the history of the site and the Anglo-Saxons, thanks to Spencer.

Afternoon - a pub visit (it is a fifteen-minute walk down the hill from the site entrance) and then back up the hill for showers, cleaning Bryony and some planning ahead.

 

1 July – Day Eighteen

Cycling diplomacy and ‘Longship’ museum dreams at Woodbridge

The plan: cycle to Felixstowe, ferry across the river, loop back.

Reality: we spent too long in Woodbridge.

To avoid what was a busy, narrow main road in to Woodbridge, we opted to cycle along the riverside embankment top. And around the first corner, we accidentally cycled into a group of councillors on a footpath discussing ‘illegal cyclists on the footpath’. Opps!

Now in fairness – we didn’t see the newly installed no cycling signs. Hardly surprising – they were tiny, and frankly, poorly placed. After some diplomatic discussions, we all agreed the signage was questionable. We did manage to raise some issues for cyclists and propose some alternative ideas for them to consider – like a shared cycle/footpath across the embankment tops.

The Woodbridge waterfront museums were superb - especially the Longship Project, where volunteers are building a full-size Sutton Hoo longship using authentic tools and techniques. Watching primary school children learning traditional boatbuilding was heartwarming. As an amateur boatbuilder, I found it all fascinating. Learned loads – especially discreetly watching the gentleman install solar panels and a battery system on the smaller 1/3^rd size replica moored alongside the slipway.

Restarting the bike ride, we lost the will to live a few miles further on – Felixstowe just didn’t seem to be getting any closer and the prospect of an ice cream back on the waterfront seemed a much better idea and use of our time!

If you are in the area – visit the waterside museums and craft area. You won’t regret it. You can measure the quality of a place by whether or not it has a Rohan shop! Woodbridge does – there case made.

 

2 July – Day Nineteen

Grimes Graves Flint Mines and the Grange Park Farm campsite review campsite

Transferred to Grange Park Farm via Grimes Graves Flint Mines - a fascinating Stone Age flint mine you can actually descend into. Terrific destination – really mesmerising – plenty to walk around.  

Grange Park Farm campsite was pleasant, alongside a river. Canal boats line the bank either side of the site and there is a great pub a mile back up the river, accessible by road. Bit of road noise across the nearby bridge but pitches were level, well-spaced and facilities were clean. Taps and EHU shared between neighbouring pitches. The grey waste point was impossible for motorhomes, being around the back of the toilet block. You can park close to the toilet block but buckets and lots of walking required!

 

3 July – Day Twenty

Cycling, sluice gates, traction engines, and Dad’s Army heaven

A 27‑mile ride to Downham Market and along the Great Stour River with a stop off at the river sluice gates. Some great hydrology engineering – you can take the geographer out of the classroom – but  …. Never mind.

 

4^th July – Day twenty-one

Thetford Museum reviews – Dad’s Army Museum and the Burrells Steam museum

A Thetford visit in Bryony. We park in the Burrells Museum car park and walk up through the town centre to a little café for breakfast. A wander around the little street market and back down to visit the Burrells Steam Museum. Traction engines galore and the real Corporal Jones’ butcher’s van. Bob’s talk about it was brilliant. As a family we know a thing or two about traction engines and have attended many, many steam rallies over the years – so the Burrells museum was like an unexpected ‘pilgrimage’.

Naturally, we then visited the Dad’s Army Museum. Sat at Captain Mainwaring’s desk for a photo. Volunteers were superb and display, exhibits etc illuminating and informative. Loved the little café decorated exactly like the Tea Shop in Walmington-on-Sea!

A cracking day.

 

4 July – Day Twenty-Two

Homeward bound

Away by 0800. Back at Blackmore CCC near Worcester by 1330 (with two coffee stops). A14, M42, M5 - smooth sailing, well driving!

 

Trip highlights?

• Canoeing with damselflies
• Grimes Graves Flint mines
• Dad’s Army Museum
• Burrells Steam Museum
• Sutton Hoo (always)
• And for me personally, the Longship Project at Woodbridge. Boatbuilder heaven.

Quite like this motorhoming  malarkey! We may have said that before!