On the Wolf Trail

After the last full London trip with so many wonderful things to reflect on and digest, I felt the need to visit the romance and open spaces of the seaside.  I wanted to walk along the cliff tops listening to the gulls, sink my toes into the soft sand and drink in the atmosphere around the light house at Old Hunstanton.

Myself and Mumsy wanted to spend some time together and walk along the Wolf Trail.  No, there are no real wolves in Old Hunstanton, just wooden ones!  The Wolf Trail tells the story of St Edmund, the first Patron Saint of England.  The trail takes you from the cenotaph to the lighthouse and the wolf statue.  

Legend has it that St Edmund surrendered to the Vikings and was then tied to an oak tree where he was tortured.  He would not renounce his religion so was then used as target practice by the Viking archers and was then beheaded with his head being buried in a forest.  After a month his supporters went to search for his head and heard St Edmund's voice shouting 'Here!'.  They were shocked to eventually find his head between the paws of a motionless wolf, who then stood up and quietly retreated to the depths of the forest.

The wolf sculpture was unveiled in 2011 and was designed by Jean Mulligan.

The sad thing along this trail were the occasional cut flowers blowing against the flimsy chicken wired barrier between the grassed area and the ever crumbling cliff edge.  Along with these were the contact details of the Samaritans, a last attempt to say there is someone to listen.  Heartbreaking.

We were now at the simple but romantic lighthouse, no longer in active use, but used as a rental holiday home.  Can you believe that this was built in 1666!!

Standing in front of the archway, it gave such a perfect frame to this beautiful building.

But we had finished the wolf trail and wanted to walk down to the sand dunes and back along the beach.

And this time, the danger was not walking off the cliff top, it was now the cliff falls.

This end of Hunstanton has so much space and of course, acres of sky.

Giving the perfect opportune moment to fly a kite!

And listen to the chatter of the gulls in their cliff side homes.

Along with watching the little boats sailing amongst the sand banks.

Stopping occasionally to look at a barnacle or two along the beach.

These were attached to the photogenic skeleton of a steam trawler called Sheraton which has graced Old Hunstanton's shores since 1947!

I just love getting up close to the skeleton of objects and seeing the structure that gives them their personality.

Looking at this structure made me think of whale bones on a shore.

With the wolf filling its belly for the winter!

Our walk was a lot shorter today, with fresh sea air and open scenery.

 Ice cream to enjoy along the way.

 And vibrant colours of a different nature.

This was a relaxed day to enjoy some peace and quiet before the school and college terms began and it certainly worked a treat!

So now, with my birthday weekend here, I will be enjoying a busy and emotional day at Greenwich's Tall Ships weekend.  I can't wait to share this with you next week!!

Have a wonderful weekend and week.

Take care.

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