I have several half written posts about places in East Anglia that we have visited this summer. Out latest was a trip to Cley on the North Norfolk Coast. I am determined to finish writing this post and then will try and work at finishing the others.
The village has Anglo Saxon roots, Cley being a derivation of clay! Cley is pronounced to rhyme with ‘shy’ but at times the village has been called Clay!
If you are a bird watcher then the word Cley will mean something to you ….a bit like when I hear the name Shetland which is tied up with spinning, lace and fair isle in my head!
Cley is described as one of the best bird watching sites in the UK and the home of birding in Britain. It sits looking north with only sea between it and land over the globe on the other side! It attracts a lot of migrants, especially in autumn and spring, acting as a staging ground. We actually visited as we hadn’t been for far too long due to Covid 19 restrictions. We weren’t intending to see any bird in particular but as you approach the beach this is a common sight.
Like many places along our coastline it is but a shadow of its former self due in the case of Cley to silting up ! Cley is now ‘Cley next the sea’ but the village has been a decent walk from the beach since the 17th Century. The much photographed and ‘ loved by artists’ windmillI was actually built in the early 19th Century. Over the years it has been more or less fully restored and now operates as a rather special B and B and self catering venue. (The Church in the photo is in a neighbouring village!)
I spent a notable birthday there a few years back- great views from the windows over the surrounding area. The sides of the window were mirrored!
Cley used to be one of the busiest ports in the country, where cloth, grain, and fish were exported or imported.Along with other Norfolk ports there was much trade, in particular connected with weaving, with the Low Countries and probably more goods moved this way than by land to other parts of the country. Goods were taken to Hull and London by sea rather than by land.
The village used to be based around the Grade 1 listed Medieval church, set even further inland. As with many Norfolk Churches it seems large, parts date back to 1320-1340. The village itself is a nightmare for both pedestrians and traffic. If driving when you want to pull on the side to get out of the way of the local bus there will be a building jutting out into the road! Much patience and driving skill is needed. When built the narrow roads and lanes were not designed for the volume or size of modern traffic. However the village is worth pursuing, there is a free car park at the village hall, delightful lanes and alleyways and some very nice shops - a great deli, a second hand bookshop, art gallery, pottery, smoke house and at least one really good coffee shop with views over the marshes. If you do venture to the village, take a look at the buildings, everything from flint cottages to very modern via Dutch Gables (reminding one of the trading links) and grand Georgian.
View from the West of the village near Artemis coffee shop and the Deli.
Cley itself sits in the area of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding National Beauty. The bird reserve is to the East of the village and is surrounded by marshes important for their populations of rare and breeding birds. It is the oldest county Wildlife Trust reserve in the country being set up in 1926. It is a special place and one of the iconic birds is the avocet, to me such an elegant bird.
The previous thatched reserve building now hosts exhibitions during the year and in 2007 a new eco friendly visitor centre opened. It has a good cafe, nice shop with cards by local artists and a good book section besides the usual gifts. There is an interpretation area, and talks and workshops are held in a separate ‘education’ building. One can sit having coffee and cake and look over the reserve.
(In the following photo the deeper blue line across the centre is the sea, the avocet photo was taken from one of the hides in the centre of the photo.)
There are many hides allowing good viewing of the frequent flocks of birds and access to the beach is possible if one is prepared to walk.
Typical reeds
View of the Beach looking west from the East Bank walkway-it was this busy whe we were there in the week!
A great place to blow away the cobwebs and appreciate the natural beauty of our surroundings.
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