The highlight of the weekend trip and our second weekend away was two nights in Peterborough. We had secured weekend tickets for one of Joe’s favourite bands, Pendragon.

It was a busy weekend – we visited the Cathedral in Peterborough and nearly bought tickets for the heritage steam railway – the Nene valley railway. However, the trains we needed to catch were not hauled by steam so in the end we gave it a miss.

On our walk to the Nene valley railway we came across the Nene Viaduct which was built to carry the Great Northern Railway across the River Nene. It is a Grade II listed building.

Pendragon were performing at a great little venue in Peterborough alongside the River Nene – the Key Theatre.

We found a great place for tea on Sunday – The Brewery Tap microbrewery in Peterborough, serving fantastic Thai food.

Thursday morning we drove to Blickling Estate, a National Trust property about a 20 minute drive from West Runton. Mentioned in the Doomesday Book, Blickling Estate is believed to have been the birthplace of Anne Bolyen, the future wife of King Henry VIII.

During the second world war, RAF crew were billeted here whilst its owner, Lord Lothian, was part of Winston Churchill’s circle of influence.

In the 1740s, Sir John Hobart converted the Long Gallery into an impressive library after being bequethed a vast book collection by renowned scholar Sir Richard Ellys.

Philip Kerr, the 11th Marquess of Lothian was a part of the history of the National Trust as he was a driving force behind the National Trust Act of 1937 and the creation of the Country Houses Scheme. This enabled large mansion houses to be transferred to the trust in lieu of death duties, preserving some of the UK’s most beautiful buildings.

We took a tour of the inside of the mansion…

And afterwards walked around the lovely gardens and lake.

On Friday we took the train to Hoveton and Wroxham (from the station at West Runton) and travelled on the heritage line, the Bure Valley line. This nine mile railway line, which is narrow gauge, runs along an old branch line which was a part of the Beeching cuts.

Being around a 1:3 scale, this narrow gauge railway allowed the creation of a long distance footpath running alongside the line between the towns of Wroxham and Aylsham.

It was another pleasant evening and we dined again at the Village Inn, West Runton.

Saturday morning we drove the two hours to Peterborough for the highlight of this trip…

Wednesday morning and a relaxing start to the day before heading to the railway station at West Runton where we caught a Great Anglia train to Sheringham. Once at Sheringham, we bought ourselves a day rover pass each for the North Norfolk heritage railway line. It was a sunny spring day but with a cold breeze blowing off the North sea the temperatures struggled to hit double figures.

The steam train hauling the carriages today is “Hercules” which is a guest engine from the Dartmouth steam railway. We think that we have already seen this engine on the Paignton to Kingswear heritage route.

At the end of the line we arrived at the town of Holt. Holt is a lovely town with lot of alleys and yards with all kinds of high end shops. We spent a good hour there but could have stayed longer had time permitted.

The walk from the station is around 35 minutes into the ancient town of Holt and there are also regular buses.

Later in the afternoon we stopped at Weybourne station with the intention of grabbing a coffee before the final train journey back on a heritage DMU. Alas, the cafe was closed but one of the railway volunteers was kind enough to make me a cup of tea!

In the evening we had booked (essential) a table at the Village Inn at West Runton, a short walk away from the campsite and the pub was highly recommended by the site wardens.

We weren’t disappointed. Beef stew for Moe and Chicken skewers for Joe.

We started this mini-break in Milton Keynes for the wedding of our friends – Duncan and Ruth. I have known Duncan for 35 years and Ruth for somewhat less time, but they make a great couple.

A wild night before the wedding, with a reservation in the restaurant for around 40 friends and relatives, was followed by the wedding ceremony and reception on Sunday.

One relationship sealed, at least one other ended – possibly two – and one guest attending A&E. No reports yet of anyone arrested.

An eventful, full-on weekend.

And a few pictures from the wedding day itself.

Bank Holiday Monday and we left the comfort of our hotel in Milton Keynes and set off for West Runton. A few days on the Norfolk coast in our campervan Nellie.

We are staying at Ingleboro Fields Camping and Motorhome Club site in West Runton.

The site is a huge rambling affair over several tiers and Fields but as always is in pristine condition.

We have a great pitch with full sun all day.

The site is also perfectly located for bus and train links. Both a short 15 minutes walk away.

Tuesday we headed towards Sheringham to an old Priory, Gardens and Maze but due to the extremely wet winter we have just endured, the site isn’t yet open to the public. Instead we walked to Sheringham for a look around this somewhat jaded seaside town.