Of interest

 Wednesday, October 29

 

Feeling bird deprived, we drove to Ludham Marshes. Not expecting much, still disappointed to see very little. A Kestrel, 1 Fieldfare, a Marsh Harrier, Lapwing, Rooks and Carruion Crows. We have learnt from previous visits that Cormorants fly over in numbers from late afternoon onwards. To-day, we saw several hundreds, the largest group being over 80 in number. Only early afternoon, but a dull, stormy sky, day, darkness comes early in winter time.

They are very random flyers, mostly spread about, sometimes an almost straight line.

As we left the marsh approach road, a Peregrine on a mission flew through.

Yesterday, because we could, we drove out on a short fungus foray. Short because we only found one lot, on a dead tree trunk beside the road at Crostwight Common. Fungi are notoriously difficult to identify by amateurs and the ignorant, such as I. I have books, but remain ultimately puzzled. I believe that the main photo is a bracket fungus species, the other species not yet even named to a family. If anyone can help, I'd be grateful.

 

At Pam's siuggestion, we ended up at Honing Station, opened in 1882, reclaimed from a total takeover by plants and trees by a dedicated group of workers. Before they started, all one could see here was a footpath, part of Weavers Way, which runs from Great Yarmouth to Cromer. The old gate remains. Not a lot of point in shutting it !

 

 

Honing Station was on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway ( widely known as the Muddle and Go Nowhere railway), between Melton Constable and Great Yarmouth.  The track through Honing was opened on 13 June 1881 and Honing station was inaugurated the following year in 1882 with just one platform.

Much more information on the Honing village website:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=honing+station

A short section of railway existed between Kings Lynn and Melton Constable, another from Great Yarmout to Stalham. They were co-owned, and the board decided that the lines should converge from west to east via meanderings and loops through farming country. 

 

There is a link to a spring 2020 Channel 5 programme on 'Britain's Lost Railways' by Bob Bell on the village website. The fifth programme was all about this railway. I found it fascinating, maybe because I am familiar with the route. The adverts have to be endured.

CLICK HERE to watch the NORFOLK episode on free catch-up tv: My5

Intended as a line to transport goods to the docks in Great Yarmouth and to the Midlands, the line quickly became a tourist line, bringing huge numbers of holiday makers from the Midlands.to Norfolk.  80 trains a day passed through Honing at the height of summer, 82 the record.

Yesterday, the only visitors were a family group exploring the station before setting out for a walk - and us.