Now us Norfolkians know how to confuse folk – and one of our favourite methods is with our place names…. And this is one of the best yet! Happisburgh is a village on the north east coast of Norfolk – and it’s got the only privately run Light house in the UK….. but – its name – which actually was Saxon for Haeps Fort, featured in the Domesday Book and we delight in furriners trying to say the name properly…..

Anyway, Jo and myself had accepted an invite from Steve and Diane who also live in our close – there are only 17 houses in the close and we live at the bottom corners of it; and we both have motorhomes which confuses folk…. there are another couple in the close who also have a Cathargo but we have not seen them since they retired and bought it – anyway, over a fondue one evening they said that they had booked a couple of nights at Light House Camping which is located next to a pub – always a very good start – and was in Walcott – the village next to Happisburgh so we knew a walk could be had…. We elected to join them and set off after work on a Friday evening.

It was dark – so dark that lights were needed on Ziggy, and this Shit-for-brains writer and driver forgot that the main or full beam on Ziggy is not controlled by pushing a stalk forward….. pulling the stalk back did activate the passing advance but, the drop beam was pretty good as I had previously fitted a set of Osram Night Breaker bulbs; much to my chagrin, having moaned about it, and decided to fix it when we got home – i then realised that on Ziggy, the main beam moves up and down to switch from main to full beam…. A few words were muttered!

The lights were important – as we navigated our way through towards the coast, i flashed the lights and hit the horn as someone started to pull their pick up truck out in front of us…. Having spent many years as a biker, I have learnt to spot a twat driver early so – accident averted….. BUt – some half a mile later, the road came to a T junction, and seeing that there were cars coming from left and right – I stopped. No word of a lie – we listed to several seconds of skidding brake sounds as numpty in the pick up had obviously not been paying attention or had possibly had a drinkie as it was Friday night….. Jo quietly asked me what the outcome would have been if he had of ploughed in to the back of us – Ziggy would have been a right off and the other driver would have been in hospital…. Not from the accident but from when i got hold of him…. As we proceeded on our route, the pick up stayed behind us, but the driving was very erratic – scary times!

We arrived around 1815 and checked in at the pub – then went to the actual site behind the pub and set up. The site itself has hard standing, with Electric Hook Up for 5 caravans / Motorhomes and 8 or so grass pitches for those who like tenting. There are two wash rooms / showers for folk to use – both clean and fit for purpose – though being honest, the Odd Job man responsible for maintenence was certainly an odd Job – i think he had used every piece of left over timber that he had collected over the last decade – BUT – the shower was hot and all was clean – so “jobs’ a gud un”. Soon as we had hooked up Ziggy and made sure that we had everything working – we met with Steve and Diane for a beverage or two in the pub. Then, back to Flossie, their 2005 Swift Moho for a lovely meal and a few more beverages….. Then off to Ziggy and sleep!

The next day I wanted to set up our air awning as Steve and Diane would be dining a la Ziggy, and we wanted the space. So – a few lessons learnt on how to put up an air awning. The biggest lesson AND solution came from Steve – yet again we initially put the sodding thing on the rail, inside out – brilliantly Steve suggested that adding a red tie or similar meant you would not make that mistake again – its now done – Insulating tape and a cable tie applied!

First thing to do is to lay the awning out, along side the van – and, if you are using the roll out awning as the mounting then deploy it…. You can put the legs down as a support, but by lowering it down, its a damn sight easier to thread the beading in – if you are going to use a fixed rail, or a throw over system, then i would highly recommend carrying a collapsible ladder – it makes life so much easier if you can reach things easily!

Once threaded on, close the roll out awning – its also a good idea to check the ground where the awning is going to go – even though we use a carpet, its always good to remove assorted rockets etc. Another important tip is to remove everything that you are going to need from the side lockers that will be covered by the awning – in our case the starboard side of ziggy’s garage is where our table and chairs live !

Now, you can buy rubber mallets fro tenting purposes – and most awnings come with a selection of plastic or simple pegs – I would suggest that you carefully put those away in a bin or cupboard at home – and get a proper bloody lump hammer and some storm pegs – I routinely carry a bag with 30 or so in.

now, once you have the awning up against the side of the Moho, then you can either peg out under the side, or inflate, then start to peg out – personally I prefer to inflate it first; Also, note in the pictures that I have deliberately removed the sides from the awning – this allow me to easily see the position of the floor straps and make sure that right angles are formed – also, I don’t fully inflate straight away – I use an electric pump and i inflate to about 7 psi – thi gives the awning rigidity while also b wing loose enough to sort out any tangles – and ensure that the strips are tucked under the feet. Once I am happy, I fully inflate and put the doors in.

We are lucky enough to have the correct carpet for the awning, and we also decided on this instance to equip the lights and the curtains – with the aid of a couple of fan heaters, it was alll set for the evening meal with our friends.

Once that was all done – we met up with Steve and Diane and went for a wander. The walk to Happisburgh was around 5 KM – and on the out leg we went via the countryside, not the beach. The weather was a tad foggy, but not overly cold – the views were not fantastic, thanks to the fog, but yet again the variety of the Norfolk countryside never fails to deliver.

We came to a natural conclusion at Happisburgh Church and we spent a fair while admiring the view – has there ever been a more picturesque church yard, and marvelled at the story of HMS Invincible – the church was built in the 15th century and is spectacular inside – the rood screen being original.

From the church we walked through the village – distinct smell of money – and headed to the lighthouse – now many people are not aware that thatch is living and does need to be regularly trimmed – i am guessing that some muppet of a London Country second dwelling owner is not aware of this, and had let the thatch grow and was really letting the village down – hopefully the locals will educate the Chelsea tractor owner know of his oversight on his next visit.

Leaving the modernised Thunderboxes behind – do look closely at the last image! We set off to the Lighthouse.

Having started to head back, we stumbled over a local pub – and it would be rude not to sample the local hospitality… The Hill House Inn was warm and the ale was superb – i was confused at the adnams taps being used for Greene King ales but – i did appreciate the blood orange and chocolate stout 🙂

From the pub we followed the coastal path – where possible as there has been a lot of erosion over the years – and took in the stunning beach and views – the amazing Manor House must have stunning views. Also, we came across part of the WW2 bunker defences which were worth a wander on their own – i have no idea who Rachel is, or if indeed Mark still loves her – but to see the metal joist of the WW2 building exposed and corroding seemed sadly poignant as we were there for Remembrance week end.

As we approached our camp site we came across an enormous flock of seagulls who had formed an orderly queue to shoot on a Mercedes – got to love Karma Norfolk style 🙂

So – Happisburgh and a couple of nights – well worth the visit. We ate at the Light House inn – a light lunch and an ale or so before the afternoon warm up to the night’s meal with our friends. i am glad we visited it on the off season – i think the locals must hate the grockels – but what a stunning part of the world. (I deliberately have nice and not mentioned the waitress who either had difficulty in hearing or understanding…. Perhaps another time!)

oh – its pronounced Haze brua 🙂