28th-30th Sep- Holme, 01 Oct - River Nar

 After a stuffy day at work the absolute bliss of an evening swim, the beach is deserted the incoming tide slowly covering up the foot, hoof and paw prints zigzagging across the shore . With not even the tiniest hint of swell the water is mill pond flat flocks of birds swooping over the surface of the water. The sea is cool with slightest hint of evening chill. I float around first looking east into the night and then west into the red haze left after the sun has dipped below the horizon. Getting out and standing in the balmy night air it seems inconceivable that M.G. and I were only a few weeks ago standing shivering on chilly Yorkshire river banks inconceivable and grossly unfair but that's the joy of a British weather for you. After another dip vainly waiting to see the first star of the evening I get out to dress only to discover that the sand bank we swim off is cut off from the shore by an extremely high tide. We wade back through the water covering the small bit of marsh,  feet alternately sinking into silty mud or crunching Samphire under foot. 

I manage another swim on Friday after a long hotter day of frayed tempers and slammed doors which is cooling and calming the pictures all look exactly the same as for Wednesday so I wont bore you with more flat seas and red sunsets.

We used to visit a ford in the River Nar at West Acre when we were children, perfect for paddling with lots of lovely grassy shady banks for lolling around post lunch. A friend had said that in various places it was deep enough to swim so we packed a picnic and went off exploring. The ford was full of children exactly the same as twenty years ago, we left the screams, shouts and barks  headed off down the foot path which is part of the Nar Valley way. After various false starts, climbing over a fallen tree, through a hedge and some barbed wire. We found a secluded spot, off the path in full sun and deep enough for dipping. The water levels are not as high as they would normally be as Norfolk is in drought. We dipped and then baked a bit in the sun and dipped again surrounded by masses of water cress and further down stream some curious cattle cooling their hooves.

J.J.