24th July 2025

We decided on a short trip to Norfolk, taking the van and staying at a couple of campsites along the way. We set off on Thursday and stopped overnight at the St Neots Camping and Caravanning Club Site. Before arriving, we paid a visit to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, an attractive area of lakes formed by aggregate extraction. There’s good parking, a pleasant café, clean loos, and even a book exchange (fatal with R in tow). We made use of the facilities and enjoyed a good coffee with cake. The main lake was alive with water birds, and several areas were marked as dragonfly habitats — though I doubt they could make use of the café or the reading material. Unfortunately, no dragonflies were to be seen; the weather was on the dreary side, with low mist and a general gloom that made photography a bit of a challenge.

On reaching the campsite, we chose a pitch near the river — coincidentally close to the same spot we’d stayed a few years earlier. We received the usual safety briefing about potential flooding; thankfully, there had been none this year, although last year the River Ouse had overrun the site for several weeks. Later, I took a short walk south along the river, crossed to the River Mill Pub, and returned on the Eaton Socon side, crossing back via the Coneygeare Bridge to the campsite. The pub looked inviting, with its riverside seating and a menu featuring hearty local fare — one to remember for another visit.

25th July 2025

Still cloudy, though thankfully dry. We walked into St Neots for lunch and decided to try a newly opened tapas bar, Vino Tapas and Wine. We shared a meze-style meal which turned out to be excellent — fresh, well-flavoured, and beautifully presented. We were the only diners at lunch, apart from one woman who seemed to be waiting for a friend who never arrived. The restaurant is small and cosy, located downstairs with a good view of the marketplace — perfect for people-watching. I do hope they attract more customers; they certainly deserve to.

After lunch, we took a leisurely stroll through the town and eventually stopped for a drink at the Pig ’n’ Falcon, a friendly local pub with a good selection of beers and live music advertised for the weekend. We chatted with a couple at the next table who told us they always bring cat biscuits to feed the resident pub cat — clearly a well-loved regular.

26th July 2025

Another grey day, though mild. We headed out for a riverside walk, following the same route I’d taken a couple of days earlier. We paused at The Mill Inn for a mid-morning coffee — a lovely spot overlooking the river. On our way back, we passed 183, the house we lived in during the early 1980s. It’s sadly a bit of a wreck now; the Leylandii hedge I planted (under my father’s advice) has grown completely out of control, towering over what’s left of the weed strewn property.

In the afternoon, I took another walk to Eynesbury, crossing the lifting bridge and stopping at Tesco to purchase the Guardian before returning to camp. Later, we noticed our neighbours had moved on — not, as we first feared, because of us, but due to a hornets’ nest discovered in nearby trees. We’d seen one ourselves and decided to ignore the little beasts, but our neighbours reported theirs to the wardens. I suspect the hornets’ days are now numbered. When we first saw the nest, a passing camper remarked he worked in pest control. He’d said how he’d been watching a bees’ nest which was also being watched by hornets. The hornets would lie in wait for the bees to fly in, grab them, behead them and take the body back to their own nest.

Tomorrow we move on to Norfolk.