NORFOLK, Va. — President Trump did not let the government shutdown interfere with a stop in Virginia on Sunday to salute the Navy as it celebrates its 250th anniversary.
“I believe, ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’” Trump posted Friday night on his social media site. And he wrote before leaving the White House for Naval Station Norfolk, “This will be a show of Naval aptitude and strength.”
The government shutdown that began Wednesday has triggered partisan blame in both directions as military personnel are working without pay, several thousand federal employees are furloughed and Trump has put on hold energy projects in Democratic-run areas such as New York and Chicago.
There is the possibility that an event designed to honor the Navy could be dragged into the bitter politics.
Trump accused Democrats in his post of enabling the shutdown and trying “to destroy this wonderful celebration of the U.S. Navy’s Birthday.”
Senate Democrats rejected efforts to preserve a continuation of government operations when the new budget year started Wednesday. They cited the lapse in subsidies that could cause health insurance costs to climb rapidly for people who get coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Democratic lawmakers also have sought to reverse cuts to Medicaid that Trump signed into law.
On top of that, both sides cite a mutual sense of distrust.
Democrats oppose Trump’s move to have his administration decline to spend congressionally approved funds, saying it undermines the budgeting process, among other concerns. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to lay off federal workers at what he called “Democrat Agencies.”
Among those joining Trump for the festivities were First Lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a former Navy rear admiral who was a White House doctor during Trump’s first term.
After his arrival in Norfolk, Trump went to the USS George H.W. Bush and spoke to the sailors and handed out challenge coins.
The Trumps watched a military demonstration while standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Navy destroyers launched missiles and fired shells into the Atlantic, Navy SEALs descended from helicopters and fighter jets catapulted off.
Awaiting Trump’s speech was a large crowd on a pier, mostly sailors in their dress white uniforms and some families.
Trump on Tuesday addressed a gathering of military leaders abruptly summoned by Hegseth from across the globe to Virginia. The Republican president proposed using U.S. cities as training grounds for the armed forces and spoke of needing military might to combat what he called the “invasion from within.” Hegseth declared an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness.
The administration is seeking to reshape Pentagon culture and use military resources for the president’s priorities, including quelling domestic unrest and fighting what he calls a surge in violent crime, despite statistics to the contrary.
Trump has also engaged the U.S. military in an armed conflict he says is targeting foreign drug cartels, leading to four deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean that Washington says were involved in trafficking. Critics have called the attacks extrajudicial killings in violation of international law.
Boak and Finley write for the Associated Press and reported from Washington and Norfolk, respectively.
IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here’s what you need to know.
Hornets and wasps – hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay.
Moths – acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent.
Flying ants – herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents.
Mosquitoes – plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
Our yacht was in its element. With sunshine gleaming off the chestnut spars and a north-northeasterly fattening the sails, Windsong ripped across the mere, cocked at a jaunty angle, kicking up waves of joy. It was like a wild horse galloping through surf, ebullient, powerful and graceful. Only this “wild horse” was under the control of skipper Els Robinson and, to a far, far lesser extent, me. When the cry of “Come about!” came about, my jobs were to trim the jib (the small triangular sail at the front, I’d just learned) and not get hit by the boom. Oh, and to enjoy the ride.
I’d come to the Norfolk Broads to join a women’s Wellbeing on the Water weekend. I grew up on the Broads. In fact, I grew up just across the fields from Upton Dyke, where Eastwood Whelpton sailing holidays is based. But I never sailed. I didn’t know anyone who did, so it never crossed my mind that I could.
“Our ethos is to make sailing accessible to everyone,” explained Suzy Strowger, the company’s office manager. “Sailing has been perceived elitist, and has been largely male dominated. Our women’s weekends are about making sailing affordable and accessible to a demographic that’s under-represented at the moment.”
Sailing is more than moving a boat, Suzy added: “It’s a wellbeing activity that can particularly benefit women.” She sees women with full-time caring roles or high-pressure jobs come along, looking to support their health and manage stress.
The weekend certainly got off to a stress-free start, as we met each other over prosecco and cake in the boatyard. There were 15 of us: some solos, some in pairs, mostly 45-plus, ranging in ability from competent to rusty to total beginner, and here for different reasons.
For Katharine, it was about “having a new experience and getting away from life in general”. Jo was on her third Eastwood Whelpton trip: “I just enjoy the peace of getting out on the water.” Helen was drawn to the idea “because too often men take the helm – and there’s something special about adventuring with other women, isn’t there?”
The writer learning the ropes: ‘I took a turn at the helm, concentrating on not steering into the banks, boathouses or other yachts.’ Photograph: Sarah Baxter
There clearly is. Women-only travel – particularly active travel – is on the rise, and companies are cottoning on. According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s 2024 Industry Outlook report, of the companies taking steps to diversify their target markets, 38% are targeting women; “women over 50 travelling solo” was flagged as a specific trend. Also, more larger tour operators are now offering women-only departures while specialist companies are seeing increased demand: for example, when WalkingWomen launched in 2021, it offered 31 female-only small-group hiking holidays; this year its programme features more than 70.
An all-female environment tends to encourage women to push their limits, especially when the guides are women too. On this Norfolk weekend, our group was split across a flotilla of five boats, each one helmed by a female skipper – which is far more unusual than it should be in 2025. The skippers seemed as excited about that as we were.
Jo and I were buddied up and allocated to Windsong, a traditional, 30ft (nine-metre) gaff-rigged yacht, crafted in the 1980s by a Norfolk boat builder, and an absolute beaut. It has sleek wooden insides, an ingenious pop-top and numerous drawers and cubbyholes (which Suzy had stuffed full of food). One of the first conversations Jo and I had was about who was most likely to pee in the night (she took the bed squeezed into the bow, next to the hand-pump loo; I slept in the main saloon). You have to bond quickly when living in close quarters.
Els, our skipper, was commander-in-chief of the whole fleet. Before we hauled anchor, she unrolled a map and explained the plan for the weekend. First we’d motor the short distance to Thurne and moor up for the night; we’d spend Saturday sailing to Horsey, where a windpump (a windmill used to pump water) rises from coastal marshland once known as Devil’s Country; we’d sail back on Sunday. Mixed in would be boat breakfasts, picnic lunches and pub dinners, plus a few leisurely walks, some morning yoga, and an optional sea swim.
I liked boat life immediately. We drifted down mazy channels, looked across the vastness of reeds, spotted herons, marsh harriers on the hunt, even an osprey – one of the pair that arrived at nearby Ranworth Broad this spring. It was a bit of a moving meditation, too. The speed limit never exceeds 6mph; sometimes it’s just 3mph. “Life today is so go, go, go,” Els reflected, steering us towards Thurne’s restored windmill. “We need to slow down sometimes.”
Watching Els at work was part of the joy: she was calm, intuitive, in total symbiosis with the boat. It was tempting to let her get on with it, but she was keen for us to try, but only if we wanted to.
I took a turn at the helm, concentrating on not steering into the banks, the boathouses, the other yachts or the regal black-sailed Norfolk wherry that glided by. I helped hoist the sails, lower the sails and hoist them again, learned about reefing and rudimentary knots, and assisted with bringing down the mast so we could just about scrape under Potter Heigham’s medieval bridge.
Eastwood Whelpton runs official Royal Yachting Association sailing courses, but the wellbeing weekends are quite different. According to Suzy, some women come to refresh their skills, others to read books and drink gin.
A grey heron above the reed beds of the Norfolk broads. Photograph: Geoff du Feu/Alamy
Speaking of which, after a day on the water, cheeks ruddied by sun and wind, we moored at Horsey for “anchor drams” (cocktails), then took a walk over the marsh to the dunes. Some 3,245 grey seal pups were born here last winter. On the beach itself, a lone seal popped up from the grey-green surf to say hello.
Three of us stripped to our swimmers to join it. It was chilly, choppy and frustratingly shallow, but made me realise that I never regret a sea dip. The biggest challenge was getting changed afterwards: the north wind blew away my towel and my dignity. But did it matter? We were, after all, all girls together here.
We ended up in the Nelson Head, a proper old pub; a sign inside read “We don’t have wifi – talk to each other”. Which we did, sharing stories about how life has changed (or not) for women over recent years. The ladies spoke of having mothers who thought marriage and babies were all they could achieve, and of how their own daughters think they’re boring but don’t see the barriers they’ve broken down. Johanna threw in her graduation story: she came top of her (mostly male) class at London Business School but “when the chairman gave me my certificate and shook my hand, said, ‘I love to see a smiling blonde!’”
That night, as the night before, I slept in dozes, lullabied by Windsong’s gurgles, slurps, creaks and groans. I woke early, and crept out into a chorus of blackbirds, redstarts, warblers and cuckoos. At 7.30am there would be a yoga session under a tree, but I wasn’t sure how much more relaxed it could make me. I hadn’t become a skilled sailor, but I had thoroughly enjoyed this maidens’ voyage.
Union Pacific has announced its intentions to buy its smaller rival, Norfolk Southern, which would create the first coast-to-coast freight rail operator in the United States and reshape the movement of goods from grains to autos across the US.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad giant announced the proposed $85bn deal on Tuesday.
If the merger is approved, the transaction would be the largest-ever buyout in the railroad sector.
Union Pacific has a stronghold in the western two-thirds of the US, with Norfolk’s 31,382 km (19,500-mile) network that primarily spans 22 eastern states.
The two railroads are expected to have a combined enterprise value of $250bn and would unlock about $2.75bn in annualised synergies, the companies said.
The $320 per share price implies a premium of 18.6 percent for Norfolk from its close on July 17, when reports of the merger first emerged.
The companies said last week on Thursday that they were in advanced discussions for a possible merger.
The deal will face lengthy regulatory scrutiny amid union concerns about potential rate increases, service disruptions and job losses. The 1996 merger of Union Pacific and Southern Pacific had temporarily led to severe congestion and delays across the Southwest.
The deal reflects a shift in antitrust enforcement under US President Donald Trump’s administration. Executive orders aimed at removing barriers to consolidation have opened the door to mergers that were previously considered unlikely.
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs, appointed in January, has advocated for faster preliminary reviews and a more flexible approach to merger conditions.
Even under an expedited process, the review could take from 19 to 22 months, according to a person involved in the discussions.
Major railroad unions have long opposed consolidation, arguing that such mergers threaten jobs and risk disrupting rail service.
“We will weigh in with the STB [regulator] and with the Trump administration in every way possible,” said Jeremy Ferguson, president of the SMART-TD union’s transport division, after the two companies said they were in advanced talks last week.
“This merger is not good for labour, the rail shipper/customer or the public at large,” he said.
The companies said they expect to file their application with the STB within six months.
The SMART-TD union’s transport division is North America’s largest railroad operating union with more than 1,800 railroad yardmasters.
The North American rail industry has been grappling with volatile freight volumes, rising labour and fuel costs and growing pressure from shippers over service reliability, factors that could further complicate the merger.
Industry consolidation
The proposed deal has also prompted competitors BNSF, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, and CSX, to explore merger options, people familiar with the matter said.
Agents at the STB are already conducting preparatory work, anticipating they could soon receive not just one, but two megamerger proposals, a person close to the discussions told Reuters on Thursday.
If both mergers are approved, the number of Class I railroads in North America would shrink to four from six, consolidating major freight routes and boosting pricing power for the industry.
The last major deal in the industry was the $31bn merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern that created the first and only single-line rail network connecting Canada, the US and Mexico.
That deal, finalised in 2023, faced heavy regulatory resistance over fears it would curb competition, cut jobs and disrupt service, but was ultimately approved.
Union Pacific is valued at nearly $136bn, while Norfolk Southern has a market capitalisation of about $65bn, according to data from LSEG.
As of 12:15pm in New York (16:15 GMT), Union Pacific’s stock is down 3.9 percent, and Norfolk Southern is down 3.2 percent. Competitor CSX is also trending down. The stock has fallen 1.6 percent since the market opened this morning.
July 29 (UPI) — The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern corporations announced Tuesday the companies will merge to create America’s first transcontinental freight railroad.
The agreement will see Union Pacific purchase Northern Southern for stock and cash, at an implied $85 billion for Norfolk Southern, which creates a combined organization worth more than $250 billion.
Not to be confused with transcontinental rail service, which has been available since 1869 when the famous “Golden Spike” linked Union Pacific with the Central Pacific railroads in Promontory Summit, Utah, when it comes to freight such service requires a transfer of goods from one railroad company to another.
However, the deal made between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern will create a seamless connection that rolls over 43 states and more than 50,000 route miles from coast to coast. The service will link around 100 ports and is intended to upgrade the American supply chain, while also increasing employment opportunities and securing union jobs.
“Railroads have been an integral part of building America since the Industrial Revolution, and this transaction is the next step in advancing the industry,” said Union Pacific Chief Executive Officer Jim Vena in a press release. “Imagine seamlessly hauling steel from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Colton, Calif., and moving tomato paste from Heron, California to Fremont, Ohio. Lumber from the Pacific Northwest, plastics from the Gulf Coast, copper from Arizona and Utah, and soda ash from Wyoming.”
“It builds on President Abraham Lincoln’s vision of a transcontinental railroad from nearly 165 years ago and advances our Safety, Service and Operational Excellence Strategy,” said Vena. “I am confident this historic transaction will enhance competition to benefit customers, communities, and employees while delivering shareholder value.”
The combined service will result in quicker and more capable freight service that would cut down on interchange delays while expanding on modes of freight transport and opening new routes that can better compete with truck transportation of goods, the companies said.
“Norfolk Southern, like Union Pacific, is a railroad integral to the U.S. economy, with a storied 200-year legacy of serving customers across 22 states in the eastern half of the nation,” said CEO of Norfolk Southern Mark George in the release. “Our safety, network, and financial performance is among the best we’ve had as a company, as is our customer satisfaction.”
“And it is from this position of strength that we embark on this transformational combination,” George added. “We are confident that the power of Norfolk Southern’s franchise, diversified solutions, high-quality customers and partners, as well as skilled employees, will contribute meaningfully to America’s first transcontinental railroad, and to igniting rail’s ability to deliver for the whole American economy today and into the future.”
George has been the CEO of Norfolk Southern since September of last year, when the company removed former CEO Alan Shaw and legal head Nabanita Nag after an investigation revealed they engaged in a relationship that violated company policy.
NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia man pleaded guilty Friday in a federal case that accused him of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and of using then-President Biden’s photo for target practice.
Brad Spafford pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk to possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for December.
Federal authorities said they seized about 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices last fall at Spafford’s home in Isle of Wight County, which is northwest of Norfolk.
The investigation into Spafford began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend and member of law enforcement, told authorities that Spafford was using pictures of then-President Biden for target practice and that “he believed political assassinations should be brought back,” prosecutors wrote.
Two weeks after the assassination attempt of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2024, Spafford told the informant, “bro I hope the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala,” according to court documents. Former Vice President Kamala Harris had recently announced she was running for president. On around the same day, Spafford told the informant that he was pursuing a sniper qualification at the local gun range, court records stated.
Numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched the property in December.
Spafford stored a highly unstable explosive material in a garage freezer next to “Hot Pockets and frozen corn on the cob,” according to court documents. Investigators also said they found explosive devices in an unsecured backpack labeled “#NoLivesMatter.”
Spafford has remained in jail since his arrest in December. U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ruled against his release in January, writing that Spafford has “shown the capacity for extreme danger.” She also noted that Spafford lost three fingers in an accident involving homemade explosives in 2021.
Spafford had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in January. Defense attorneys had argued at the time that Spafford, who is married and a father of two young daughters, works a steady job as a machinist and has no criminal record.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Swartz said at Spafford’s January detention hearing that investigators had gathered information on him since January 2023, during which Spafford never threatened anyone.
“And what has he done during those two years?” Swartz said. “He purchased a home. He’s raised his children. He’s in a great marriage. He has a fantastic job, and those things all still exist for him.”
Investigators, however, said they had limited knowledge of the homemade bombs until an informant visited Spafford’s home, federal prosecutors wrote in a filing.
“But once the defendant stated on a recorded wire that he had an unstable primary explosive in the freezer in October 2024, the government moved swiftly,” prosecutors wrote.
Fans of the venue said it is “nice to stroll around on a warm day” and dubbed it “cute and wholesome”
The award-winning rose gardens are being praised online by people keen to visit(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Award-winning rose gardens have been praised online as a place to add to your “weekend list.” The venue, tucked away in Norwich, Norfolk, has drawn attention online due to its picturesque views.
Peter Beales Roses, in Norwich, has been dubbed a “hidden gem” by fans on TikTok, who praised the rose gardens specifically. That will come as no surprise to many as Peter Beales is renowned for being home to the largest variety of roses in the UK and having 29 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals to its name.
TikTok user Shauna (@ilyxshaun) shared a clip showcasing the venue on a recent trip. Her caption read: “One for your weekend list.”
In the video, Shauna walks through the venue and shows viewers the entrance, the indoor shop selling produce, meets, handmade jewellery, the cafe, and the garden shop. She then moves on to the rose gardens, which she claims are “nice to stroll around on a warm day.”
In her voiceover, Shauna said: “This award-winning spot in Attleborough might just be Norfolk’s best kept summer day out. It’s known for its beautiful rose gardens, but there’s a lot more you can do here.
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“Inside. They’ve got a shop with lots of local produce like jams, chutneys, fresh meats, even handmade jewellery. They also have a cafe for brunch and afternoon tea.
“Plus you can sit outside when the weather’s warm, which is a bonus. There’s a garden section with indoor plants, tools and just all the little bits that you didn’t know you even needed.
“But the best part, without a doubt, is the rose gardens. There were rose bushes everywhere, little archways to wander through and so many pretty corners. It’s so nice to stroll around on a warm day. Peter Bales is ideal for when you don’t have plans but want something cute and wholesome to do.”
Peter Beales Roses has 29 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals to its name.(Image: Getty Images)
Beneath the video, others praised the venue and shared their favourite things about it too. One viewer said: “such a lovely day out” and a second wrote: “looks lovely.”
A third added: “When I last went there was a little hidden play park too for children we had to follow signs and it was very hidden but very cute.”
A different person said: “Yep there’s a children’s play area right at the back and a little nature walk.” The praise continued, with one viewer writing: “I love visiting here solely for the rose gardens!” and another adding: “Love it here. The rose festival is fab!”
According to Peter Beales, the rose gardens allow visitors to “escape to a world of beauty and tranquillity”, where “nature’s artistry meets timeless elegance.” The venue’s website adds that the gardens are the perfect place to “lose yourself in a sensory paradise.”
The rose gardens feature rose-covered archways and walkways draped in vibrant blooms, a “stunning” observation turret offering panoramic garden views, a “serene” wildlife garden buzzing with biodiversity, and display gardens with “intoxicating perfumes and seasonal colour.”
Peter Beales Roses is based around half a mile off the A11 in Attleborough, Norfolk. The venue features free parking, wheelchair access, toilets, and baby-changing facilities. Entrance to the rose gardens, which is open seven days a week, year-round, is free.
‘Circus is an art form of the people. I fundamentally believe that.” I’m in Great Yarmouth for a long weekend, standing in the ring at the Hippodrome circus, bristling from that particular crackle of energy you get from an empty stage. Ringmaster Jack Jay, the fourth generation in a family of impresarios, is fresh from his annual scouting trip in search of international acts to tread the boards in Norfolk: “We have artists whose CV reads ‘Macau, Las Vegas, Great Yarmouth’,” he tells me. “That’s the standard we aim to bring in.”
The Hippodrome is a national treasure, one of only two purpose-built circuses left in the country (the other is part of Blackpool Tower, which Jack’s father also managed, briefly, in the 1980s). Founded in 1903 by equestrian George Gilbert, who ran off to join the circus aged 11, it’s an ornate building with art nouveau flourishes. But the real extravaganza is the sinking floor, restored by the Jays in 1979. Using original mechanisms, the ring is transformed into a pool with fountains and synchronised swimmers for the spectacular finale. I’ve seen the show countless times and it never loses its magic.
A holiday in Yarmouth will undoubtedly involve a Jay-run establishment at some point. They have two majestic Edwardian cinemas, one of which, the Empire, recently reopened as a live music and comedy venue. And the Windmill, originally nicknamed the Palace of Light thanks to the electric bulbs that illuminated its facade, now contains one of the best crazy golf courses I’ve been to (I am something of a connoisseur), crammed full of cinema and theatre memorabilia.
At this point I should add a disclaimer. I grew up on this stretch of coast and have always been Great Yarmouth’s biggest fan. My first jobs were in the caravan parks that dot the coastline, one of which employed every member of my family at some stage.
The Hippodrome, a rare purpose-built circus, was founded in 1903
The town has always inspired me, from writing books about the maritime origins of our clothes to exhibitions about swimwear. But it has also given me an understanding of the precariousness of seasonal work and the generational impact on communities forced to deal with declining industries, from fishing and shipbuilding to leisure and tourism.
While there is evidence of deprivation here, as there is in many coastal towns, there is also a strong sense of resilience. It’s a town with solid foundations, built on its twin pillars of fishing and fun.
Celebrating this heritage is the Ice House, which was recently transformed into the National Centre for Outdoor Arts and Circus by the Out There Arts charity, which runs the town’s annual circus festival. Built in the 19th century to store ice to transport fish, this unique thatched structure overlooking the River Yare has been converted into a training space and performance hub complete with pop-up cafe and bar.
On our sunset walk along the promenade, my partner and I stroll past the Winter Gardens, a magnificent seafront glasshouse with enough facets to rival a diamond. Closed since 2008 and clad in hoardings, this marvel of Victorian engineering is due to reopen in 2027 and will house a cafe, exhibition and events space, and horticultural displays to mimic the floral interiors of the original.
‘From the castle to the rocket ship, it is utterly entrancing,’ says Amber Butchart of Merrivale Model Village. Photograph: Josh Edgoose/The Guardian
For dinner, we head to Courtyard Italian Restaurante in the historic Rows, a tangle of narrow passageways that once formed the medieval heart of the town. The candlelit space is suitably intimate, with reservations lasting the whole evening so we can linger over our meal. The award-winning chef delivers generous portions of wild mushroom linguine. Sated and sleepy, we head to our hotel, the family-run Andover House. A restored Victorian building on a leafy side street, it is remarkably peaceful considering it’s just off the bustling stretch of promenade known as the Golden Mile.
The next day, we rise early for a visit to Merrivale Model Village, a fixture since the 1960s. I visit Merrivale every time I’m in town because, from the castle to the rocket ship, I find it utterly entrancing. Like a regular town, if slightly unhinged, and tiny. And it comes complete with an excellent penny arcade, a fantastic tearoom and nine-hole crazy golf.
The fact that attractions such as this have not only survived but thrived is largely thanks to the flair and innovation of the travelling show folk who settled in coastal resorts such as Great Yarmouth in the mid-20th century. Joyland, a seafront institution since 1949, was established by Horace Cole, who married into a travelling show family. Inspired by this lineage, he created the Super Snails and Tyrolean Tub Twist, rides that are still going strong, run by the fourth generation of Coles. Crammed with colourful attractions, from Neptune’s Kingdom (1970s) to the Spook Express (1990s), it plays out like a hallucinogenic history of the fairground.
When so much of our leisure industry is now corporatised, it’s refreshing to be in a town that is still dominated by family businesses. We head to the south end of the Golden Mile to visit the Pleasure Beach, run by the same family since the 1950s, who also trace their roots back to travelling fairs. Rides range from traditional (dodgems and the Scenic Railway wooden rollercoaster, which opened in Yarmouth in 1932 and is one of only two left in the country, the other being in Margate’s Dreamland) to the white-knuckle terror of the Sky Drop, which catapults us 22 metres above the seafront before plummeting back down to the ground.
Yarmouth’s wooden rollercoaster opened in 1932. Photograph: Josh Edgoose/The Guardian
After a turn on the Edwardian carousel (much more my pace), we stop for lunch at Sara’s Tearooms by the fortune-telling hut. Family-run since 1999, it prides itself on homemade fare, and Sara still bakes the cakes that you can eat on the beach terrace looking out to sea. We marvel at a gigantic sailing ship while I devour a perfect fish finger sandwich.
Before fish fingers there were, of course, herrings. From the 11th century, the town’s fortunes were made by the “silver darlings” migrating down the coast, and the bloater – an ungutted, lightly smoked herring – became a Yarmouth speciality in the 1830s. A century later, sending a box of them as a holiday gift was as common as sending a postcard, with up to 5,000 crisscrossing the country every day.
The Time and Tide Museum, housed in a Victorian curing works, gives visitors a visceral feel for the process (the oak-smouldered aroma still lingers in the smokehouse stacks) and a sense of the scale of an industry that once exported pickled fish to Germany and Russia and smoked fish to the Mediterranean. It also chronicles the area’s story, from the last ice age to the town’s heyday as a booming seaside resort.
Deckchairs for hire on Great Yarmouth’s huge beach Photograph: Roger Green/Flickr Vision
Great Yarmouth’s herring traditions are also kept alive in the White Swan, where we head for dinner. A seafood restaurant with a fishmonger’s attached, it overlooks the river next to one of the medieval town wall towers. It was set up by local fisher Paul Williams, who has his own smokehouse and prepares bloaters, kippers and red herring in the original Yarmouth way. Shiplap-panelled walls strewn with netting and photographs of fishing fleets give it the convivial air of a beach hut. Highlights are oysters Rockefeller followed by hake with sea-kissed samphire and cockle veloute. We vow to return in the autumn for bloater season.
Sunday morning starts with a wander through the Venetian Waterways, at the calmer north end of the seafront. Developed in the 1920s as a work scheme for unemployed men, it was designed to mimic the canals and bridges of Venice, albeit on a much smaller scale. The Waterways were recently restored as part of a seven-acre park with ornamental gardens, and include a boating lake which is home to swans, occasional herons and pedalos for hire.
We round off our weekend with lunch at the Pier Hotel in nearby Gorleston, enjoying Cromer crab and sweet cured herrings with a sea view. The coastline here is glorious: miles of wide, sandy beaches, tufted with marram grass and rippled with dunes. Looking out to people paddling in the waves, I recall ringmaster Jack’s words: “It’s like a pilgrimage. Even if you only go once, you should go on holiday to Great Yarmouth.”
The small white signs with red lettering are dotted through the landscape: “Military training area – keep out”. It adds to the eerie feel of unusually quiet roads and twisted Scots pines, which gather the long summer dusk around them.
But when we arrive at our accommodation on an old farm bordering a forbidden area where the British army conduct secretive manoeuvres, the whole place sings with peace. A red kite cavorts in the breeze over handsome parkland, a cuckoo calls and, down by the Wissey, a gin-clear chalk stream, reed warblers chunter from deep within the rushes.
If ever a region deserved to be its own county, it’s Breckland. This is a unique swath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk dominated by sandy heathland. It has an unusually dry climate more typical of central Europe and is notable for its rare plants and birds. Once an area dominated by inland sand dunes and commercial rabbit warrens, since the 20th century it’s been planted with the pines and conifers of Thetford forest. These woods offer a wealth of walks but there is also the vast Stanta army training area, 30,000 acres in size, where people cannot go – and other species thrive.
Breckland is a stronghold for charismatic endangered birds such as the goggle-eyed stone-curlew, dashing forest-dwelling goshawks and enigmatic, nocturnal nightjars. It’s home to ultra-rare and fantastically named plants and invertebrates, from the prostrate perennial knawel to the wormwood moonshiner beetle. It has every conservation designation going and would undoubtedly be a national park if so much of it hadn’t been commandeered by the military.
This land is usually overlooked by visitors whizzing through en route to the Norfolk coast or Norwich. It’s perhaps not helped by an absence of pretty towns and fancy restaurants (although well-heeled Bury St Edmunds on its southern edge boasts the Michelin-starred Pea Porridge). I live 30 miles away and I’ve never brought my family for a holiday here, until now.
The writer swimming at Bodney Hall Farm. Photograph: Patrick Barkham
My children immediately take to Bodney Hall Farm, where we are staying in a beautifully renovated cottage, the smaller of two high-end self-catering options. Guests are given the run of the 40-acre grounds and gardens which roll down to the River Wissey and feature a magical mix of interesting trees, formal planting, wildflowers and wildlife.
We stroll the banks of this private stretch of the Wissey. Since relocating from London in 2016, owners Henry and Anna Sands have been restoring the river, encouraging natural wiggles and bringing back the natural clarity of the water as it races over shingle, providing homes for dashing inhabitants including wild trout and kingfishers.
It’s possible to swim in the river but there’s also a jetty for easy access into a large Wissey-fed pond enveloped by rushes and willows. We savour a long evening swim to the soundtrack of cuckoos and reed warblers and – to my amazement – even a booming bittern. The water is sweet and fresh, and I feel as if we could be in Scandinavia, especially when we warm ourselves in our private woodfired hot tub as the first stars emerge. I’m hoping for a strange drone or red flare from the military training area, but all is quiet.
Guests are given the run of the grounds and gardens at Bodney Park Cottage. Photograph: Miles Willis
I rise early for a 5.45am swim and just miss an otter – Henry Sands, who is up even earlier, spots it – and there’s just enough time for a morning hot tub before we head to nearby Grime’s Graves, the largest known and best excavated flint mine in the country. Here, 4,500 years ago, late Neolithic people dug up to 1,000 mines up to 13 metres below ground and used antler picks to extract flints embedded in the chalk. The flint was particularly high quality and exported across the country, making specialist tools and weapons. The site is a large grassy clearing filled with the strange lumps and pits that are old, long-filled-in mineshafts. The air is filled with the song of dozens of skylarks.
The English Heritage visitor centre is pleasingly low-key – and quiet, naturally – with “please touch” signs so we can feel the weight of flints and the sharp edges of knapped stone. My kids enjoy brandishing replica axes before we move to the real highlight: descending into a nine-metre mineshaft excavated by archeologists in 1914. They found the remains of antler picks, pottery, animal bones and neolithic bats – and Daubenton’s bats still roost in the excavated shafts where it is a constant 8C.
Grimes Graves, the largest known and best excavated flint mine complex in the country. Photograph: Heritage Image Partnership /Alamy
“It smells nice down here,” says my son Ted as we descend the steel staircase. The scent is cool, damp stone. At the bottom, we can crawl on the chalk a short way into some of the horizontal excavations. It’s a vivid experience, a portal into another time.
Dark holes is a theme of our day because we next head to Oxburgh Hall, a stately home that has a priest’s hole which I remember from childhood was a thrilling portal into Tudor terror. On our way, we drop in on Foulden Common, one of a plethora of tranquil but rare wildlife-packed nature reserves including Weeting Heath and Lakenheath Fen. Thetford forest boasts several good country parks and there’s a multitude of cycle rides, swims (the Little Ouse is another gorgeous small river) and walks, including the long-distance Peddars Way on the old Roman road leading from Thetford to the north-west Norfolk coast.
Oxburgh is a red-brick Tudor palace surrounded by a fine moat which must be one of the most picturesque National Trust properties. The hall was built by Sir Edmund Bedingfeld around 1476 and the 10th baronet still lives in a wing of the house. The rest of his ancestral home is open to the public, and the rooms are filled with vast oil portraits, ornate furniture, ancient books and even leather wallpaper, which was amusingly purchased secondhand from Spain by thrifty Victorian aristocrats.
The priest’s hole was built up a tiny staircase, below a brick-topped iron hatch, so the Bedingfield family’s Catholic priest could be safely concealed during the persecution of the Catholics that saw the family fall from favour when they refused to renounce their faith. It is not known how much action the hole saw, but this tiny claustrophobic stone cell may have saved the life of a priest or three.
Unfortunately, after a visitor became stuck in the hole (it’s oddly much harder to get out than in) we’re no longer allowed inside, and have to make do with peering down the hatch and watching a video of a stressed (actor) priest fretting inside.
A northern pool frog is released into ancient pingos at Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy
After a late lunch at the Bedingfeld Arms, with swifts screaming as they circle the 1783 pub, I take an evening excursion to another unique nature reserve: Thompson Common. The map reveals this to be another place of strange indentations in the land: a profusion of nearly 500 pingos, small ponds formed when subterranean mounds of ice thawed and the soil slumped down at the end of the last ice age. It’s a bewitchingly unusual place, home to rare dragonflies and the very rare pool frog, which became extinct in the 1990s but has been successfully reintroduced from Sweden. The males can be heard “singing” in late spring, via a pair of white inflatable sacs like airbags either side of their head.
There’s an eight-mile circular pingo walking trail for a full day out but I took a shorter potter through the reserve. The frogs are doing well thanks to restoration work by Norfolk Wildlife Trust which has seen the excavation and revival of a dozen “ghost” pingos, with many ponds filled in during a century of agricultural “improvement” and intensification.
I’d like to say we enjoyed a fine evening of the frog chorus but there’s nothing melodic about the groaning croak which sounds like a duck with laryngitis. They don’t call on my visit; instead I hear the bugling song of a crane from somewhere in the undergrowth. It’s another notable experience in this fascinating land, which is much the finer for its all-enveloping strangeness.
Accommodation was provided by Bodney Hall Farm,which has a cottage (sleeps 4) from £300 a night and lodge (sleeps 12). Grimes Graves (English Heritage) is open daily 10am-5pm (family up to five from £20.70). Oxburgh Hall (National Trust) open 10.30am–3pm; gardens 9.30am–5pm (family up to five from £32.50). Foulden Common and Thompson Common (Norfolk Wildlife Trust) are free to enter
DIVE in to scrumptious staycays in England’s eastern counties.
From beautiful beaches in North Norfolk to stunning sustenance in Suffolk, we have it covered.
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The quaint beach huts in Wells-next-the-Sea in NorfolkCredit: Shutterstock
The Nest Farmhouse, King’s Lynn
Beauty Writer Mia Lyndon and boyfriend Jamie found vineyards and seafood feasts in Norfolk.
THE PAD
Tucked away in the rolling fields of North Norfolk, guests are greeted with fizz from neighbouring Cobble Hill Winery at this former barn.
Rooms are bang-on theme with farmhouse-chic decor – ours had a vintage tub, dried flowers, distressed furniture and a spacious balcony from which green vistas extend as far as the eye can see.
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Flock to The Nest FarmhouseCredit: Neeve Photography
Fragrant home-made negronis made from a concoction of aged local spirits and spices, £14, are literally on tap from a miniature barrel in the homely bar.
Then tuck into rich bone marrow and crunchy focaccia, £12, followed by tender local Old Spot pork chop, £28, and barbecued cabbage smothered in a tangy, buttery anchovy dressing, £5.
Fluffy doughnuts dunked in toffee sauce, £10, are the perfect pud, and we splashed out on a bottle of local Cobble Hill Bacchus Reserve, £55.
Birdsong will wake you for an alfresco brekkie of local cheese, cured meats and trout, while you watch ducks bob about in the pond.
EXPLORE
Spy deer in the lush 667 acres of the palatial 18th-century Holkham Estate, before ogling rich tapestries, marble sculptures and the lavish guest rooms where Queen Victoria once slept.
Entry costs from £24 per person (Holkham.co.uk). Later, spot seals frolicking in the surf from the sweeping sand dunes of Holkham Beach.
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Look out for deer in the woods of Holkham Park in North Norfolk
The neighbouring town of Wells-next-the-Sea is postcard-pretty – duck into The Old Station for whimsical ceramics that are made on-site, before sipping on local Crisp Eastern Gold, £2.55 for a half pint, on the rooftop deck at The Globe Inn (Theglobeatwells.co.uk).
Pretty Norfolk coastline has sea lions and award-winning beaches-
REFUEL
Norfolk is renowned for crab, so tuck into a platter at family-run Wells Crab House and feast on creamy dressed crab, crayfish, oak-smoked salmon, juicy prawns, tangy cockles and rollmops, plus indulgent potato salad – £44 for two people.
Start your day with fluffy French toastCredit: Neeve Photography
Meanwhile, in cobble-stoned King’s Lynn, devour giant slabs of buttery ginger cake, £2.50, from indie cafe Norbury’s (Instagram.com/norburysfinefoods).
Then plump for dinner by candlelight at Grade-II-listed The Bank House, a stylish eatery on the banks of the River Ouse.
Order Pineapple Fogs, a blend of honey-lime juice, pineapple and tonic, £5, and savour flaky cod and seafood chowder with mussels, squid and prawn, £22.50 (Thebankhouse.co.uk).
DON’T MISS
Knowledgeable David at Burn Valley Vineyard (which has near-identical soil to the Champagne region), is the perfect host for wine-tasting, £25 a person.
You’ll get to swig six wines – our fave was sweet, acidic Solaris 2023 – before wandering around the vineyard to see where they’re grown (Burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk).
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Mia Lyndon in Norfolk with partner JamieCredit: Mia Lyndon
Writer Sasha Cunningham and husband Grant checked into a foodie haven on Suffolk’s coast.
THE PAD
Nestled in the sleepy town of Orford, you’ll find 21 newly refurbished rooms and an intimate two-AA-Rosette restaurant.
Our bright and spacious deluxe sea-view room had amazing glimpses of Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, plus a large bath, rainfall shower, Temple Spa toiletries and cosy armchairs.
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Experience the charm of The Crown and CastleCredit: Matt Finch
Grab an Aperol Spritz, £9, or a pint of Mosaic lager, £5, before digging into dishes such as the spectacular soy-cured monkfish with glass noodles and sesame, £28.
Mains such as beef blade and fillet on a bed of spelt, celeriac and mushrooms, £32, won’t disappoint, either.
EXPLORE
You’re just over the road from 12th-century Orford Castle, which is well worth a visit for both the views from its tower and its captivating audio guide, £8.10 per adult (English-heritage.org.uk).
Or take a wander down to the River Ore – pick the distance and difficulty of your walk by scanning the hotel’s handy QR codes.
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Brighten up your day at the Orford Ness Lighthouse
Be sure to book your visit to the nature reserve in advance, from £4.50 per adult (Nationaltrust.org.uk).
Once used during WW2 for atomic bomb testing, it’s now home to many species of birds and a colony of 200 grey seals.
REFUEL
Share the griddled fish selection of prawns, squid, sardines and mussels brushed with garlic oil, from £19.50, at Butley Orford Oysterage, a short stroll from your bed (Pinneysoforford.co.uk).
Or hunt out Two Magpies Bakery in the nearby pastel-coloured seaside town of Aldeburgh for rich hot chocolate, £3.45 – it’s the perfect drink for a walk by the beach, where you can snap the giant scallop sculpture (Twomagpiesbakery.co.uk).
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Tuck into fresh oysters with a squeeze of lemon
Later, join a tour of Fishers Gin Distillery for tastings with a sea view, £35 for a 90-minute tour (Fishersgin.com).
DON’T MISS
Stop by Orford’s Pump Street Bakery for bear-claw almond frangipane pastries, £4.50 – just go early before they sell out (Pumpstreetchocolate.com).
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Sasha Cunningham and husband GrantCredit: Supplied by Sasha Cunningham
Fashion Assistant Emily Regan, boyfriend Harry and dog Ragnar enjoyed history and booze in Suffolk’s charming market town.
THE PAD
This central Georgian hotel – once a favourite of Charles Dickens – blends vintage furnishings with modern touches.
Book a Copper Room for a king-size bed, free-standing copper bath and a picturesque view of Abbey Gate.
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Have a heavenly stay at The AngelCredit: Supplied
Then dig into mouth-watering Surrey Farm 10oz sirloin with peppercorn sauce, £34, in the hotel’s lively Eaterie.
Finish with chocolate crémeux, honeycomb and brownie ice cream, £8.50, and a pornstar martini, £14.
Come breakfast, a full English, plus sausage bites for Ragnar, were winners, and there are plenty of other doggy treats and toys on hand, too.
EXPLORE
A five-minute stroll away you’ll find St Edmundsbury Cathedral (Stedscathedral.org) and St Mary’s Church, with its hammer-beam angel roof (Stmaryschurchbse.org).
But to really learn more about the town’s history, join a walking tour around Abbey Gardens and the ruins of an 11th-century monastery, £10 per person for 90 minutes (Burystedmundstourguides.org).
Gift hunters should head to The Parsley Pot with its cute ceramics (Theparsleypot.com), while dogs will love scampering through the scenic woodlands of Nowton Park (Westsuffolk.gov.uk).
REFUEL
For mid-morning pick-me-ups, No.5 Angel Hill has excellent home-made sausage rolls, £4.95, and iced lattes, £3.90 (Fiveangelhill.co.uk).
Discover the town’s hop history on Greene King’s brewery tour – or just lunch on beef and ale pie for under a tenner at its Beer Cafe.
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The Swan at Lavenham serves up cracking food, £28 for two coursesCredit: The Swan/ Instagram
