Author Archives: East of Elveden

About East of Elveden

Hidden places, secret histories and unsung geography from the east of England and beyond

Fogbound: Heacham to Old Hunstanton

Posted on December 11, 2020 by East of Elveden

Earlier this week we walked from Heacham to Old Hunstanton along the seawall. To say that it was a bit foggy would be an understatement as the whole of northwest Norfolk lay shivering under a thick blanket of dense fog … Continue reading →

Posted in Norfolk, Walking, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Irkutsk

Posted on November 15, 2020 by East of Elveden

Ten years ago, when travel was altogether an easier undertaking, I travelled by train to Siberia. Following the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and taking a few detours along the way, I eventually got as far as Lake Baikal before … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Cities, Russia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Abandoned Ferris wheel

Posted on October 26, 2020 by East of Elveden

Ferris wheel, Toktogul, Kyrgyzstan One of the enduring images from Pripyat, the main town in Ukraine’s Chernobyl disaster region, is that of an abandoned amusement park. A totem for the fall from innocence, here are rides that children once played … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Cities, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

To the Lighthouse

Posted on July 22, 2020 by East of Elveden

They are taking the lighthouse down. It was really just a matter of time. Time and tide, it is said, wait for no man, and the two make for a powerful combination on this rapidly changing shoreline. The Orford lighthouse … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Suffolk, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Shrieking Pits

Posted on July 7, 2020 by East of Elveden

Tucked away in the north Norfolk coastal hinterland, close to the villages of Overstrand and Northrepps, is a group of small ponds known as the Shrieking Pits. More of the same can also be found a few miles further west … Continue reading →

Posted in Folklore, Norfolk | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Mountains of Persia

Posted on March 26, 2020 by East of Elveden

There is a bar in Belgrade called the World Traveller’s Club. It is in the basement of an apartment block in the city centre and to gain entrance you are required to ring the door bell at street level and … Continue reading →

Posted in Balkans, film, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Winter Light

Posted on January 31, 2020 by East of Elveden

Even in winter, the northeast Norfolk coast has its attractions, especially over the Christmas and New Year period when many flock here to see the grey seals that come to the beaches of Winterton and Horsey to give birth. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Norfolk, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Blakean Spirit

Posted on January 15, 2020 by East of Elveden

I wander thro’ each charter’d street, Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.  And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe. William Blake London Last week I paid a visit to London to go and … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Cities, History, Literature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

All Fall Down

Posted on December 20, 2019 by East of Elveden

Two weeks ago I read a news article about the demolition of the cooling towers at Ironbridge on the River Severn in Shropshire. Their final demise was witnessed by many who came to see the four great towers collapsing after … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Midlands, Northern England | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Crossing Place

Posted on December 5, 2019 by East of Elveden

A pinch of the River Clyde; a squeezing of the water that flows west through Glasgow towards the sea; a watery place where shipyards once dominated the shoreline and the air shook with the hammering of rivets, the scrape and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, History, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments