Summer Programme of events currently being planned
We are currently in the final stages of planning a full range of activities that will take place every Tuesday from the end of the current season right up until Tuesday 1st September when the next season will open with a Special Presentation from an acclaimed female photographer of exceptional talent – more details shortly...!.
The first of these summer events will take place on Tuesday 23rd June when we shall make a field trip to Holkham Hall out on the North Norfolk Coast. The visit will be in two parts as explained below.
This is a theme that we shall repeat throughout the summer when there will be an earlier start for those who are normally available during the day and want to take full advantage of all a particular location has to offer before a short break to get something to eat before joining up with those members who are only available during the evening.
Holkham Hall estate: A stunning location on the North Norfolk coast and at the heart of a thriving 25.000-acre estate. Holkham is described as an exceptional place, rich in history, architecture and wildlife. The seat of the Earl of Leicester, this elegant 18th century mansion is still very much a lived-in family home.
The estate is split into two: with the Hall and grounds on one side of the A149 and the Nature Reserve and beach down Lady Anne’s Drive on the opposite side. The Hall and grounds have several photographic opportunities: Hall, Temple, Church, Icehouse, Monument, walled garden, Field to Fork experience, lake, and a large herd of fallow deer. The Nature Reserve on the opposite side of the road has an area of Pine trees and a couple of hides (the hides are about 1-2 miles round trips). The vast beach with sand dunes has regularly been voted one of the best beaches in the UK.
We will spend the afternoon at the Hall and gardens and in the late afternoon, we will visit the nature reserve and beach staying until sunset (or earlier if people prefer). There is a Courtyard Café nearby the Hall where we can buy food and drink, alternatively you can bring your own food and drink.
Location: Holkham Hall is situated just off the A149 near Wells-next-the-Sea. The postcode is NR23 1RH.
Aerial view of Holkham Hall and the surrounding estate
Meeting point: We will meet in the Hall and Gardens car park around 2:00pm (if you are coming from the direction of Wells-next-the-Sea you turn left off the A149 and turn right if coming from the other direction. You continue down the estate road for about a mile and then you will approach the car park. The parking ticket costs £8 per day, but you can use the same ticket in the late afternoon when we park near the beach. The cost of the car park ticket enables you to photograph most of the above-mentioned places, but there is an additional cost to go inside the visit Hall and Field and Fork experience.
For anyone who can only attend in the evening someone will be there to greet them when they arrive around 6:00pm at the end of the beach car park near to where the path to the beach begins. If you arrive later, I’m sure you will soon spot colleagues if to simply walk through to the beach and look around.
Fitness level and safety: If you would like to photograph all the buildings and the herd of Fallow Deer this will involve walking 2/3 miles, but of course you can stay nearer the main Hall and still have plenty to photograph. During the late afternoon you can walk about a mile to visit the beach and Pine wood, and further if you want to visit one of the two hides.
Camera and Lenses: a 24-70 and/or 24-105 lens or similar would be ideal for landscape shots but a lens 300mm+ would be useful if you would like to photograph the deer herd. Also recommended is a tripod and filters if you have them.