Author: Griffmonster |
Tuesday, 27 November 2018
|
|
An 8.5 mile walk along a section of the Norfolk Coast Path between Wells-next-the-Sea and Morston, with a diversion through the village of Stiffkey.
Stiffkey (locally pronounced Stewkey) is referred to as Stivecai in the Domesday Book, which means "island of tree stumps". This is thought to relate to the remains of an ancient wooden structure dating back 8,000 years, that was found on the marsh. Today it is a sleepy little village on the North Norfolk Coast Road renowned for its topiary including a line of elephants all trunk to tail at Nellie's Cottage, a guitar sitting proudly atop a hedge at the home of a guitar teacher and a fox by the gate post of the Fox family's house. It does, nevertheless, have an intriguing recent history with stories of Black Shuck, the ghostly devil dog, and the tale of the infamous Reverend Harold Davidson, Rector of Stiffkey who was defrocked in a national scandal involving ladies of the night and ended up being mauled by a lion.