Last week I popped over the sea to see mum and other relatives. Involving buses, planes and trains it is always a longer journey than hoped and, as ever, it was as well that I ‘built in’ extra time because the flight was delayed, there and back, of three trains to Lowestoft one was replaced by a bus service and on the return one was cancelled because of a ‘shortage of drivers’. Well done Wexford Bus for being on time and allowing me on a later bus on the way back because I missed my ‘booked’ bus due to the 90 minute delay on the flight. It was a relief to get back.

Having to use Shanks’s pony to get around the heatwave interesting. The garden here is suffering from heat and drought but things were worse in Suffolk. But it was lovely weather to see things. The dunes at the north end of Great Yarmouth were looking dry (above). You can see the offshore turbines on Scroby sands which produce 60 megawatts, enough for 41,000 homes.

I was staying in Lowestoft, the family home, but my aunt and uncle wanted to take me out so we popped to Great Yarmouth, one of the best UK seaside resorts, with huge beaches and all the seaside fun you could want including some great coasters. The old wooden rollercoaster was always my main reason for going and I would have done it again but there was not time – and I think my aunt thinks I am too old – you are never too old for rollercoasters! The main reason for this trip was to see the Nao Santa Maria. I think this was so my aunt could get her own back for me taking them to the famine ship in New Ross when they visited!

So we boarded the replica Santa Maria.

A wood and fibreglass replica of one of the ships that Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492, it was fascinating and it boggles the imagination that anyone would just sail into the unknown in such a small ship. It is travelling around Europe and has already sailed the Atlantic. I asked where it was going next and expressed surprise that it was not sailing to Ireland, to be told it had already been to Dublin! D’Oh. I need to keep more informed.

We then went to the North Beach and visited the Venetian Waterways. I remember these well from my childhood. Boats travelled along the canals and it was especially exciting at night when the islands were decorated with illuminated ‘features’. The last time I visited it was derelict. But it has been restored and although the islands are now small ‘wildlife areas’ the beds where you can walk past have been planted and are moderately well maintained (I appreciate it has been very dry) and the area is pleasant again. It is a unique attraction and the water was clear, the place neat and tidy and all very good. Well worth a visit.

At the north end are some cafes and the boating lake, all looking very good in the sunshine.

Of course I had to have a quick look at the beach, which is clean and huge, and was pleased to see lots of sea holly (Eryngium maritimum).

Without making this sound like a travel website, I should mention the Hotel Victoria where I stayed this time. An old lady on the seafront, it is a proper seaside hotel. Being a solo traveller is not always the best but it offers a great location, a comfy bed and the single room was not a broom cupboard. Comfy and excellent value and a lot cheaper than the big chains. But the highlight was that at breakfast the smoked haddock was not dyed. Yes is was dead but not dyed. You can’t have it at home unless you can cope with the smell in the house all day! So it is a stay-away treat and the fact that it was proper is a good sign. Sorry to my fellow travellers nibbling their croissants!

Probably, the summer that is most permanently etched into my memory was 1977 and the plagues of ladybirds on the beach at Lowestoft. It was the year we all discovered that these generally well-loved beetles can bite! And this year was the same. There were millions of ladybirds, flying, crawling, settling. The pavements were covered in squashed ladybirds and most plants on the seafront were covered in them. I wonder how many can possibly survive, or their larvae find food. I would have liked to have brought some back because there are very few here at the moment.

Of course, I kept my eyes open for the dreaded fuchsia gall mite in front gardens as I went on my route marches. I was, unfortunately, not short of examples. Last year I only saw it on the more common hardy fuchsias but this year it was on a much wider variety of fuchsias. Lowestoft is a coastal town, the most easterly in the UK, and winters are mild, though windy, being on the North Sea, which probably helps the mite survive winter so well. I know I sound like a broken record but I am glad I have not seen it here yet.

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