MEET REPORT: Norfolk Meet 2016 (Piss up in a Brewery)
At least once a year S2KUK heads for East Anglia for the Norfolk meet, hosted by Steve and Sharon (Minvo and McMinny). This year was something different and in addition to the drive through the wonderful East Anglian countryside, we spent a night at Southwold and were able to take in a tour of the Adnams Brewery.
The weekend started on Friday evening with a buffet at Steve’s house and a few drinks. After the battle to get down the A14/A11 this was welcome refreshment. The evening weather proved warm enough to be outside and the traditional burning of everything combustible on the fire-pit kept us going until late into the evening.
A sensible 10am meeting at Thickthorn services near Norwich, and we had a seven car convoy fuelled with V-Power and ready to go. From here we headed south west towards Wymondham in some fairly steady rain but roofs were still down in defiance of the weather. The pace was brisk as we turned south and across the border into Suffolk towards our first refreshment stop 35 miles away at the Farmers Kitchen near Harleston on the A143. Here we topped our own tanks up with bacon roles and coffee.
We had lost one car at one of the tricky earlier junctions but were soon reunited as we set off again for the next 25 mile run down to Framlingham. This turned out to be slightly longer due to a couple of missed turns but trying to all reverse back to the correct junction proved to be excellent entertainment, not just for us but for the locals too.
The seven of us parked up right next to Framlington Castle which made for an excellent photo-call back drop and then we went off to explore the town for a few hours.
The last leg took us to the coast and to the final destination at the Swan Hotel in Southwold. The town itself was busy with tourists and we got many “look, they are all Honda’s” from the passers-by as we picked our way through the traffic. Several of us had decided to stay on for the night and were able to do a late tour of the Adnams Brewery. This fascinating tour culminated in a tasting session at the brewery bar. After sampling as much of the ales on offer, we were glad we had completed our driving for the day.
Back at the hotel it was time for a wonderful three course dinner with plenty of Adnams beer, gin and vodka to sample. This forced us to finish the evening with a gentle stroll to the end of Southwold Pier to walk off some of the extra calories. Falling asleep in our hotel rooms in the humid evening was easy.
Sunday had a relaxed start and an opportunity for some of us to explore the town a bit more and to fill whatever space we had available in our boots with beer before the drive home.
Thanks to all of those who attended. It’s you who make these meets fun but a particular thank you to Steve and Sharon for their superb hospitality and organisation. Looking forward to next year already!
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