Moving from West Yorkshire to Norfolk in 2005, I was met with the unsolicited comment repeatedly “Norfolk isn’t flat” I never suggested it was, and 20+ years ago as I enjoyed cycling around the lanes, I very quickly learned they were right. That said, we tend not to have the fells and mountains I grew up with before moving south to East Anglia. This place is often referred to as “the land of the big skies” and the advantage of not having hills to block the view is we see some of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets. My brother and sister in law have spent a couple of weeks on holiday here and kindly allowed me to use this photograph taken near Thursford in North Norfolk.
During the last 50 years I have had the privilege of travelling around most of England and Wales and a little bit into the more southern parts of Scotland, and during that time I have gained a love for the diverse nature of the landscape of this beautiful country. I feel just at home travelling through the Fens and seeing amazing views of Ely Cathedral and the Boston Stump, seeing fields of crops in the fields and the long view. Equally, I love some of our coastal paths around Cornwall, the south coast and around Wales and maybe my favourite, Northumberland. I adore the North Yorks Moors and Cumbria and of course my beloved Yorkshire Dales.
I understand that not everybody who reads this thought will share my beliefs in a creator God, but as I see glorious views like this, stand on a fell top early morning and see the beginning of a new day, alone in God’s own County I believe that I see something of the glory of God and am thankful. You are welcome to believe that I must be mad in this modern age of scientific understanding and I know that there are those who would mock me for my beliefs, but as I look at views like the one above, the stresses of my day wash away and I feel at peace with myself and with God and I am thankful