Yesterday was the West Norfolk Autism Group’s third annual outing to Pensthorpe Natural Park. This post will set the stage for a mini-series about the day.
THE PRELIMINARIES
Some of the group were making their own way to Pensthorpe, but there was also a coach laid on which was picking up and dropping back off at Gaywood. The departure time of the coach was set for 9:30AM, so I aimed to arrive at the pick up point at 9:15. I did exactly that, walking by way of the Gaywood river path, and arriving at the pick up point just as the coach was pulling in. We set off promptly, and the roads were clear. On arrival at Pensthorpe a couple of us were presented with trophies from the bowling event on April 7th.
PLANNING THE DAY
Only three parts of the day were fixed: I was booked on a trailer ride at noon, lunch was scheduled for 2PM, and the coach was making its return journey to Gaywood at 3:30PM. For the rest the day was what one chose to make of it. I will now introduce the various parts of my experience, on what was a perfect day for the event – warm and sunny but not absolutely roasting.
PENSTHORPE GENERAL
One starts by putting on a wristband that indicates that admission is paid for, and then proceeds through the gift shop. I opted to start with the exit at the far end of the viewing gallery, which takes one straight to the water fowl. There were many interesting species…
SCULPTURES/ ART
I will be producing a post about this aspect of Pensthorpe. Suffice it to say for the moment that there are a number of sculptures and other art pieces to be seen along the way. Here are a few images to whet your appetite…
THE FLAMINGOS AND CRANES
My two visits to these birds (either side of the trailer ride) will get a full blog post. For the moment…
THE WADERS
The wading birds have their own special enclosure, with a netting roof over it. I visited it twice, as with the flamingos and cranes, and will be giving it a full blog post. For the moment…
THE TRAILER RIDE
This experience is not to be missed, and will get full blog post treatment. For the moment…
aspiblog 
glad all the planning went as it should ! Looks an excellent day
It was an excellent day.
I didn’t know they had cranes. Will visit next time we’re around. Florence is lovely! More tomorrow.
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