If you are going to sneak through a piece of private land, it had better not be a military piece.
And in any event, not one of those private military establishments. They’re a law unto themselves.
But Norfolk has a dearth of public footpaths. Instead, they have things called permissive footpaths: landowners let walkers use a strip of their land, but it will never become a public right of way.
The Muckleburgh Museum – military historical artefacts, privately owned – has bags and bags of land on the North Norfolk Coast. They need quite a lot, because they store an extensive collection of military vehicles and radar. Perhaps this is why they have chosen not to allow walkers, permissively, to use a thin strip of land to get from the coast footpath, in a circular route, back to the Norfolk village of Weybourne. Instead, they direct walkers onto a rather heavily trafficked half mile or so of road.
We stood at the bit where we were meant to turn away from the entrance of the museum and dice with traffic. I looked at my small son. and I looked at Phil.
We turned away from the road, and strode determinedly towards the museum. We could walk straight through and join the footpath just before it got back to the car park. We waited until the tank traffic had lapsed and then zig-zagged for tactical purposes across the sandy approach to the coast.
BeIng in a hurry to avoid any museum officials, we should have been in a tearing hurry.
But as I passed what was, to all intents and purposes, a caravan park, I was knocked for six by the sight of a huge radar from the Cold War.
Squatting, glowering, almost muttering atop a small brick hut, this looked like no radar I had ever seen. It was not a graceful radar-go-round like the ones I knew from a childhood in the home town of the Met Office. It was nothing like the ones Gerry Anderson featured in Thunderbirds. This was a great cyclops of a radar.
I stopped. I could not walk past. So many questions: how did this one work? What was its job to detect? Why have I never seen one like this before? Who designed something like this, the stuff of neo-Grimm fairy tales, a Rumplestiltskin of the radar world.
Of course, there was one place to find the answers, and I was sneaking through it, headed determinedly for a public footpath.
I am paying the price for my misdemeanour now. I am eaten up with curiosity. Pandora had nothing on me. I should have just paid the strange museum’s fees and spent three hours getting my facts straight.
I met a tall dark stranger on the path to the North Sea, and now I can’t get him out of my head.
Kate Shrewsday 
and those caravans are hiding the alien invasion…..
😀 Quick. Run and ring the village bell.
they are the bell ringers as well….
I bet my Dad would have been able to tell you what it was – he probably helped test it.
It looks like a Dalek with a sunshade…
Was your Dad based in this area? A beautiful part of the world, Jan. I wonder if your Dad did test it once upon a time…
Seriously strange looking piece of kit. Looks like a huge macaroon. It may be a cold war cake detector, or it might throw bread rolls which would be more British.
Ha: it does look just like a macaroon, Roger. You can’t have enough cake detectors, I always say.
I love the photo and your questions. I also had no idea Norfolk had permissive footpaths. Great post.
Hi Andrea! Thank you for coming to read and leave a comment. Norfolk is quite tricky to navigate around using footpaths, unlike my own home county, Berkshire…
Certainly is an odd piece of history, wishing you a successful quest for knowledge.
It’s knowing where to start, Lou…
Like nothing I’ve ever seen. I assume the round part is the radar, but I don’t know about the rectangular thing. A radio receiver of some kind? Seems like I’ve seen something similar on microwave or radio towers.
I must google them and have a look, PT.
That is very strange and does make me think of an old alien movie. Wouldn’t it be funny if you found out it was simply an odd version of home satellite system…someone is bootlegging satellite television with a homemade contraption!
It would not be the first time someone designed something elaborate and home made to do a simple task, Debra 😀
That’s how the guy in the adjacent RV gets his satellite reception! 😀
😀 Thanks for clearing that up, Nancy…
What a time you had in Norfolk. It seems you packed a month of adventures into a week or so. Well done, Kate, and a well done post. Love the pix.
I’d love to hear what you uncover, Kate.
That thingy looks like an armoured giant carrying a shield and a declaration of war?
I hope the tall dark stranger that got on your radar isn’t something Phil should be worried about!
When I saw your photo, at first I thought of the long-range radar site in Alaska that stretches from the Aleutian Islands across North America. But, after checking my photos, I realize you must have an older version of radar there.
Cool, story. I wouldn’t mess with the government though. 🙂
What an intriguing contraption! Have no doubt that you will not rest until you get to the bottom of this mystery 🙂