Walking boosts happy chemicals in the dark days after Christmas. So make time to connect with the feeling of your body striding into nature’s wild embrace.

Head towards the sea onto the shingle ridge from Cley beach car park. Waves pound with zeal and breath-snatching winds race unfettered from the Arctic. Tuck in your scarf, turn left onto the ridge. Beginning at Weybourne, over time the ridge has grown westwards, forming the spit of Blakeney Point and is now 8 miles (12 km) long. Half-way, you’ll find the Watch House. Tiny pale sanderlings skitter nearby where orange-billed oystercatchers probe the reflecting mud for shellfish. It’s a good place to stop for a hot drink from your thermos. Leave the complicated world behind, be here now, in this moment of solitude and shifting light.

Carry on for another mile to the sand dunes. Turn away from the sea towards the blue Lifeboat House, keeping dunes and fence to your right. Avoid any seals. They can be aggressive, especially when protecting pups. This is their home, so who can blame them? Do not disturb the very peace you seek. Leave only footprints, take only memories.

Seals have right of way on this land, so if pupping’s in progress your walk may be cut short. If not, the crest of the boardwalk marks the end of your path. Don’t cross the fence. Beyond belongs to the seals. Stand free under running sky before heading back to a warm Blakeney café.