Route details, maps, pubs, features, local history and folklore for a wide variety of walks focusing primarily on Norfolk and Suffolk

Distance:Short Walks
Showing posts with label Distance:Short. Show all posts

Friday 29 November 2019

In search of the lost Suffolk village of Hethern

Westwood Lodge with what is thought to be the old track leading down to the marsh

A 5 mile walk through Dunwich forest to the medieval site of the lost village of Hethern

Dunwich forest is always a good place to walk and find peace amid the fora, fauna and wildlife. There are information boards that provide details of this ever changing world of nature but there is nothing about its history. Little is known of the medieval village of Hethern or the landmarks of Stonehill Bridge and Stonehill Castle which are recorded in the 15th century Westleton Extents. This document records that they stood aside a now lost road directly linking Dunwich to Blythburgh and which cut across the marshes.

Tuesday 26 November 2019

Horstead to Heggatt Circular Walk

Horstead millpond and mill

A stroll along the southern side of the River Bure to the ancient hamlet of Heggatt

This short walk takes one through country lanes and along old tracks and footpaths on the southern side of the River Bure. Highlights include the ruins of Horstead Mill and views across the valley to Coltishall and Belaugh. Plus a walk would not be complete without a little piece of folklore, and this one is all about a prophesy centred around a tree on Heggatt Common

Tuesday 19 November 2019

Sweffling Circular Walk 2

Salt marsh

Short circular walk through the Suffolk countryside around the village of Sweffling

The second circular walk that starts and ends at the Sweffling White Horse pub. This leads the rambler across river valley, woodland and some amazing Suffolk countryside. This is a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning, ending up with a pint and some lunch at the pub which really is a traditional old local with a tap room full of local ales.

Tuesday 26 February 2019

Rushden Skew Bridge Lake Walk

Salt marsh

Short circular walk around the Skew Bridge Ski Lake

A very simple and easy walk along the footpaths around Skew Bridge Ski Lake. Situated on the edge of the Rushden Lakes shopping complex with restaurants and decking facing onto the lake, this trail circumnavigates the waters through the woodland that surrounds it. Wood based sculptures of a plethora of creatures can be found throughout. Any visitor to Rushden Lakes should take the opportunity to wander this trail.

Thursday 24 January 2019

Folklore Trail around East Runton

Railway bridge at the end of Thains Lane with Inclborough Hill in the background

A 4 mile walk between East Runton and Cromer searching out old folklore

Using country lanes and tracks, this circular trail navigates around a East Runton to visit the various locations in Runtons history and folklore. Woodhill House is the location of an unidentified skeleton found during road widening. Thains Lane has the village's old smithy. The old Windmill sets the scene for the emanation of ghostly lights that crossed over to a copse. With a pub stop at Cromer and return via the redefined course of the Norfolk Coast Path, this makes for an excellent short walk on a spooky Autumn evening.

Sunday 20 January 2019

Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail Walk

Bright autumn colours

A simple 3 mile circular route in the Forest of Dean on the sides of the Cannop Valley

A walk around the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire roughly following a trail around a series of sculptures. Trees, sculptures, views, more trees and if you are lucky wild boar, deer and sheep can be seen in this wonderful piece of woodland.

Sunday 13 January 2019

Goathland to Grosmont Rail Trail

USA Class S160 locomotive 6046

A simple 3.5 mile walk along side the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Amazing scenery with the sounds of steam engines chugging up the gradients makes this an awesome walk. The route follows the Esk Valley through woodland and open pasture in this idyllic Yorkshire setting. The return route can be a ride on a steam railway which appeals to most people, and with a steep gradient to scale it provides all the sound and excitement associated with steam trains.

Great Dunmow Town Trail

The Doctors Pond

A 3 mile circular walk around the small Essex town of Great Dunmow

With plenty of historic buildings, a fine 13th century church, some great pubs and a fantastic Indian Restaurant this provides any visitor a taste of this ancient town. The walk is simple and easy and one cannot visit Dunmow without discovering the interesting history of the Dunmow Fitch which is the main feature to this walk.

Friday 11 January 2019

A visit to the rather curious Happisburgh

Happisburgh lighthouse

A simple 3 mile circular walk along the Norfolk Coast between Happisburgh and Eccles

Happisburgh is curious - it is slowly being taken by the sea, its houses slowly falling victim to the tides. The pub gardens boast a signal box to a railway line that never got built. A lighthouse stands guard to the south and its lifeboat is located at the next village of Eccles. In recent times the tide has uncovered prehistoric human footprints. And there is local folklore of ghostly smugglers and misdeeds. Very curious indeed.

Wednesday 9 January 2019

In Search of The King of the Belgians

King of the Belgians pub

A pub crawl to the Huntingdonshire pub known as The King of the Belgians

The unique pub name of The King of the Belgians is not the only reason to search out this hostelry. It has a excellent range of ales, offers good food, provides good company and has an intriguing history with regard to its names. This walk uses the road from Houghton so it is an easy stroll with other pubs along the route.

Ouse Valley Way - Houghton to St Ives Circular Walk

Houghton Mill 2015

A 5.5 mile circular walk from Houghton to St Ives using the Ouse Valley Way

A simple and easy riverside walk following the course of the River Ouse. The walk uses the Ouse Valley Way to St Ives, returning via the picturesque Hemingford villages, full of thatched cottages and olde worlde charm. There's plenty of pubs, there's river locks, there's the iconic mill at Houghton which makes this a well worthwhile wander. Make a whole day of it and take in the sights and sounds and, of course, the quintessential English pubs.

Monday 7 January 2019

South West Coast Path - Land's End to Sennen Cove

Coast path to Sennen Cove

A very easy 1.6 mile walk between Lands End and Sennen Cove on the South West Coast Path

This is an easy walk along this magnificent coast line. A bus service links the two ends or it can be completed as a circular walk returning along the Cornish Way cycle track which runs parallel to the Coast Path . Looking out towards the9this is included in the Viewranger navigation) west and the Scilly Isles one may catch a glimpse of a spire or a dome or hear the muffled toll of bells from the fabled land of Arthurian legend that is known as Lyonesse and which disappeared beneath the waves.

Thursday 20 December 2018

The Sandlings Walk - Martlesham to Rushmere Heath

Martlesham Heath Control Tower Museum

A 4.5 mile walk across heathland from Martlesham to Rushmere Heath on the eastern fringes of Ipswich

Like most modern towns, Ipswich is suffering from a seemingly endless amount of urban sprawl that envelops the traditional villages that once surrounded it. However, this walk follows heathland that is hidden behind the housing estates all the way from Martlesham through to Rushmere Heath and Ipswich Hospital

Monday 17 December 2018

Saxmundham, Kelsale and Carlton Circular Walk

Kelsale church from the other side of the railway

A 4 mile walk around Saxmundham, Kelsale and Carlton

Using footpaths an country lanes, this short walk provides some fine views, historic churches and even a ghostly tale of an apparition of phantom dancers. A worthy candidate for an afternoons exploration of this hidden corner of East Suffolk.

Tales of Sundials, Witchcraft and Ghostly happenings in Saxmundham

A 2 mile circular walk around the Suffolk town of Saxmundham using the Town Trail

A simple tour of Saxmundham that can be added onto the East Suffolk Line Walks or to while away a couple of hours on a lazy afternoon, including searching out the unique tombstone sundial in St Johns churchyard, and finding the haunted Monks Cottages.

Saturday 15 December 2018

A Walk through the The Vale of Slaughden

Thames barge heading down river

An exhilarating 4 mile walk along the defence banks of Suffolk's River Alde estuary beginning and ending at Slaughden Quay

Once known as the Vale of Slaughden, the area below Aldeburgh presents a big open landscape across the marsh with the wide estuary waters of the River Alde as it meanders alongside the coast. Once upon a time Slaughden was a bustling fishing village but in present day it is all under the waves and a narrow spit of shingle is all that divides the North Sea from the gentle waters of the river.

Saturday 8 December 2018

Captains Wood, Sudbourne

Captains Wood

A 2.4 mile walk around the ancient woodland of Captains Wood just outside the hamlet of Sudbourne

This is a hidden gem of a walk close to the Suffolk Coast in woodland which is currently under the management of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The ancient woodland is full of life, colour and a natural wildness that is a pleasure to behold. A waymarked path provides easy access around the wood so one cannot get lost. Just take ones time and take it all in.

Wednesday 5 December 2018

Talybont Reservoir Circular Walk

Talybont Reservoir

An easy walk to Talybont Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons along the old tramway

This route details a circular walk from the village of Talybont-on-Usk to Talybont Reservoir. The route follows the trackbed of the former 19th century tramway that once provided the means to transport the output from the collieries and quarries down to the canal. As with anywhere in the Brecon Beacons, the views are awesome, the landscape magnificent and this is such a simple walk that anyone with an average level of fitness and ability can undertake.

Tuesday 27 November 2018

Ufford Heritage Trail

Smock Meadow floods

A 3 mile walk around the village of Ufford

Ufford is rich in heritage and well worth exploring. The Heritage Trail was created in 2006 and leads the walker around the historic features of the village including the village stocks, water meadows and the many listed buildings. The Highlight of the trail has to be the church which has the unusual dedication to St Mary of the Assumption and contains the second largest font cover in England which is a sight to behold.

Thursday 22 November 2018

Walk Around the Wash - West Lynn to Kings Lynn

Kings Lynn on the banks of the Ouse

A short walk from West Lynn to Kings Lynn including the Lynn Town Trail

A short walk that includes a town trail to view the historic centre of Kings Lynn. There is plenty of history here and the descriptions in this account scratch the surface of what has occurred through the ages. The feature that we concentrate upon in this instance is the legend that surrounds the burning of the witch Margaret Reed in the 16th century.

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