6 Great Norfolk Walks

Norfolk has a wealth of beauty to be discovered on foot. Here are a selection of favorites:

1 . The Weavers Way

Named after the weaving industry which flourished here in the Middle Ages. The full route is 61 miles between Cromer and Great Yarmouth but there is a great selection of smaller walks in their own right along the way.

A favourite is the route around Blickling Hall – a fantastic National Trust property and once the home of the family of Anne Boleyn.  There are different circuits around Blickling for all different ages and abilities – and even a segway tour along one of the trails which is absolutely fantastic fun – and you don’t need to be an expert to learn very quickly.  The walk is through some stunning scenery with not only the beautiful Jacobean building itself, but alongside a lake with fields of cows, sheep and even a very unusual triangular mausoleum. It also takes in Blickling Mill on the River Bure,  and a good pub for a stop-off refreshment – just about everything to create a perfect walk.

2 . The Bure Valley Path

A great walk as it avoids traffic almost completely, and is also a good route for cycling. It runs the 9 miles between Wroxham and Aylsham alongside the track of the Bure Valley Railway (a popular Narrow Gauge railway) and takes in some beautiful scenery alongside the river, open countryside, meadows and cornfields. The added bonus is that at any time if you get tired, you can just hop on a train at one of the small stations on the way and carry on into Wroxham “capital of the Norfolk Broads” or Aylsham, a lovely little market town.

3.  Norfolk Coast Path

This is another favourite which runs from Hunstanton to Cromer in its full length of 42 miles, with a large part running through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It goes through Holkham Beach – one of the locations for the film “Sharkespeare in Love”.  But my favourite part is the path between Sheringham and Cromer. With amazing views out to sea and walking along through great wildflowers and a lovely breeze blowing in your hair it is great. You can go through the lovely flint cottage-lined villages, get an ice cream at half way, and end up in Sheringham with a paddle on the beach and a visit to The Mo, a great museum telling the history of the seas and the families who lived and worked here.

4. The Wherryman’s Way

A great series of walks based in the Broads, Britain’s Magical Waterland – part of the National Parks family. This is an area unspoilt, tranquil and named after the Wherries,  part of life of the Broads for hundreds of years.  If you take the route around Whitlingham Great Broad – just on the outskirts of Norwich at the Whitlingham Country Park – you walk around the huge broad and alongside the River Yare. You will often see canoeists and rowers, as well as small boats on the river,  and there is amazing wildlife around the broad. On the way is the great Visitor Centre, a beautiful refurbished flint building packed with extra information (and lovely food and drink too). After that you are just 5 minutes away from the centre of Norwich and the main Railway station – so a bit of retail therapy in one of Britain’s top 10 shopping areas is an added bonus.

5. Norwich Riverside

This is only a short walk but it takes longer if you want to make the most of the history of medieval Norwich along the way.  It takes you beside the river Wensum, past the glorious playing fields of Norwich School (where Lord Nelson was a pupil) and the beautiful Pulls Ferry, Cow Tower and Fye Bridge – the oldest bridge in Norwich and the site of a Roman ford.  You can then carry on round the beautiful Norwich Cathedral, over 900 years old and have refreshments in the glorious Hostry.  A lovely walk at any time of the year and for all ages and abilities.

6. Peddars Way

One of the National Trails, which follows the route of an old Roman road for 46 miles from the Brecks – a unique area of forest, heath and low river valleys – all the way to the North Norfolk Coast. This is a great walk because it is safe and protected – and also is great for cycling as well as certain sections for horse riding too.  It is loved for the variety of the scenery along the way and the pure peacefulness of it.

This is just a small snippet of the many great things to see and do in Norfolk.
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