Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path

6^th – 10^th June 2012

Introduction 

Robert, Jill’s cousin, had travelled up to see us earlier this year on a train that crosses the country and almost links our two homes. On departure he invited us to stay with him and Mary at their Norfolk cottage. A book on the Peddars Way has stood on my bookshelf for years. Here was a chance to tick off another national trail and get a weekend away. So I booked my one-way train ticket to Norfolk and set up the accommodation. Jill would drive down later and pick me up for our weekend break.   

Wednesday 6th June 2012       Knettishall – Stonebridge

 As I only had six miles scheduled for today, I could have a civilised start time. Jill took me down to the station for 10am and I was in good time for the 10.54 Stockport departure to Thetford. The train journey was through some stunningly beautiful countryside, Edale in particular looking a picture in the morning sunshine. We lost time near Nottingham and arrived in Thetford ten minutes late. I had booked a ‘dial a bus’ from a local charity and the lady driver was still waiting but getting increasingly anxious about my lateness. So we were immediately on our way to the start at Knettishall. I was dropped in the middle of nowhere, on a narrow lane through a dark wood. I changed into my walking shorts behind a tree and was quickly underway.

At first the route was along lovely grassy woodland trails, rather wet from the recent rains. It was sunny when I started but within an hour a huge black cloud dominated the sky and the thunder and lightning was followed by torrential rain. I scampered under a tree to don my waterproofs and then realised this was the worst of places to shelter from a thunder storm. So out came the umbrella and I continued along the middle of the track through the downpour, recalling the day when my mate Phil refused to walk with me when holding up a metal object in the midst of bolts of lightning strikes.  The storm soon passed through and it had almost stopped raining by the time I reached the roadside pub and its beautiful accommodation.

Knettishall   dep. 15.14  -  Stonebridge  arr. 17.30,    GPS: 6.31miles in 2hrs 03min 27sec.

Stayed at the Dog & Partridge at Stonebridge near East Wretham. I sampled their Thai Curry and could not resist the Spotted Dick and Custard. Two Woodforde beers were on, Wherry (3.8%) and Norfolk Gem (4.3%).

Thursday 7th June 2012          Stonebridge – Castle Acre

 The weather forecast was awful. A storm was to run up the west side of the country bringing rain and high winds. So it was with some trepidation that I stepped out of the back door of the pub and turned northwards. But it was calm and warm outside so I stowed my waterproofs and started through Thetford Forest and the Battle Area. The first six miles or so were on delightful grassy tracks but the route then took to a long section of tarmac, a main road westwards at first and then a quiet lane on the northerly line. After five miles of this, my left foot felt rather bruised and sore.

I had expected the trail to take me passed the pub in North Pickenham but it turned away from the village centre and headed off to the north west. So I forsook the pub stop and had a snack and drink near the old railway bridge. Then it was thankfully back to grass track up to the A47 crossing before more tarmac led passed Palgrave Hall and left at Great Palgrave where there was a chance to walk behind a hedge on one side of the lane. This descended to another road crossing and a quite lane to South Acre. A lovely view opened up over the priory and village behind. I entered Castle Acre along a narrow lane than ran through a deep ford (with a footbridge for walkers) and then climbed up to my overnight accommodation, a grade 2* listed Tudor house. I arrived at the moment it started to rain so, instead of exploring the lovely village, I lay on the bed reading and dozing whilst it bucketed it down outside. Who says this is a dry part of the world?

Stonebridge  dep.  08.52 -   Castle Acre  arr.  15.15:  GPS 19.58 miles in 6hrs 11 mins 41 sec walking time plus ten minute stop for lunch.

Stayed at the Tudor Lodgings, Castle Acre.  I ate at the Ostrich Inn, battered cod and chips and three pints of St Edmunds Golden Ale from Greene King. 

Friday 8^th June 2012       Castle Acre – Hunstanton

 At 7.30am I was sitting in a magnificent Tudor dining hall complete with open wooden beams high above me, a huge fire place at one end and a copy of the Telegraph beside my breakfast place. The storm raging outside did not tempt me to leaving such splendour. But needs must; I had a schedule to keep to. So everything was packed away in double layers of plastic and I eventually wandered out into the European monsoon. Today’s route was in a straight line for 20 miles, the first four of which was on road. The rain had abated but the wind was rising as the road peeled off to the right and the Peddars Way continued on it linear course. The next ten miles were the best section of this Roman road on a smooth grassy that crossed huge fields of crops and not a house or farm in sight. It went on and on and was a joy to walk, even with storm force winds battering me from behind.

A lad came towards me pushing a bike. He had had a puncture and was having to walk home, some ten or so miles away. I lent him my phone to ring for assistance but no one was in at home so he dejectedly walked on into the gale, resigned for a long walk pushing his stricken bike. I turned north again and was soon descending into Ringstead and the Gin Trap. But I was so near home that, even though I had had little to eat or drink all day, I pushed on to Holme and the beach where the Peddars Way just fades into the dunes. I turned westward along these dunes and found myself walking into the teeth of a gale, driving sand into my face as I took to the beach to avoid the soft going.

Scrambling up a low cliff to reach the Hunstanton lighthouse, I got onto the grassy promenade but progress was seriously impeded by the wind. It was like standing in a wind tunnel as I had to cut inland into the shelter of the houses to make any progress towards the town centre. Eventually I struggled to the cross on the Green and then into a coffee shop for a well-earned cake and cappuccino. It was the end of a hard and exhilarating day. I had just walked through the worst storm in ten years. And it was still June.

 Castle Acre  dep.  08.27  -   Hunstanton   arr.  16.05,  22.5 miles in 7hrs 25mins.

I stayed at the Forget Me Not Guest House in Glebe Avenue, Hunstanton and went to the Waterside pub for steak & kidney pudding and Adnams bitter.

Saturday 9^th June 2012            Hunstanton – Wells

Another early breakfast and I was away, this time with the wind behind me, back along the promenade and dunes to Holme. It was much easier going on the grass behind the dunes and adjacent to the golf course and I made good time round to Thornham. The wind was still blowing but it was not raining so I took off some clothing as I diverted inland where the route goes off on a long detour. The top path was pleasant walking and I was soon descending back down again to Brancaster where I paused for a few moments to compliment a lady on her beautiful garden. She was from Lincolnshire and had this bungalow as a second home (and another garden to tend). Dashing back over the coast road, it was onto a fascinating section of old railway sleepers, miles of them stretching along the strip between the houses and the sea.  It took me passed a small anchorage and a nice looking pub before I was out on the sea wall and away again from civilisation.

 I eventually arrived in the Burhams and the home of the local hero, Lord Nelson. There were many more tourists and day trippers out now and it was quite a long trail of people that were setting out along the sea wall to the beach. These disappeared into the dunes and their beach activities and I continued for more than two miles along the sands, trying to find the firmest ground to walk on. It always appears to take longer to cover distance when in a featureless environment but ever so gradually the gap in the coastal plantations got nearer and I was able to take once more to the grassy foreshore and pick up speed. I initially failed to find the coast path out of Lady Ann’s Road, floundering for a few moments in the trees. But by going inland a few more yards, I located the wide track and, just as the sun came out and it got quite warm, I set off on the last section of the day.

 Jill had been driving from home and I was wondering how she was going on with the long journey across country. She was planning to call in at the B&B and then locate her cousin Robert at his beach hut. Just as I arrived at the Wells lifeboat station and was turning towards the town, Jill texted me to say she was sitting in the beach hut having a cup of tea. Within minutes I had located the correct hut and was joining them in one of Mary’s lovely cakes. Then we both walked back into town together to finish the day’s walk in the most wonderful fashion.  

 Hunstanton      dep. 08.20       Wells   arr  15.30

22 miles in 7hrs 5 mins

We stayed at the Merchants House on Freeman Street in Wells-next-the-Sea. We had a meal with Robert and Mary in the Crab House Cafe opposite. Drinks were in the Albatross, a ship tied to the quay, where a range of Woodforde beers (tried the Nelson’s Revenge) were on gravity feed.

Sunday 10^th June 2012             Wells - Cromer

We got up early, far earlier than Jill had ever got up before on holiday. But I wanted another prompt start as I had my longest day in the entire trail ahead of me. I had the great advantage of taking out all but the day’s needs from my rucksack and it seemed unbelievably light as I said my goodbyes and set off along the harbour. It only took me a few miles to remember why my rucksack was so light. I had left my water bottle with its isotonic contents in the bedroom. So I texted Jill and asked her to follow me down the coast in the car and bring it to a rendezvous point. This we made at Blakeney and I put on the pace through the Stiffkey marshes, pausing only to watch a barn owl fly slowly by on its search for food in the long grass.

I was a few minutes later that my estimated arrival time and Jill was sitting on the side of the harbour enjoying our first sun and warmth. I bought her a cup of tea and demolished a cake myself and then pouched the water-bottle and set off on a long and semi-circular sea wall. An hour later this brought me round to Cley. Here I stopped in a general store and had a sandwich made for my lunch. This I packed away in my sack for later and got back onto the sea wall for the walk out to the beach. At this point the coast path and all signage disappeared. I asked the car park attendant for directions and he just pointed through the car-park. At its end, the only way forward was across loose shingle and the occasional patch of firmer grassland. Even this gave out eventually and I was forced up onto a shingle ridge which provided very slow and arduous going. The crux was a vast shingle beach with rollers crashing to my left. Then half way across this unforgiving terrain I stopped in amazement. There in front of me and totally unperturbed by my presence were three avocets walking slowing up the beach. My journey was complete. Or almost!

 But salvation lay ahead where rising ground took me onto firmer ground and then grass land and finally low cliffs. Passing a row of cottages on the edge of the cliffs, I came to a most splendid section of coastal walking, a sumptuous grass track along the cliff-tops. A steam train puffed by on the local railway and I lay for a few minutes in the sun eating my sandwiches and drinking my isotonic. Then it was all systems go to Cromer and I upped the pace for the section through Sheringham and then up Beacon Hill. I was fair flying now as I came down hill passed a superbly located caravan park/camp site and then through the woods in to Cromer. I headed straight for the pier and then rang Jill to see where she was waiting. Within minutes I was drinking cappuccino and eating Bakewell tart in the Rocket café and it was all over. Another national trail in the bag and now it was time to explore Norfolk with Jill and her relations and to sample some of its real ales.

Wells   dep. 08.14       Cromer arr. 16.00

24 miles in 7 hrs 20mins plus 25 mins for breaks.

We stayed once more at the Merchants House in Wells but this time went up to the Crown Hotel for a classily presented fish dish and the most supreme beer, Norfolk Kiwi (3.8%), from JoC, the brewer and wife of the hotel owner.