Wicken Fen Figure of 8

This 4.7 mile route at Wicken Fen is a combination of two shorter routes which can be taken alone. There are many other route options around the reserve.

Wicken Fen is the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve and is home to 9000 species. It is a wetland area and as such is prone to being very muddy in places in wet weather. There is however a short raised and accessible boardwalk route.

Wicken Fen

The reserve is free entry and there is a large car park, free for NT members.

1. Leaving the car park turn left and walk towards the reserve.
2. With the café and visitors centre on your right follow the gravel cycle way ahead. Continue on as the cycle way bears left.
3. Go over the bridge on your right and immediately turn left.
4. Follow the cycle track a few metres and take the path on your right.
5. Go through the gate and continue along the grass pathway. Look out for the wild Konik ponies which often graze in the adjacent field.
   
   

   

   Konik ponies at Wicken Fen

   
   
6. Continue on the pathway as it bears right and eventually up onto a bank.
7. Go right, keeping the water on your left and follow the bank until it bears right. Go back over the bridge and continue back along the cycle track to the visitor centre. This is the end of the first half of the walk.
8. Either go around the centre or through and follow the board walk towards and past the wind pump.
   
   

   

   Wind pump, Wicken Fen

   
   
9. Continue on the boardwalk until you reach a hide on your right. Go left and then right.
10. Follow the grass track – depending on the season this could be a passage through high sedge. 
    
    

    

    Wicken Fen

    
    
11. At a ‘cross roads’continue straight over along the summer trail and follow the pathway through the sedge and reed beds.
12. Bear left at the end and then right. Keep the water on your right and continue along the straight grass track. There is a hide on your left about half way down.
13. Bear left at the end still keeping the water on your right and going past the tower hide follow this until you reach the boardwalk.
14. Cross to the boardwalk on your left at the wind pump and go right through a small wooded area. Follow the boardwalk until you reach the visitor’s centre.

Wicken Fen

Our route was 4.7 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: flat apart from short climb up the bank, gravel cycle way then grass tracks. Can be very muddy in wet weather, boardwalk sections.

Habitats: Fields, wetland, reed beds.

Facilities: Toilets near car park and also behind the café. Café and visitor’s centre. Cycle hire and boat trips (seasonal), pub in Wicken village.

Ickworth - Off The Beaten Track (5-6 miles)

Ickworth house and park belongs to the National Trust.  It is free to walk in the extensive grounds.

This route is taken from the website (Off the Beaten Track walk).  I have copied and pasted their instructions as they were pretty good. We ended up walking a bit more due to the field in the section 8 being overgrown (hubby had shorts on and didn't relish being bitten!) and no diagonal path being obvious so we went carried on rather than turning left and followed the wood around the field until we reached the stile .

We also stopped off at the Walled Garden to see the spectacular wild flower meadows. I think from some of the seed heads we might have been a week or two late for the peak but it was still stunning nonetheless.

Wild flowers in the Walled Garden, Ickworth

Lunch was at the restaurant. Slightly disappointing after great previous visits. They have changed the menu and it is not table service any more which means big queues at the counter and a long wait for our food, which seemed overpriced now compared to other NT places we visit.

Route:

1. From the Porter’s Lodge visitor centre take the path opposite towards the Albana Wood, follow the path going through two 5 bar gates. Just after going through the second gate take the path to the right at the small ‘Albana Wood’ stone. Stay on this path until you reach the large green Trim Trail sign, then turn right following the trim trail.

2. As the trim trail goes down a left hand slope and you reach a junction, turn right off the trim trail and leave the woods into an open field. Follow the path down the side of the field with the trees on your right and cross the brook on the wooden bridge.

Sheep at Ickworth

3. Once across the brook, turn right on to the wide track, and shortly through a 5-bar gate. Follow this track until you reach the next 5 bar gate where you will see a cottage beyond the gate and a bridge to your right. Do not go through the gate but turn left and walk up the hill until you intersect the main track and turn left towards Dairy Wood Cottage.

Dairy Wood, Ickworth

4. As you approach the cottage, turn left across the grass and go through the gate in the corner of the field into Dairy Wood. Stay on this track and don’t take any turns or junctions. You will exit the wood briefly and keep on the track as it re-enters near the edge of the wood. The next paragraph covers the loop into Twist and Horsepool wood, so if you wish you could carry straight on, missing out step 5 and re-joining the walk just a few metres further on at the start of step 6.

5. Very soon after you have re-entered the wood look for a barely discernable track/fork to your right. Follow this track which has a ditch on your left as you go gently up hill. Just before you exit the wood cross the ditch to your left and follow the track through the woods. Take the right fork when you intercept another path and you will eventually meander next to some stagnant ponds to your left (great habitat). Keep going until you reach the main path cross roads; turn left for a short distance and left again on a ‘main path’ effectively doubling back into the same woods. Keep on this path until you exit the woods.

Dairy Wood, Ickworth

6. As the path leaves the wood, you will see a clear path between the cropped fields going downhill. Follow the path between the fields to the wide track at the bottom and then turn right. Stay on the wide track for a while. Shortly after passing the ‘White House’ on your right you come to a cross roads. Go straight across the cross roads (stone bridge to your left/cattle grid to your right) following the grass track.

Ickworth Park

7. With the Walled Garden and Canal lake on your left, turn right through the gate approximately at the centre line of the gardens (opposite the summer house), and head up the hill towards the wood-line of Lownde Wood. On reaching the wood, turn left and walk along the front of the wood with the Canal and gardens at the bottom of the slope and to your left.

8. After approximately one third of a mile, you will reach the meeting of a number of fences and gates; go through the gate into the field beyond and then immediately left into the adjacent field. Go diagonally across this field to the opposite corner and cross over the stile onto the path and turn left back towards the walled garden.

Ickworth Park

9. Follow this track until you reach the Walled Garden and turn right keeping the wall of the garden to your left.

The Walled Garden, Ickworth

10. At the end of the Walled Garden take the main road past the church and back up towards the Rotunda and gardens. Go through the 5-bar gate turning immediately right, and enter the Italianate gardens. Enter the West Wing via the orangery and stagger to the restaurant where you definitely deserve a cake or pudding or two.

The official route on the Ickworth website is 5 miles
Our route was 6.25 miles
See the route on mapometer
Terrain: Grass and dirt tracks mostly, moderate climbs in places. Latch gates, kissing gate. Can be muddy in places in wet weather.
Habitats: Meadows, fields (animals grazing), woodland, lakes.
Facilities: Toilets and cafe at Porter's Lodge entrance and at the Rotunda. Rotunda toilets can also be accessed at the back.  Toilets also near the church.

Coton Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire (4 miles)

Coton Nature Reserve is fairly new, about 10 years old in fact, and covers over 300 acres of farmland including arguable one of the best views of Cambridge – something of an achievement in this flat part of the country!

The reserve has lots of walking possibilities and the reserve map plots a few routes.  We wanted something a bit longer so combined a few of them taking in most of the reserve.  There are also possibilities for longer walks continuing outside the reserve on footpaths.

We parked up in the Martin Car Park, just off junction 12 of the M11.

Coton Nature Reserve

Route:

Take the gateway round the pond on the right to a concrete track and head away from the entrance road.

When you come to a gap in the hedge on the right follow this track round the field (following the orange walk on the reserve map), along the motorway edge and when you come to a small bridge on your left go over.

Carry on straight ahead until you come to a gateway and go out crossing the road.  Go into the next field, turning left and along the track that takes you up a slope.

Rifle Range

As you go up you should see a rifle range in front of you.  (There is a footpath that goes to Barton that crosses the range but if the red flag is flying you must not cross.)  Turn right at the signpost hut and continue up Red Meadow Hill.

At the top turn right and walk along until you come to some steps, take the steps and go through the gate to the top of the hill.  Here you can see across to Cambridge picking out Kings College Chapel, the University Library tower and St John’s Chapel along with the chimney of the Museum of Technology.  It is said that on a very clear day you can see Ely Cathedral.

Views towards Cambridge from Red Meadow Hill

At the top of the hill go left through the gate and turn right and walk back down along the side of the field.  At the bottom bear left and cross the bridge and turn left onto the permissive footpath of Rectory Farm. 

View towards Coton coming down Red Meadow Hill

Follow the track and turn right at the end, walking along the edge of a small woodland area.  At the end of this track turn right again at the signpost and walk along the field going straight on at the end and then right into a woodland.  Follow the narrow path through the trees until you come out back onto the field and turn left. (You can miss out the wood here and continue alongside the field)

Follow the track to the end and then right until you reach a gate on your left. Go through the gate into Manor Field crossing straight ahead. Go past the water recycling centre and out of the gate at the end.

Continue on until you reach the road, crossing here carefully. Go into the next field and walk straight on until you come to Clarke’s Bridge. Cross the bridge and go through the gates.  Walk a few steps and take the gateway on your left.

You are now following the pink walk on the reserve map.  Walk ahead and take the gate on your right into Rowan’s Field.  You can either go straight ahead here towards the cream house or go left around the young woodland.  Either way go past the house and right along side the field.  The recreation ground will be on your left through the hedge.

At the end of the hedge turn right and walk down the concrete track.  Go through the gateway at the end and bear right through the gap in the trees and then left. 

Follow the path bearing left until you meet the concrete track again.

Turn right and walk back towards the car park.

Our route was 4 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain – Mostly easy going on grass tracks. Slope and steps up to Red Meadow Hill. Gates and bridges. Some muddy areas. Could be animals grazing.

Habitat – Small pond, farmland, stream. Meadows.

Facilities – Car park, no toilets or refreshments. ThePlough at Coton.

Brancaster to Burnham Overy Staithe (Stage 2 Norfolk Coast Path) (6 miles)

Although we finished stage 1 of our Norfolk Coast Path walk in Thornham, the next part of the path is inland so we decided to pick it up again at Brancaster.  We were originally aiming for Burnham Deepdale but this wasn’t as far as we had anticipated so decided to carry on to Burnham Overy Staithe.  Unfortunately in the hope of finding a pub or café we took a wrong turning and ended up in Burnham Norton and, as we couldn’t find pub, café or bus stop, we decided to walk on via the roadway to Burnham Market rather than double back.  So we didn’t actually make it to Burnham Overy Staithe, despite seeing it quite clearly in front of us!!  Not really knowing Burnham Market very well and coming out up one end, again with no pub in sight, we caught the bus back to Brancaster for lunch.  Burnham Market turned out to be a lovely looking place and as we went through on the brilliant Coasthopper bus we were quite sad we hadn’t explored it a bit further.  Another day perhaps.  

Brancaster Staithe

Back in Brancaster we popped over the road from the church to The Ship Hotel for lunch. The scampi and chips and warm bread rolls were lovely but unfortunately they lost our order from the bar to the kitchen somewhere so we ended up waiting for over an hour.  They did take the food off our bill, in the end, but a family with young children next to us also had to enquire about their food.  It was a lovely homely bar and the food was good so it's a shame the service let them down. 

The directions are for as far as we got before the wrong turn and then as they are on the map.  It should perhaps be noted that although this is the coastal path you are not in sight of the beach or the sea!

We parked just by the church in Brancaster.  There is a car park down at the beach and if you park here you will need to walk back up the road towards the village until you reach the signpost for the coastal path to Brancaster Staithe.  This area is all part of the National Trust's Brancaster Estate

Once on the coastal path follow it to Brancaster Staithe harbour.  You will have the back gardens of some rather lovely houses on your right and the marsh to your left.  Most of this part of the walk is on boardwalk.  You will pass a sign on your right for the Roman Fort of Branodunum although this is just earthworks now so not much to look at sadly.

When you reach the harbour go slightly right and around towards the harbour entrance.  There is a lobster shack on the left and the coast path continues opposite. 

Brancaster Staithe

After a short distance the path crosses a roadway and runs between two old buildings before coming out in the marshes again.  Follow this path again with gardens on your right and the marshes on the left.  The garden of The White Horse pub is along here if you need a break, although not very well marked.

Eventually you will come to a signpost.  If you want to finish in Barnham Deepdale follow the sign to the shop and café.  If not cross over and continue up some steps onwards to Bunham Overy Staithe (another 3 ¾ miles).

The path from here onwards is along a bank.  We walked this on a very blustery day, post ex-hurricane Bertha.  Although the wind was coming from the shore and not cold we were quite exposed and it was difficult to walk at times, and hold the camera still! I’m not sure I’d want to walk it in a cold winter wind!!  We were rewarded though by large flocks of geese flying over us.

Geese over Burnham Overy Marshes

Eventually the bank swings right and Burnham Overy Staithe is in front of you to the left, however, the bank then turns right again to go around the marshes so you are going back on yourself.  This is where we made the wrong decision. (Note to self: get a map!)  You will come to a T junction with a signpost to carry on on the coastal path or take a public footpath.  Because we were tired from battling with the wind we decided to head to the nearby village we could see on the footpath.  This was a bad move as Burnham Norton didn’t appear to have any facilities, nor a Coasthopper bus stop, so we then ended up walking another grumpy mile to Burnham Market instead.

Burnham Overy Staithe

However, if you continue on the coastal path to the left with the windmill in front of you then left again you will arrive in Burnham Overy Staithe. 

Our route was 7 miles (would have been 6 if we hadn’t detoured)

See the proper route on mapometer

Terrain: Easy, mostly flat, boardwalk, grass, could get muddy/flooded, stile, kissing gate

Habitat: Marsh, reedbeds, estuary, harbour

Facilities: (not sure what is available in Burnham Overy Staithe) Parking, toilets and kiosk at Brancaster beach. The Ship Hotel in Brancaster. The Jolly Sailor and The White Horse on route. Burnham Deepdale has shops and café.

You can see other photos from this walk and previous walks on the Norfolk Coast Path in my Flickr album

Hunstanton to Thornham (Stage 1 Norfolk Coast Path) (5.3 miles)

This walk is part of the Norfolk Coastal Path which runs from Hunstanton to Cromer.  We intend to walk the length of it (in stages - its about 42 miles!) and have indeed visited many of the towns on route before but where better to start than the beginning! 

The Norfolk Coast Path starts from the gardens in Hunstanton town but we parked up in Old Hunstanton opposite the old lighthouse. The official path takes you along to Holme-next-the-Sea via a path through the dunes behind the beach huts and along the golf course but, as the tide had just started to go out, we walked the first couple of miles along the beach and these are the directions I’ve given. Do check the tides though - if it is coming in and it is a high tide you may not have enough beach to walk on!  This end of Hunstanton could not be more different to the town end.  Although it was only just after 9.00am it was the first full week of the summer holidays but, once we had walked a hundred metres or so along the beach and passed a couple of dog walkers, we were alone right until Holme.  Fabulously peaceful!

Beach walk Old Hunstanton

It should be mentioned that the cliffs along this part of the coast are very crumbly so stay away from both the edges up the top and the base below on the beach.  Further along the walk you come to salt marshes and lagoons and although they are not fenced off you must be aware of the tides if you decide to walk on them.  The tide comes in very fast and getting cut off is a very real danger.  Stick to the coast path through this area to be sure of staying safe!

The walk will take you through the Holmes Dunes Reserve with breathtaking views of its glorious beach and on into Thornham via it's old harbour - now mostly mud, water and wading birds.

Once at Thornham we stopped for lunch at The Chequers pub.  The food was nice, if a little pricey, and there are plenty of tables. There is also The Orange Tree, The Lifeboat Inn and on the road out of Thornham (back towards Holme) there is The Deli andCafé.

One big advantage of walking this part of the coast is the Coasthopper bus service. It runs along the same route as the path and in the summer it runs every half hour. This makes the return journey back to the car, or onwards to your next walk extremely easy.

Directions:

1. At the old lighthouse as you look out to the sea take the path to the right along the cliffs until you get to a small wooded area with a sandy path.  If you are following the exact coastal path take the path marked up into the dunes.  If going along the beach as we did go left.  Once on the beach as you look at the sea go right.  Follow the beach about 2 miles past wide expanses of lagoons and sand banks full of birds, to the start of the salt marshes.  The beach will narrow between the marshes and the dunes but continue on through the wooden posts until you come to a natural pathway through the dunes on your right.

2. Once through the dunes follow the pathway with the golf course on your right.  You will come to a signpost showing you have now rejoined the coast path. This is also where the Peddars Way path joins.  Take the path diagonally in front of you marked to Cromer. The coast path along here ranges from sandy shingle to boardwalk.  It is fairly easy to walk on but may get muddy in bad weather.

Peddars Way joins Norfolk Coast Path

3. Follow the pathway past more salt marshes and on into the Holme Dunes Reserve.  Once into the dunes you can once again see the sea and the large expanse of beach at Holme.

Holme-next-the-Sea beach

4. Continue on the path until you reach an area of pine forest.  The Holme Reserve visitor centre is now on a path to your right.

5. Continue straight on through the pine forest until you come to some steps on your right.  Go up the steps and then follow the path to the left.  Continue on the path which will eventually take a sharp left before going along the marshes. Follow the path as it turns right at the old harbour.  You should see dead trees sticking out of the mud (if the tide is out!) and maybe a boat or two here.  Follow the path through the gateway ahead and onto a wider roadway.  

Thornham harbour

6. Cross diagonally and take the pathway marked on the left.  Follow the pathway through with reed beds on your left and a pond on your right.  You will eventually come out over a small bridge.  Turn right and continue until you reach the roadway.  Turn right and follow the roadway into the village.  You will come to a war memorial with The Orange Tree restaurant on your right.

The official coastal path continues over the road and inland a little here, although I’m not sure why and I’m pretty sure you could bypass it and go through Thornham, anyhow this time we did turn left and stopped for lunch at The Chequers before catching the Coasthopper bus back to Hunstanton.

Our route was 5.3 miles

See the route on Mapometer

Terrain: Mostly flat and easy although a slight climb into the dunes reserve. Coastal path is mostly compacted stones, boardwalk or compacted sand.  Beach is fine sand.

Habitats: Coastal cliffs, beach, sea and dunes. Salt and mud flats. Bird reserve.

Facilities: Toilets and refreshments (check opening) at Hunstanton cliff car park.  Toilets and refreshments (check opening, toilets accessible with token) at Holme Reserve Visitors Centre. Pubs and café in Thornham.  Coasthopper bus stop (back to Hunstanton) opposite The Orange Tree.

You can see the rest of my photos from the Norfolk Coast Path in my Flickr album