Whittlesford - Sawston Loop (2.8 miles)

This is an easy little circular walk with plenty of options to extend out into either village if you wish.

I started on The Lawn in Whittlesford but of course it can be started anywhere on the route.

There are two road (Sawston by-pass) and two rail crossings and care should be taken at these points.

Starting at the pavilion on The Lawn take the road past some bungalows until you come to a path on your left.  Following the path go through the churchyard.

At the end of the churchyard take a right turn.  This is a designated cycle route so keep an eye out for cyclists.  Follow the path until you reach the river (Granta) on your right and eventually come to a blue bridge.

Looking back toward Whittlesford from the cycle bridge over the River Granta

Cross the bridge and continue, bearing left on a track and then right as you reach the railway crossing. Cross the railway then bear right and cross the road at the designated crossing then carry on straight into Sawston.

Carry on until you come to a fork in the road and here bear right down Mill Lane.  Continue on.  You will pass a fire station on your right and some allotments and a rec.  Continue on until you come out in the centre of the village.

Turn right and follow the main road.  Continue on past shops and pubs until you reach a footpath sign on your right.  Take the narrow footpath and follow until you once again reach the by-pass and the railway again.  Cross both.

Once over the railway continue straight on crossing a white iron bridge.  Follow the path past some fields and a pill box on your right.  Continue on the roadway up a small slope and then on the path past the primary school.

Continue until you reach The Lawn again and turn right following this road back to the pavilion.

My route was 2.8 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: Easy flat, mostly tarmac.

Habitat: fields, woodland, river, urban

Facilities: Shops, pubs and restaurants in Sawston (on route), shop and pub in Whittlesford (off route)

Chesterton - Clayhithe Loop, Cambridge (9 miles)

I have written about some of this route before but we were looking to walk a bit further so decided to walk the towpath from Chesterton to Clayhithe bridge and then come back via Horningsea and Fen Ditton following some of the Fen Rivers Way.  This trail in its entirety runs 50 miles between Cambridge and Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

Knowing this part of Cambridge very well we set off early to try and avoid the towpath at its busiest.  During the week this is a popular commute into town for cyclists and at weekends runners, walkers and the rowing coaches on their bikes use it.  At peak times you can spend more time checking behind you or moving to one side than you do walking!  We got there on a February Sunday morning about 8.15 and there were rowers already on the water.

For this walk we drove and parked up on Water Street in Chesterton, near the Green Dragon pub.

Route:

Follow Water Street NW until you come to the river and the towpath.

Continue along the towpath passing under the railway bridge.

Looking back towards the rail bridge

Follow the river as it bears left.  You will pass Fen Ditton on the other bank.

Continue on walking beneath the A14 road bridge.  Note here the name painted on the side of the bridge – it has become a bit of a ‘tradition’ for the name of the college who are Head of the River at The Bumps (local rowing races) to be painted on the ‘Motorway’ bridge.

The so-called 'Motorway' bridge

After this bridge you will come to Baits Bite Lock.  This is about ¼ of the way and if you want to cut the walk in half you can cross to the other bank here.

Looking towards Baits Bite Lock

This point onwards is a much quieter section of the river and we stopped along here on an old bench for a quick snack and drink. 

Continue on until you reach Clayhithe bridge.  Take the path up to the road.  There is a pub on the other side if you wish to stop for refreshments.  If continuing on toward Ely, the Fen River Way on this bank takes a slight detour inland to the left or you can cross to the other bank.  We crossed the bridge on the same side of the road. 

View back down the river from the Clayhithe bridge

The official Fen Rivers Way South also detours inland here, you need to cross the road and walk behind the farm.  As it was a Sunday and not busy we decided to walk towards Horningsea along the road.  There is a path on the left for a few yards but then it is advisable to cross the road walking to face the traffic and stepping up onto the verge if a car approaches.  As the road bears left you can cross again at a large farmhouse and walk on the footpath that cuts the corner. 

After the farm cross the road again and walk until you come to a gap in the hedge and a signpost on your right (Fen Rivers Way).  Go through the gate and cross the meadow on a left diagonal and go through another gate. 

The track now crosses a cultivated field marked with sticks.  It was very muddy when we went! 

Once across the field go over a small bridge and into a meadow and then a field.   Cross this and go through the gate way and out onto the road.

Walking the Fen Rivers Way towards Horningsea

There were horses grazing here but they weren't concerned with us.

Go right along the footpath and into Horningsea village.  There are a few pubs along the street but we were too early for these to be open so we carried on until we reached Scotsdales, a garden centre where we stopped for brunch and to use the toilet.

Continue on the path opposite the garden centre until just out of the village.  There will be a footpath sign on your right. 

The Fen Rivers Way

Follow this path straight down the edge of the field, crossing a small bridge and continue along the track until you come to a house.  Take the pathway signposted on your left and follow this behind the houses and through a small woodland area.

Once through the woodland go through the gateway and you should be back on the river bank with the A14 bridge in front of you.  

The 'Motorway' bridge from the other bank

Follow the river bank until you go through a gate to Fen Ditton village.  Take the track to your left and then a pathway signposted on your right. 

Follow the track alongside another field and then onto the recreation ground.  The map shows the trail following a diagonal path across the rec to the left of the pavilion but there was a football match going on so we skirted around the right of the pitch and then down the side of the pavilion coming out on a roadway.  The goal keeper had just been sent off and there were deep and heated discussions about who should replace him!

Follow the road to the end and bear left.   Follow this road until you come to the church on your right.  Take a right immediately after the church and continue on down the track, bearing left and through a gate to the meadows.

Fen Ditton church

Make your way down the meadow to the river bearing left.  Follow the river to the left, crossing a small bridge and then going under the railway bridge onto Stourbridge Common.  Follow the pathway until you come to a footbridge over the River on your right.

Stourbridge Common 

Cross the bridge and with the Green Dragon pub in front of you make your way back to where you have parked.

Our route was: 9 miles
See the route on mapometer
Terrain: Easy to moderate (due to mud), gravel towpath, farmland, grass meadows (can be wet), some tarmac.
Habitat: River, village, fields, meadows
Facilities: No public toilets on route. Green Dragon pub at start and end. Pub at Clayhithe. Pubs and garden centre in Horningsea. Pubs in Fen Ditton.

Whittlesford Village Loop (2 miles)

Whittlesford is my old home village so I know it well.  On this particular day I was intending to take North Road in a northerly direction but as it was a northerly cold wind and had started to sleet I changed my mind and took the walk the other way round.  I have given the directions as I walked below but as is often the case there are lots of small variations on the map.  The walk starts off at the village green (The Lawn), passes the village church, through the village and on into the Millennium Wood before turning back towards the church.

There is parking on The Lawn off of the main road but I started my route from the pavilion on the other side.

1.  With the pavilion on your left take the road on the right passing some bungalows.  When you reach a large tree on your left take the left hand path and go straight ahead bearing right for the church.

St Mary's & St Andrew's Church, Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire

2.  Go through the church yard of St Mary's and St Andrew's and follow the path ahead  For this walk ignore the path on the right, keep going forward passing the cemetery. Follow this wider pathway (known locally as The Baulks) to the gateway at the end.

3.  You are now on the main road - North Road.  It is here that I decided to change direction around the loop so I turned left, followed the path, crossed the road at The Tickell pub and turned right onto the High Street.

4.  Go past the shop and on up the High Street, following the road as it bears round to the right.

5.  Take a turning on your right called Vicarage Lane and walk to the end.  The road becomes a footpath.  Follow this path straight across the field until you come to the edge of the Millennium Wood.

Catkins in Millennium Wood, Whittlesford

6.  There are three possible paths around and through the wood, all link up to each other but I took the middle path through the trees.  Follow this past a bench on your left and bear right. Follow until you come out of the trees with a farm on your left and the main road in front of you.

Millennium Wood, Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire

7.  Cross the road to the path and go right.  Follow the path passing The Bees in the Wall pub, and then the village sign until you come to the end of The Baulks again.

Village Sign, North Rd, Whittlesford

8.  Turn left up The Baulks and continue until you come to a small pathway on your right before reaching the cemetery.  Take this pathway until you come to a gap.  You can either go straight on or turn right and follow the roadway.  Either way you will come out on Church Lane.  Take a left and walk up the road alongside a red brick wall.  When you come to the end go right, then left and you are back at the bungalows and the pavilion is in front of you.

My route was 2 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, tarmac, grass track, gravel through the churchyard.
Habitat: Grass, fields, woodland
Facilities: No public toilets on route. Shop on High Street, pubs - The Tickell and The Bees in the Wall.

Burnham Overy Staithe to Wells-next-the-Sea (Stage 3 Norfolk Coast Path) (7 miles)

The weather was grey and misty when we arrived in Burnham Overy Staithe  for stage 3 of our Norfolk Coast Path walk.  Apparently Nelson learned to row here and once we turned down the harbour road it was clear the tide was right in.  There is parking here at the harbour but do not leave your car without checking the tides!  Having recently taken delivery of a new car we were reluctant to see it floating out to sea so went to plan B.  We drove on to Wells-next-the-Sea and parked up in the car park before catching the first Coasthopper bus of the day (Sunday – 9.40am but do check the timetables) back to Burnham O.S.

Burnham Overy Staithe

Once we were off the bus at The Hero pub we took the road opposite down to the harbour and turned right.  This part of the walk is along a bank which winds its way towards the sea.  The air was still with not a hint of breeze this morning but you are quite exposed and I imagine, like our previous walk, it could be cold on a blowy winter's day.

Burnham Overy Staithe

Despite the restrictive parking, it was nice to see the tide in for a change.  On our previous two walks (Stage 1 & Stage 2) we had been surrounded by mud and all the boats were stranded in the marshes.  

I’ve never really seen Small Egrets until I walked this path and today there were lots making the most of the food bought in on the tide.  There were a few serious photographers out too, long lenses balancing on monopods pointing towards a group of what I thought were Egrets as they fished in the lagoons. (I later zoomed in close to the photo I took - they were a long way away so it's not clear enough to post up - and have decided they were actually Spoonbills, another first for us)

Dunes leading onto the beach

After about 1 ½ miles the bank became a boardwalk and we headed into the dunes.  After a short climb over the top we stopped to take in the view - a spectacularly beautiful sandy beach.  The official coastal path goes through the dunes but we went down onto the sand.  The tide by now was just starting to go out and we turned right walking along the edge of the shore for a few miles as the sun started to burn through.  It truly is a stunning unspoilt stretch of beach.  We crunched over millions of shells, especially razor fish shells which litter in drifts along the high tide mark.  This beach, and many of the North Norfolk beaches were badly damaged by the storm surges in December 2013 but you can see the dunes starting to re-establish themselves already.

Razor fish shells on Holkham beach

We followed the line of the dunes for a while in the now warm sunshine.  We actually started to find walking on the sand got tougher as it dried out and, knowing we had quite a way to go, we took a path on the right, cutting through the dunes slightly early, and walked along the inside edge of the pine woods coming out in the nature reserve near the bird hide.  The hide was full with people watching large noisy flocks of geese out on the marshes.  The official route goes a bit further along the sand/dunes coming out at Holkham Gap.  Either way you will eventually come out at the top of Lady Anne's Drive in Holkham.  Again you have a choice, you can walk through the pine woods or as we did cross the road and follow the bike trail along the outside edge.  You could also just keep to the sand and walk right to Wells if your calves will take it, although again do watch the tide times as there are many sandbanks and strong currents along here.

Holkham beach

We had done this part of the walk before, albeit in the opposite direction.  As it is close to the car park at Holkham and to Wells holiday park it was busier than the first part.  As well as walkers, we passed dog walkers and cyclists, all enjoying surely one of the last warm summery Sundays of the year.  We stopped for a while on a bench and watched a pair of buzzards circling over head.

Buzzard at Holkham/Wells

Eventually the trail bends round to the left, passing some holiday chalets and then at the signposted junction we took a right towards a car park. We stopped briefly here for the toilets but decided to carry on to the town for something to eat, although the café near the car park is good.  We climbed the steps onto the pathway that runs alongside the harbour and Beach Road and followed it towards the town just as the clouds began to gather again.  (There is a little train that runs up and down here too sometimes)

The walk to Wells-next-the-Sea town

The car park we started at is just to the right at the end of the road but we stopped to pick up our lunch in the excellent Wells Deli opposite and ate it on the harbour wall before heading home.

Route:
1.              From The Hero pub in Burnham Overy Staithe follow the road opposite to the harbour. 
2.              Take a right and follow the path along the top of the bank.
3.              At the dunes either follow the path on the right along the top of the dunes or go down onto the beach and turn right.
4.              Follow for a few miles until you reach Holkham Gap on your right (not signposted)
5.              Follow the boardwalk away from the beach and either go through the woods or along the marked path on the outside of the woods.
6.              Follow the pathway until you reach a junction.
7.              Take a right and go through the gateway into the car park.
8.              Walk between the café and the toilets and take the steps up onto the pathway.
9.              Follow the pathway into Wells town.
10.          At the main road turn right to get back to the car park.

Our route was 6.96 miles.

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: Grass paths and boardwalks from Burnham O.S. flat and easy although small climb into the sand dunes, beach is mixture of wet and soft sand, through the nature reserve and along the edge of the pine woods the paths are wide and sandy and easy going.  Flat tarmac path to the town. 

Habitat: Marshes, coastal, pine woods, nature reserve, ponds, harbour, urban

Facilities: Toilets at car park in Wells, Coasthopper bus stop near car park.  No toilets that I could see at Burnham O.S. although there is the The Hero pub.  Toilets and café at the beach end car park of Wells.  Numerous shops, cafes, fish and chips in Wells town.

You can see my photos from the other stages of our Norfolk Coast Path walk on my Flickr album

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

Ickworth (South Pleasure Grounds) (4 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 (South Pleasure Grounds walk).  I have copied and pasted their instructions as they were pretty good and added the odd note where I thought helpful.

1. Starting at the Porter's Lodge visitor reception take the path (on the right) towards the Walled Garden (and the church). You will pass a small pond on your right.

St Mary's Church, Ickworth

2. Just past the church, go straight ahead by turning off the hard road onto the grass path that leads
to the left of the Walled Garden. Go through the five bar gate and immediately bear left on the grass
path veering away from the brick wall. Within a couple of minutes you'll see our bird hide on your right.

3. Continue along this path past the bird hide (do not take the right fork when you come to it, just carry on), cross over the wooden foot bridge (and walk along wooden walkway) and take the right
hand fork in the path, climbing a short series of steps bringing you to the Fairy Lake.

Fairy Lake, Ickworth

4. Turn right at the Fairy Lake and continue along the footpath (pass The Round House) and take the second right turn marked Katharine's Wood.

5. In Katharine's Wood continue to the end of this path until you reach a cottage called Ivy Cottage.
Turn right at the cottage and follow this path until you get to the beginning of Lownde Wood. (Pause here to take in the view of the estate and the Rotunda)

Views of the park and rotunda

6. Enter Lownde Wood on the patch (the middle path) between the Lownde Wood and red footpath way marker.

7. In Lownde Wood follow the path which firstly bears right and then bears left. (Keep going!) On your left you will pass an observation post before coming to a clearing break. Cross over the clearing (keep the observation post on your left shoulder do not turn right - the path isn't well used or marked) and enter to wood again. On your right hand side you will come to a metal fence, continue on the path to a Y junction and take the right grassy footpath.

8. At the crossroads turn left and you will cross a small wooden bridge. Follow the dirt track which will
lead you to a small brick bridge at the corner of the field. Keep following the path, passing a rusty,
corrugated and ruined metal cabin on your right.

9. At the next junction turn right and follow the path until you reach a T junction where you'll see an
observation post. Turn right and go through the gate into the field.

10. As soon as you're through the gate turn right and follow the wood line for a short time keeping it to
your right, until you can see the Rotunda in the distance ahead of you.

11. Leave the wood line and head across the field towards the Rotunda passing laid down tree trunks
and passing through a gate on your way. You're heading for a kissing gate (in the distance at the bottom right hand corner of the field) which is lined up with the centre of the Walled Garden just beyond it.

12. Go through the kissing gate and turn left. Walk by the side of the Canal Lake and cross over the
decorative (wooden) foot bridge at the end of the lake.

13. Having crossed the foot bridge, keep the Walled Garden to your right and continue up the slope
to the hardened footpath. Turn right and retrace your steps on this path past the Church and back
towards your start point.

Our route was 3.9 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, grass and dirt tracks mostly, moderate climb at the end. Latch gates, kissing gate, some steps.  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.