Along the Peddars Way
8 May 1999: Knettishall Heath to Little Cressingham, 15 miles
This walk runs through Breckland, the driest place in England and one of the driest in Europe. It drizzled.
Breckland was formerly heathland, though much is now forested,
and on this walk you will see the tank tracks from a local military base.
But much of the older habitat will still be seen on this walk.
22 January 2000: Little Cressingham to Castle Acre, 13 miles
We started this walk sheltering from a brief snow flurry.
It is not perhaps the most stimulating stage of the walk, with much of the trail being on the verges of public roads,
but a great compensation is the village of Castle Acre, one of the highlights of the trail.
The village occupies a strategic position by one of Norfolk's principal rivers, the Nar.
Here are ruined priory and castle, both Norman, with the old castle ramparts especially worth exploring.
There are two good pubs, plus eating places and interesting shops.
4 March 2000: Castle Acre to Fring, 13 miles
Set compass for 335 grid north, walk for 13 miles, end. Perhaps the straightest walk since the days of the gladiators.
Not without interest, for all that.
This day traverses slowly rolling countryside in one of the least populated parts of southern England;
there is a genuine feeling of remoteness, with no more than three or four houses actually passed on the walk,
and the one village nearby - Great Massingham - barely visible. We parked up at Fring church, just off route.
It's remarkable how churches are still great navigation points, especially in country like this.
6 May 2000: Fring to Holme and on to Hunstanton, 10 miles
Strictly, the end of the Peddars Way and the start of the North Norfolk Coast Path, the latter taken east to west;
we would later take the rest of the coast path west to east.
This was a beautiful late spring day, with a good pub midway - the White Horse at Holme next the Sea -
and an excuse for an ice cream at the seaside town of Hunstanton.
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