Six scenicCar-free spring walksin Norfolk
From wild saltmarshes to immaculate stately homes, waterside boardwalks to colourful village streets, Norfolk’s landscapes are endlessly varied. There is plenty here to delight all kinds of visitors: foodies and birdwatchers, historians and boat-lovers. Norfolk County Council have collected a huge database of Norfolk Trails for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders with downloadable maps and a searchable, interactive overview. Best of all, you don’t need a car to access many of these adventures: you can get to them easily by bus or train. Here are six of the best spring walks that you can reach car-free.
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Cromer and Felbrigg (6 miles)
In the walled garden at Felbrigg Hall, the espaliered peach and apricot trees start to flower in March. These are followed in April by plums, pears and frothing cherry trees. There are fragrant herbs and bright borders around the unusual octagonal dovecote. There are blossoming trees in the woods, too and daffodils on the lawns in front of the elegant Jacobean mansion.
- This circular walk (PDF) from Cromer railway station and nearby bus stop takes in town and country, fields and woodland. In spring the new green beech leaves are budding and the birds are singing. It’s one of dozens of Norfolk Trails.
- So, how do I get to Cromer without a car? Simple! Greater Anglia trains run regularly from Sheringham and Norwich to Cromer railway station, where the walk begins. There are also buses from Norwich and the CH2 Coasthopper bus from North Walsham.
- It’s free to explore Felbrigg’s 520-acre estate. You can even borrow Tracker Packs for the kids from the visitor reception, with binoculars and wildlife-spotting sheets. If you decide to combine the walk with a visit to Felbrigg Hall, you’ll get 20% off entry and 10% off in the café as a reward for arriving car-free.
- The first part of this walk runs along the Weaver’s Way (PDF). This 61-mile long-distance path runs from Cromer to Great Yarmouth.
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Great Yarmouth to Burgh Castle (4½ miles)
Escape out of the town to remote third-century Burgh (pronounced Burra) Castle. This is one of Britain’s best-preserved Roman ruins and free to visit. Just minutes after leaving the railway station at Great Yarmouth, with its regular trains from Norwich, you’ll be walking beside Breydon Water. Here thousands of wading birds feed on the low-tide mudflats. Eventually, the path runs through reed beds to reach the impressive flint walls of Burgh Castle, which still stand up to 4½ metres high. The surrounding area was below sea level when the Romans arrived and built the coastal fort that they called Gariannonum. This was one of nine forts defending the estuaries of the Saxon Shore against seafaring raiders.
- This linear walk (PDF) is a beauty in spring, when blossom hangs over the boardwalk. The churchyard of round-towered Saint Peter and Saint Paul fills with early flowers.
- The walk is part of the Angles Way, a long-distance route that leads from Yarmouth through the Broads to wild Knettishall Heath in the Brecklands.
- But how do I get back to Great Yarmouth? Simply stroll a short way along the lane from the church into the village of Burgh Castle. Warm up in the welcoming Queen’s Head. From the bus stop just outside the pub, bus 3 goes back to Yarmouth regularly Monday to Saturday and less on Sundays.
- What about food? The Queen’s Head serves hearty pub classics including home-cooked pies and burgers.
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Cantley to Lingwood (6 miles)
A wide landscape, noisy with wild birds and studded with interesting churches, is the setting for this linear cross-country hike (PDF). This station-to-station walk links two different branches of the lovely Wherry Lines railway between Norwich and Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth. On the walk, you will pass St Nicholas church with its 13th-century octagonal tower and probably spot herons, muntjac deer and other wildlife. If you walk the route between about October and March, you’re certain to see (and hear!) huge lines of noisy, pink-footed geese flying overhead.
- How do I get to Cantley? There are trains to Cantley Station from Norwich and Lowestoft and to Lingwood from Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
- Is there anywhere for refreshments at the end of the walk? The King’s Head near Lingwood station is a proper local pub with a wood-burning stove.
- With its tubs of flowers and pretty wooden awning, Lingwood station has won numerous awards over the years, thanks to the volunteers who help look after it.
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Brancaster Staithe (5 miles)
Wide views of the Norfolk coast are followed by stretches of coast path through serene reed beds and flowering saltmarsh. This is a short but varied walk around Brancaster Staithe. It passes landmarks from across the centuries, like the site of a Roman fort and a modern section of coastal boardwalk. Don’t miss St Mary’s church at the start in Burnham Deepdale, with its round Saxon tower and carved Norman font. Bright blue waymarks and signs will help keep you on track.
- From gorse-fringed Barrow Common, there are great views of the coast and of Scolt Head Island, just offshore. The common itself is full of flowers throughout the spring. These range from the earliest blackthorn bushes and coconut-fragrant gorse to later harebells, stonecrops and bedstraw.
- Along the coast path, look out for seals, several types of duck, and wading birds including big, curve-billed curlews.
- How do I get to Brancaster Staithe? The walk starts from Burnham Deepdale church. Bus 36 from King’s Lynn to Fakenham stops there hourly (the stop is sometimes called Delgate Lane), seven days a week. It also stops outside the Jolly Sailors pub, an excellent place for refreshments during or after the walk.
- Yes, what about refreshments? The Jolly Sailors is a delightfully friendly, informal pub. They serve pizza and pub classics, as well as local specialities like Brancaster mussels with fresh bread. Near the start or end of the walk, you will also find the Deepdale café and the well-stocked Dalegate Market.
- If you want to stay the night in the area, which has lots of great walking routes, the fabulous Deepdale Camping and Rooms is right next to the bus stop and offers a green travel discount for car-free guests.
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Salhouse Broad (5½ miles)
This circuit from Salhouse station (PDF) is really close to Norwich and is one of the most accessible areas of the Broads. The village sign for Salhouse shows two men cutting reeds for thatch. This walk from the station and through the village passes numerous thatched houses and even a thatched church. You’ll also pass some of the nearby reed beds that supplied the area’s roofing material for centuries. The boardwalks and wooded paths around one corner of Salhouse Broad are short but beautiful, with boat hire in season, grassy beaches and picnic sites.
- The broad is particularly rich in butterflies and dragonflies, which hatch or arrive in spring. Red admirals feed on the hemp agrimony flowers and rare swallowtails can be seen from May. There are blossoming trees in the woods too, including blackthorn, hawthorn and cherry.
- How do I get to Salhouse? Regular trains from Norwich take just ten minutes to reach Salhouse railway station and the start of this walk. Bus 5B also runs hourly from the centre of Norwich and stops outside the Stag pub.
- Where can we have lunch? The Stag is a traditional village pub with a twist. It boasts gourmet food, vibrant decor and even luxury bedrooms. The Hungry Otter kiosk opens in spring on a grassy bank above the broad with picnic areas close by. It sells drinks, snacks and local ice creams.
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King's Lynn to Narborough (13 miles)
The first stretch of the Nar Valley Way (PDF) is exceptionally beautiful in springtime. This leg-stretching waterside hike follows the little River Nar out of Kings Lynn into wide open countryside. It runs past lakes and trees, an old Augustinian Priory and a former bone mill.
- The final miles, winding among alders and willows, are particularly pretty. From the village of Narborough at the end, comfortable buses run every half hour back to Kings Lynn, with its pubs, cafés and railway station. Apart from the start and end, there are no refreshments along the way so don’t forget your picnic. Bring binoculars too, to spot everything from grey wagtails to great white egrets.
- So how do I get back to King’s Lynn? A/B/C Excel buses connect both ends of this walk and run direct from Peterborough to Norwich. There are also hourly trains to King’s Lynn railway station from Cambridge and London Kings Cross.
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More Norfolk walks and days out
- These are just a few of the walks in the Norfolk Trails collection. For more routes all over the county, you can check out this interactive map.
- For more car-free adventures in Norfolk take a look at all the attractions and days out the county has to offer. These include vineyards and breweries and the Norfolk Coast Path.
- Plan a Christmas adventure in Norfolk.
