I'm not fit by any means and since moving back to Norfolk have tried to get out a couple of times a week to walk the around the village. Its a work in progress but I'm getting there slowly.
I've been trying to put together a desire to incorporate walking the Norfolk coastal path with my art practice, recording the changing coastline and it stand against the tide!
Set out this Sunday to try and stretch my boundaries further and see how far I can walk?
I know the road to Pentney lakes as have walked that often in the past, so I was just planning to see how much further I could go without a determined destination.
Starting in Narborough Road and heading North to the junction in front of the church I then turned and headed south along Abbey road
The route takes in a refreshing view of Pentney lake, one of many along this low laying fenland type terrain.
The road meanders along a narrow contry lane past the Old Cross ✝️. The traffic is a little worrying as they do tend to speed!
I reached the junction with a hard right bend, pretty little stone cottage on right and left hand turn opposite. Took this turn sign posted Pentney Abbey and Fisheries.
Shortly I came to another junction the right hand turn is a private road and sign posted Agregates. Contine ahead and the road leads directly to the entrance to Pentney Abbey, only the stone gateway is left standing now and privately owned. There is a track to the right that leads past the Abbey and towards the River. The track now in early March was heavily rutted and difficult to navigate with a couple of oncoming cars.
Once at the bridge you can look right to follow the river view into the distance and a path to Kings Lynn. The paths are sign posted on the bridge by Norfolk County Council. Right the Nar Valley way takes you to kings lynn and left to Narborough. I took the left pathway over the old stone bridge and along the river walkway, which is wide and grassy. The view was stunning to my left on the other side of the river now was the Abbey gateway in full view and to my right a panoramic Norfolk picture across low lying fields, some ploughed already and adjacent to the river way grassland with young poplar trees.The banks were still high with honey brown Norfolk reeds dried over the winter and offering shelter to the riverbank wildlife of birds and water rats 🐀. Their burrows could be seen in the banks. Although the water was running quite fast it was glassy still on the surface and reflected the deep blue ultramarine sky. It was one of the first really bright sunny days of spring.
Looking across the fields to Marham on the far horizon I could see a flock of birds, flying together they made a cloud of black one minute then turned and at once shone silver white in the sunshine.
Shortly came to a slight bend in the river and the reeds on the south bank had been flattern by the current flowing close to that edge. Sitting on the bank of reads were to Swans, a pair I guess returning to their nesting site. I approach as quietly as I could not to disturb but both slid into the water and started to glyde along side. The first to leave lifted her wings in warning not happy at the interruption to their afternoon.
I had started the walk about 2ish so now calculated it was about 3pm, unfortunately my mobile bleeped that battery was low and I had been trying out the OS App for the first time and didn't want to loose my current tracking so switched my phone off after a couple of quick pictures of the swans.
Looking forward I could see the path meandering towards the slouce at Marham and picked up my pace again. I remember many years ago when I lived at Marham walking the fen and tracing the path from the slouce west towards where I was approaching now. On the south side of the river was a line of cherry trees 🌳 it must have been early summer then as the branches were laden with plump dark cherries 🍒. As I reached this bank of trees I could pick out the cherry trees by their shiny bark with horizontal stripes. I must remember to revist to taste them again.
As I reached the slouce there were two more swans just drifting out on the water, looking down at the river I could only just make out the river bed, in summer this will be crystal clear and you will be able to see the white chalk bed and the green weed bilowing in the waters flow. If your very lucky a brown trout just sitting against the tide.
Following the path around the slouce Station and baring left there's a flat planked bridge, wide and sturdy enough to take the farm traffic of tractors and combines. Looking east from the bridge the path continues to Narborough passing the restored water wheel, the only remnant of the original bone mill that stood there. Lost in the 1970's.
Today I was crossing the bridge north back to Pentney, my feet were telling me that was the way to go, ther had been a moment that I felt I could do the full circuit but now it was homeward bound. By my reconing it was nearing 4pm and forgetting that the nights still come in early at six, it was time to return. This had been a well trodden path in the past but for a first time its not very clear. First there's a sharp left detor then a right on the second bend there's a large Owl box been erected high in the tree. Straight ahead until the next bend in the road you have to leave the track and follow the path straight ahead baring to the left of the ditch. Another right turn following the worn path to a large pipe laying across the ditch and into the next field then its a mater of following the hedgrow around the field to the right. This field had an area fenced off for piglets but across to the other side I could see a couple of hares running, it was only because of their movement I could pick them out as with the late afternoon sun and the golden brown stubble they blended in so well. The corner of the field was well cut up by deep ruts from the tractors to and frowing to monitor the piglets, the furrows were too deep and full of water for me to cross so had to back track and cut across the corner.
My feet were now complaining and sore so my pace had slowed considerably. Last leg to follow the track along the hedgrow, thats full of Sloes in Autumn, round the last corner and past an enclosed paddock of young cattle that are obviously for meat, the penned area is really too small for so many animals and completely churned up by their hooves!
My feet were much relieved to step onto the tarmac and Golden Gym road just a short walk uphill and back into Narborough Road and left home!
Time for boots off feet up with a cup of tea a nd to review my small triumph.
3 hours - 9.8 kilometres and an average speed of 4.2 kilometres ( not sure if that's good or not but a start).. returned home at 5pm just as the sun was begining to wain.
Only showing first half of walk until the phone died!
