swaffham railway walk

. It was the junction for lines to King's Lynn, Dereham, and Thetford. Even with a walk over an official route, theres a lot to consider, including lunchtime and transport arrangements: its no good reaching the lunchtime pub after the kitchen has closed, or the end of the walk after the last bus has gone. Goods traffic continued on the line as far as Watton until 19 April 1965 and Swaffham lost all of its goods trains in 1966. Record Card: NAU Staff. To the east of the level crossing there were two sidings shunted from the station direction; these lay on the north side of the running lines. quite exciting because you come across the first Pingo pond fairly This route ran from the Roudham Junction of the Norfolk Line (NHER 13571), and had stations at Wretham and Hockham, Stow Bedon, Watton, and Holme Hale, as well as sidings at Stow Bedon, Watton and. Rose (NAU), 1 June 1988This building was demolished in 1993, the foundations being left as seats for walkers.Two very ornate iron columns at White Hall, Carbrooke, in the form of lotus flowers, are said to have come from Watton station.E. Fourteen walks around and about Swaffham. When she was completing her 47th and final race, Orford became so excited that he fell off his horse and died. This area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the pollen and the plant remains in the peat which is below all this wetland. The start of the Pingo Trail is through a kissing gate and the path is very obvious along here. The Pingo Trail starts in the car park off the main A1075. See full article, An article on Somerset Live regarding traffic free routes See full article, HRE Group Press release: The latest around Great Musgrave See full article, Saughtree Station is a wonderful stone built property See full article, The British Film Institute has published a 2 minute video of the Selsey Tramway in operation. Then with a S-Train to Dsseldorf main Station. It was the junction for lines to King's Lynn, Dereham, and . "Ice Age To Royalty" Norfolk Stately Homes walk. As the glaciers retreated, they left hard masses of ice which eventually had soil over them. Apr 2023 - Watton-Swaffham railway line could become 15km walking link A former Norfolk railway line could become a new walking and cycling route between two of the county's towns, according to newly-published documents. (Tim Chant). This club organises walks over disused railway lines, and non-members can sample up to two of these before joining. After exploring the church, continue to head north and cross the road at a busy junction with traffic lights, passing the George Hotel. After about 0.5 miles (800m) you reach a sign on your right saying 'Peddars Way Restricted Byway Pickenham 3km'. That came to fruition on 15 November 1876. Using photos and text, the course of each lost railway line is described in detail, enhanced where possible by photos taken during the line's heyday.'. A Brief History of the Watton and Swaffham Railway - also known as the Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch) Railway Once past this stretch of open meadow, youll have a very pretty walk in amongst woodland and alongside a stream and eventually arriving at more Pingoponds and then the wonderfully picturesque Thompson Water. The pub the Startled Duck in the TV series is better known as the Greyhound Inn, in which the Earl of Orford created the first coursing club open to the public, in 1776. The Pingo Trail Circular Walk Length: just under 8 miles Ease of Walk: easy and flat What you'll see: Pingos, long horned cattle, woodland and common land, wetland and swamps, Thompson Water, water violets Dogs : Dogs are allowed on this walk but they must be under control, especially on Thompson Common Postcode: NR17 1DP OS Map: No 229 (advisable) [4], The line was closed to passengers on 15 June 1964, with a two-car diesel multiple unit (DMU) driven by driver David Grant of Dereham operating the final service. Drive. The line from the junction with the Dereham line at Swaffham remains unobstructed, although with some bridges removed. At Roudham the junction faced west towards Thetford. Theoretically, a group of 20 or so walkers passing over an old railway bridge might, just conceivably, weaken the structure, e.g. The walks are dotted all around Norfolk depending on where there is something fascinating to visit, be it a priory ruin or castle ruin, a stately home, windpumps or lighthouses and more. The first of these began operation in 1999[19] and the second in 2003. The name is still used today. It was given to the town by Lord Orford in 1783. Until 1968 the town was served by Swaffham railway station on the Great Eastern Railway line from King's Lynn. He travelled to London, and waited for several days on the bridge. The Swaffham Pedlar also appears in the hand-carved Swaffham town sign. The line closed on 15 June 1964. violets. The turntable line was reached from the signal box by way of west-facing points. The pace and physical demands on our walks is more Rob Bell than Bear Grylls. Its a fantastic sight full of water violets and trees in swamps. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. This abutted the station building constructed of knapped flint with brick quoins and stone window surrounds. Norfolk Health, Heritage and Biodiversity Walks Project, 'Walking your way around Swaffham, you will see many fine examples of historic architecture and you will experience a sense of traditionalism mixed with the energy of modern day life. People gathered in Swaffham for 'the season', and so many clergymen ranked among their numbers that the Bishop of Norwich was reported as being concerned that they were neglecting their parishioners. 'Lists as many accessible disused railways that have been converted to Greenways as we can find. [23] The centre hosted the 2008 British BASE jumping championships; contestants jumped from the roof of the observation deck. I just remember thinking water, water everywhere! Opened in 1875, the Watton and Swaffham Railway was also known as the Crab and Winkle line - and it connected the towns with Thetford in one direction and King's Lynn in the other. [29] The highest and lowest temperatures reported in the past decade are 34.6C (94.3F) during August 2003,[30] and 10.3C (13.5F) during January 2010.[31]. By 1882 the station was a much busier place. A short way beyond that a steel girder carrying the line over Low Road survives. Pretty much everywhere you walk, theres water! Here you need to go through the gate and follow the path through more woodland. The line was important for coal, poultry, sugar beet and RAF cargo, and joined the Lynn and Dereham Line (NHER 13600) at Swaffham. It was formed of the Watton and Swaffham Railway, founded in 1866 as an independent venture by the Thetford and Watton Railway Company. There was no Sunday service. Eventually you reach a very quiet tarmac lane. The current building, dating from 1454, is built on the foundation of the original church. We do not publish these resources on the Internet, but they are available to walk leaders from our Secretary, who can supply them on a CD. It has five galleries exhibiting local history and local geology as well as an Egyptology room about Howard Carter and the Ancient Egyptians, celebrating the centenary year of Howard Carter discovering the Tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. This type of risk is remote, which is probably why the premiums for Civil Liability insurance are usually reasonable. Freight services commenced in January 1869, with passenger services in October 1869. Its construction was delayed and complicated due to difficult land at Neaton, just north of Watton. From Watton went poultry, butter, milk and eggs, principally to Cambridge and London markets. It is now fairly clear. There is no national registry of who owns old railways and so our volunteers have to find out the hard way by research, letters and visits to find out who owns what, followed up by personal requests which, of course, have to be handled with some skill. It would . Of the cattle yards and shed there is no trace: they lie under a scaffolding companys yard. There was more activity on the main line, by that time part of the Great Eastern Railway and the branch to Thetford was, from 1879, worked by the same railway under a leasing agreement. [23] The height of the attraction's popularity was in 2016, when 22,000 people visited the centre and 8,000 climbed the turbine. Swaffham Walking routes starting in Turbine Way, Swaffham. Takes 50 minutes from Airport (Train and walk). The cottage has a 27 HD TV and a Blu-Ray DVD player; WiFi is available. [21] The first of the wind turbines to be constructed was an Enercon E66/1500 with 1.5 MW generation capacity, 67 metres nacelle height and 66 metres rotor diameter. Some integration had happened and one train ran through from Lynn to Thetford, going forward to Bury, except on Mondays. Generally, you should have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to manage 7 or 8 miles at about 3 miles per hour. Check out this 3.2-km out-and-back trail near King's Lynn, Norfolk. Powered by HBSMR-web and the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd, and mojoPortal CMS Last walked on 5 January 2019. [26], As with the rest of the British Isles and East Anglia, Swaffham experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. It remained a stabling point (including overnight at weekends in particular), with water, turning and basic servicing facilities, until final closure on 2 April 1962. The coming of the railway invigorated business in the town and two large monthly cattle markets brought livestock traffic to the railway. There was no Sunday service on either line. All of the other services called at all stations if required to do so. Our walks are split roughly 4:1 between walks over official railway paths and walks over old trackbeds which are privately owned. Under the proposal, the former Watton-Swaffham railway line would be repurposed to become a walking and cycling link. Explore Norfolk UK has put together a special package to take in this Pingo Trail, as well as visiting Oxburgh Hall and taking a countryside walk around the area and Sandringham House, again with another lovely circular walk. At the end of this road, turn right along London Street to return to the town centre and car park. Eastwards towards Dereham they ran, at first, only as far as Sporle from 26 October 1847: Sporle to Dereham opened on 11 September 1848. However, for some distance north of Watton, the line can be seen as a wooded interruption to extensive fields of arable crops. The last train to Thetford left at 7.16pm and arrived back at Swaffham at 10.01pm. Probably the last steam train to be seen at Swaffham was on 31 March 1962 when the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society ran a final steam excursion along several East Anglian lines. The market cross here was built by George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford and presented to the town in 1783. The turbines were originally associated with the EcoTech Centre, a visitor centre which was opened in 1999. After the first kilometre or so along Procession Road, we have lost the historic route of the Roman road, which we won't regain until after Castle Acre. Click here for a brief history of the Lynn & Dereham Railway Of the intermediate stations only Dunham and Narborough had definite stops. It had an authorised capital outlay of 80,000. This produces a lot of information which doesnt lend itself easily to a short rubric that we can publish in our magazine. www.open-walks.co.uk/directory/?searchconditi www.historyfiles.co.uk/MainRailwayWalksIndex. Earth was extracted from a pit beside the route. This had happened since Great Eastern Railway days, providing evidence of low numbers of passengers using the lines smaller stations. It really is a fascinating walk with so much to see. Travelling south from Swaffham there were stations at Holme Hale, Watton, Stow Bedon, Wretham& Hockham and Roudham Junction. Beside the cycleway the substantial black-brick wall that lay alongside the sidings is largely intact, still preventing the adjoining land slipping onto the railway. Rose (NLA), 29 January 2005. Here a deep depression had to be filled and compacted and an embankment formed to carry the railway. Last walked on 23 July 2016, A circular walk from Turbine Way, Swaffham; heading west from Swaffham along Shouldham Lane, turning south then east from Town Farm along Shoemakers Lane to reach the centre of Swaffham, heading east by the churchyard and then to the southern end of Swaffham by streets, joining Dulgate Lane to head north on tracks and paths until the route of an old railway line is reached, turning west on this route and continuing on paths and roads back to the start. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Roudham Junction, Wretham & Hockham, Stow Bedon, Watton & Holme Hale, Click here for Swaffham Gallery 2: 1963 - 1967, The Great Eastern Commemorative Steam Tour, Off Station Street A1065 north of the Market Place and town centre. Rose (NAU), 18 May 1983.Roudham Junction to Stow Bedon - trackbed removed but greybrick overbridges remain.Underbridges mostly removed.Overgrown despite section Cranberry Roughs - Stow Bedon being marked as road on Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 map. is very dog friendly, as I wanted to discover walks that didn't require much road walking or time on leads. Occasionally, our area groups organise long weekends or even entire weeks of walks, so that members can enjoy a railway walking holiday in different parts of the country. 'Inspired by the BBC series, Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury, this section aims to document the surviving remnants of Britain's many disused railways (unfortunately without the assistance of Julia Bradbury). Another famous local was Howard Carter, the eminent 20th-century Egyptologist who discovered Tutankhamuns tomb in the Valley of the Kings and is rumoured to have died as the result of the boy-king curse. There were five passenger workings each way on the Thetford branch and a daily goods worked from Lynn to Roudham Junction. Harry Carter, the grammar school's art teacher of the 1960s, was responsible for a great number of the carved village signs that are now found in many of Norfolk's towns and villages, including Swaffham's own sign commemorating the legendary Pedlar of Swaffham,[6][7][8] which is in the corner of the market place just opposite the old school's gates. It was formed of the Watton and Swaffham Railway, founded in 1866 as an independent venture by the Thetford and Watton Railway Company. Kent to Swaffham by train, walk and bus 157 Weekly . An 8.20 am Thetford to Watton train returned from the market town at 8.49 am after a five minute stop. It is situated 12 miles (19 kilometres) east of King's Lynn and 31 miles (50 kilometres) west of Norwich. The quiet market towns of Fakenham and Swaffham are prime examples, as well as Thetford, with its popular museum focusing on the TV comedy seriesDads Armywhich wasfilmed in the area. Under the proposal, the former Watton-Swaffham railway line would be repurposed to become a walking and cycling link. Freight services commenced in January 1869, with passenger services in October 1869. We also offer Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path walking holidays, as well as The Wherryman's Way and Short Break Walking Holidays. In Kingdom the town is called Market Shipborough. Tickets for travel from intermediate stations, except at Watton, were issued by the guard. Download your free copy of the "Quick Guide To Norfolk Beaches" and join our newsletter tokeep up to date with 4 different tips every month for enjoying what Norfolk has to offer. ', 'Inspired by the BBC series, Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury, this section aims to document the surviving remnants of Britain's many disused railways (unfortunately without the assistance of Julia Bradbury). You meander through Cranberry Rough where on either sideyoure surrounded by water and wetland, dykes and pools. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. On Wednesday only market-goers bound for Watton were catered for by a 1.20 pm departure from Swaffham: it set out on its twenty-minute return journey at 3.15 pm. There were only 70 passengers on the final stage of the journey. The nearest Met Office weather station to provide local climate data is RAF Marham, about .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}5+12 miles (9km) west of the town centre. Once called the Butter Cross, this Palladian-styled structure is topped by a little figure of the goddess Ceres, holding a sheaf. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which runs between Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich. Another mere that you may like to walk around is Horsey Mere on the Horsey Windpump Circular walk.Thompson Water is a lovely spot to stop before you start on the next stretch of the walk on a wide farm track. Market-goers returned on the 5.20pm from the city, changing at Dereham. People who join our taster events must intend to join the club. All of our walks are also published quarterly in advance in our magazine, Railway Ramblings. [10], Two more Manning Wardle tanks, and two Sharp, Stewart and Company 0-4-2 tender locomotives were added by September 1876. Eight up trains left for Lynn, including that off the Thetford branch. ', 'The UK's specialist club for exploring old railways: it organises walks throughout the country for varying ages and abilities, usually on disused railways but occasionally on an old canal or even Roman road. BRIDGE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD), HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD), RAILWAY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD), RAILWAY TRANSPORT SITE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD). I had a lovely treat watching this fox run in front of me, and then had the pleasure of seeing it again as I neared the end of the walk. Follow the path through the hedge and walk straight ahead where you'll then come to another small fence and steps which take you down to the disused railway. If you're chattering away, you may miss this and continue on around the woods. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Steam-worked passenger trains ceased running through Swaffham at the end of the 1955 summer timetable after which all services was operated by DMUs based at Dereham. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Theres a small bird watching hide overlooking Thompson Water surrounded by lots of bird feeders hanging from the trees, and its definitely worth stopping at, not least to rest your legs! Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. The Market Place and twin churches lie to the right, while the car park is just a short distance ahead along Station Road. This trail is great for running and walking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The 15km trail would create a new link between Watton and Swaffham, whose railway line closed in 1965. [5] On the top is the statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest. An evening train ran from Thetford to Lynn. A proposal has been made to re-purpose the former railway line between Watton and Swaffham. Browse all of the details of each route below and explore more of the nature around Swaffham. The pedlar set off home with great haste, discovered the treasure and donated his money to the towns church. Notes: Swaffham station had two passenger platforms. The Thetford branch closed on 15 June 1964, and the station closed to passengers on 9 September 1968. As you venture out in to the rural surrounds of the town, you will have the opportunity to explore the fascinating remains of castles, churches and priories, to learn more about Breckland's natural environment and discover how this has influenced land-use and communities throughout the ages.'. In the past, our civil liability cover has been an important factor in persuading some official bodies, such as the Army, to let us walk old trackbeds which they now own. Sometimes, our own walk leaders were there to take some archive photographs. Practice varies from one area to another: some produce a large newsletter which covers an entire year in advance, while others issue newsletters more frequently. We have developed resources to help our walk leaders design and plan railway walks ranging from straightforward events over official railway paths to walks which require negotiation with landowners. Light railway steam locomotive for use on branch lines. Norfolk prides itself on its wealth of historic houses, the most famous beingSandringham, where Her Majesty the Queen and her family spend Christmas. Coal and other produce not locally available arrived by train. Its quite a long walk, but I would highly recommend it. As you drive along the main road, about 3 miles south of Watton youll see a largish lay-by. tokeep up to date with 4 different tips every month for enjoying what Norfolk has to offer. The A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road still passes through the centre of the town on its northsouth route, intersecting with the A47 at a grade separated junction north of the town.[18]. In 1876 two larger Sharpe, Stewart & Co 0-4-2 tender engines joined the fleet, presumably because of the motive power needs of the new Swaffham extension. The cheapest way to get from Swaffham to Wells-next-the-Sea costs only 8, and the quickest way takes just 32 mins. Hi, you have 2 choices: 1. Parking is normally possible at various places in Turbine Way but near the junction with Brocks Road may be preferable. Thompson Water is actually a man-made lake which was created in 1845 along a tributary of the River Wissey, and has nothing to do with the Pingos! Latterly Class 03 diesel shunters were to be found working goods turns on the branch. . The Pingo Trail walk is a really extraordinary and fascinating walk in Mid Norfolk, just north of Thetford in the heart of The Brecks.

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