Nar Valley Way - Narborough to Dereham

Start: The Ship Inn, Narborough (PE32 1TE) Grid ref. TF 742 141

(S) Take the footpath along River Nar on the left side of the bridge. Do not cross the bridge. The path leads out of Narborough opposite the mill. This is a footpath alongside the River Nar and leads under the A47. The bridge is low and average sized person will need to stoop to get under this.

(1) The path leads out into the woodland of the Bradmoor Plantation. Keep to the main route following the waymarkers, roughly following the river before it leads away and up a slight incline.

(2) Where it meets another path, turn right through the trees and across an avenue of grass with Narford Hall in the distance on the right. Walk straight on and out onto the road. Turn left, then right onto a track which leads down to West Acre.

(3) Keep straight ahead on the road through West Acre until the road junctions at The Stag pub. Take the lane on the right which leads down to a ford across the river with a footbridge by its side. Cross the footbridge and continue up the road until it meets a crossroads. Turn left down towards anothe ford. Before reaching the river there is a path on the right.

(4) Take this which leads to a footbridge across the river and onto a track through the woodland and onto Castle Acre Common. The track meets a lane at the end of the common, turn right along the lane which leads into Castle Acre village.

(5) Turn right at the first junction in the village and follow the road around past the Priory and Church. Turn right through the flint archway and down Bailey Street.

(6) At the bottom of the hill turn left onto a footpath which leads past the perimeter of the Castle. There is open pasture beyond the castle. This covers a hillside with little markers to indicate the way ahead. This needs to be crossed diagonally almost grazing past the edge of Castle Acre housing on the left. This will lead to a gate onto the road opposite a lane.

(7) Continue along this lane which turns to a track and leads onto the road into Newton. Follow the road over the river at the Mill.

(8) Then take the track left down the side of the Mill. This leads onto a track up to the main road (A1065). Cross the road and continue straight ahead. Keep to the lane on the left, ignoring the markings on the OS map for the Nar Valley Way. A new waymarker points down this new route. This is a very quiet country lane and leads through to East Lexham where it junctions with another lane with a little green centred with a round shelter with seats.

(9) Turn right at the green and continue out of Lexham until a waymarker point off to the left following a track. This leads down alongside some woodland and then through some more woods. Keep to the main track and when on the opposite side of the woods the track turns right up the hill then left.

(10) Just before reaching the road, turn left and follow the footpath across the field and then alongside the woodland at the far edge. This then leads into the woods which are part of Litcham Common, emerging at the edge of Litcham Village. The pub is up the hill, past the church and opposite the village green.

(11) The trail leaves Litcham by taking a right turn before the church. Follow the road around the bend and there is a marker pointing down a track on the right. Keep to this until a marker points up the hill to the road. This is the B1145 and can be fairly busy so caution should be taken. This can be followed through to Mileham but the official route leads off of the road before the layby on the left.

(12) A footpath leads across the fields, across a road then alongside some woodland.

(13) This then returns sharply right back along the opposite side of the woods and across the fields to Mileham.

(14) Turn left at the road and follow this around and left back onto the B1145. There are pavements throughout the village. Keep to the road all the way through the village until there is a track on the right by the Garden Nursery. Take this track to the end, then diagonally cross the fields to the woods at the bottom of the hill. The path emerges onto the road and continues up the hill and left at the junction.

(15) Follow this lane past Bittering, taking the right by the houses then left at the next junction. Keep to this for a mile until a track leads off on the right which leads to Gressenhall. Turn left as it emerges onto the road, the right at the cross roads.

(16) Follow the road around to the left at the village green and continue out of Gressenhall. When the road junctions with the main road, take the right down the hill and across the stream.

(17) There is a track on the right marked as the Wensum Way. Keep to this which leads across the fields and out onto a road junction.

(18) Continue straight ahead into Dereham. (E)

Start: The Ship Inn, Narborough (PE32 1TE) Grid ref. TF 742 141

Transport :
First Group X1 service Great Yarmouth to Peterborough linking Acle Norwich, Dereham, Kings Lynn
The 22 miles of this section may seem a little lengthy but this is the distance between the only linking bus service. There is very little in the way of public transport around the villages between Narborough and Dereham and the route veers away from the main A47, which the X1 bus service uses, until the Wensum way can be used to walk down to Dereham. The only alternative to hiking the full distance is to either undertake a series of shorter circular walks or, as a group of walkers, use two cars to link between specific start and end points.

Even so, 22 miles is a good distance for a full days walk for those who are used to walking, and with late buses back from Dereham there is no need to rush the route. One surprise was that the single fare between Dereham and Narborough was £6 which seemed a lot of money for the distance but it is nonetheless good value for a days walking!

Refreshments:
There are a few pubs along this route
Bull Inn, Litcham View
Romany Rye, East Dereham

Find more information and walks at Griffmonsters Great Walks here.

The walk continues through the Bradmoor Plantation woodland up to Bradmoor Hill. There isn't any noticeable incline but there is a little revelation when the woodland makes way to a long thin clearing. On the left is a brick shelter, open at the front and with decorative columns looking elegant and distinctive in the woodland surroundings. To the right there is a view all the way down the hill to Narford Lake with Narford Hall just beyond. The construction on the left is a curiosity as I cant find anything out about this. My guess is that is purely a Victorian folly.

This is the first of many features that accompany this walk along with the most obvious and well known ones such as West Acre Priory, Castle Acre Priory and Castle Acre Castle but with so many miles to cover time only allows a brief perusal of each feature. Other sights are Lexham clock tower, Lexham Hall which appears down an grassed avenue amid the woodland that is bordered by the track to Litcham, Litcham Common, Mileham castle, and the Medieval village of Little Bittering.

• West Acre Church and Priory
• Castle acre Priory
• Castle acre Castle
• Newton Watermill
• Mileham Castle
• Castle acre Castle