Walking Off The Beaten Track 2

[Meantime]

Who knew there was a forest in The Norfolk Broads? Off course we all did, we will have cruised past it many times, but probably not realised it was there. If you cruise from St Olaves down The Waveney towards Burgh Castle on your right is Waveney Forest. It is a privately owned forest with two public foot paths that partially go through the forest. One of those foot paths ends up at Staithe Belt opposite Seven Mile House. You may often have seen a clearing that leads down to the river edge and wondered how those people got there? Well they wandered through Waveney Forest and down the path to Staithe Belt. Whilst the forest is privately owned, there are many foot paths through the forest and whilst these are not designated public foot paths no one seems to object to their usage and you will find many members of the public making use of the paths.

There is relatively easy access along the riverbank from the BA public mooring at St Olaves, or by car if you drive away from St Olaves bridge towards Fritton, when you reach the now closed and soon to be demolished Decoy Tavern, turn left into New Road. Head down there and about halfway down on the lefthand side there is some parking by the edge of the forest. A word of warning. The owners of the forest are sadly doing some commercial clearing of the forest quite close to the car parking, although this would appear to be better than the original plan which was to clear large areas of the forest for quarrying. For now that plan has been put to bed, but it is still sad to see parts of the forest being commerically cleared.

Tuesdays 11th October I parked up in New Road and took a stroll through the forest before returning to New Road and walking up it in the direction of Belton. At the end of New Road I turned right and followed Back Lane that gradually narrows until it becomes a byway. Once it narrows to the point where it is no longer accessible for cars, it becomes a nice shaded byway which discets the golf course which is part of The Caldecott Hall complex. After a while I took a left turn onto Sandy Lane and into the village of Belton. I followed Station Road North until it turns right into St Johns Road and just off on the left is a public foot path that leads you down towards The Waveney River, just at the upstream end of The BA public mooring. 

At this point I'm reminded of an old nursey rhyme. 

"If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise"

Well in this case it was this Motley Crue!  The lads week.

 

[Meantime]

I walked along the public moorings and then behind Burgh Castle Marina and Goodchilds eventually ending up at The Fishermans inn. A stroll down the side and along the river's edge that leads past Burgh Castle until I reached the top end of Breydon Water. I still have fond memories of many nights spent in the now sadly closed Berney Arms pub.

I then turned away from the river and headed back inland past what I think used to be a pub? Church Farm? Bever got there when it was open, but believe it was once owned by The Richardson family? I then walked up Church Road until it becomes the High Road and popped into The Queens Head for a much needed pint. Suitably refreshed I retraced my steps a short distance to Butt Lane and followed this all the way back to Belton past the various holiday parks. Upon reaching New Road Belton I found myself at another pub, this time The Kings Head. Well I was in no rush so time for a sit down and some more refreshment. I found a couple of footpaths that allowed me to cross through Belton and made my way to Sandy Lane again where I retraced my steps back to New Road and my waiting car.

[Smoggy]

24 minutes ago, Meantime said:

but it is still sad to see parts of the forest being commerically cleared.

It is mostly plantation anyway so clearing is inevitable, been in there many times with the dog and always fun on the way back to st.olaves moorings after a night in the decoy tavern, much safer than the road route and once you get your night vision it's easy without a torch but cover your eyes as you pass the roundhouse as the pir light gets you.

There's quite a few old military training bunkers in there in various states of collapse and the railway used to run right through it as evident by a few bridges and ditches.

Queens head does a cracking carvery on a sunday for a good price.

[Meantime]

7 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

always fun on the way back to st.olaves moorings after a night in the decoy tavern,

I never managed to get into The Decoy Tavern when it was open. Sadly it is now surrounded by Heras fencing and I believe is to be demolished and turned into five new homes!

[FairTmiddlin]

1 hour ago, Meantime said:

Who knew there was a forest in The Norfolk Broads? Off course we all did, we will have cruised past it many times, but probably not realised it was there. If you cruise from St Olaves down The Waveney towards Burgh Castle on your right is Waveney Forest. It is a privately owned forest with two public foot paths that partially go through the forest. One of those foot paths ends up at Staithe Belt opposite Seven Mile House. You may often have seen a clearing that leads down to the river edge and wondered how those people got there? Well they wandered through Waveney Forest and down the path to Staithe Belt. Whilst the forest is privately owned, there are many foot paths through the forest and whilst these are not designated public foot paths no one seems to object to their usage and you will find many members of the public making use of the paths.

There is relatively easy access along the riverbank from the BA public mooring at St Olaves, or by car if you drive away from St Olaves bridge towards Fritton, when you reach the now closed and soon to be demolished Decoy Tavern, turn left into New Road. Head down there and about halfway down on the lefthand side there is some parking by the edge of the forest. A word of warning. The owners of the forest are sadly doing some commercial clearing of the forest quite close to the car parking, although this would appear to be better than the original plan which was to clear large areas of the forest for quarrying. For now that plan has been put to bed, but it is still sad to see parts of the forest being commerically cleared.

Tuesdays 11th October I parked up in New Road and took a stroll through the forest before returning to New Road and walking up it in the direction of Belton. At the end of New Road I turned right and followed Back Lane that gradually narrows until it becomes a byway. Once it narrows to the point where it is no longer accessible for cars, it becomes a nice shaded byway which discets the golf course which is part of The Caldecott Hall complex. After a while I took a left turn onto Sandy Lane and into the village of Belton. I followed Station Road North until it turns right into St Johns Road and just off on the left is a public foot path that leads you down towards The Waveney River, just at the upstream end of The BA public mooring. 

 

 

At this point I'm reminded of an old nursey rhyme. 

"If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise"

Well in this case it was this Motley Crue!  The lads week.

 

 

Hi Meantime

Thanks for that. You write about my childhood stomping grounds. Many hours of walking those paths usually with our Collie forging ahead of me.

Born in New Road, the Waveney forest was, Forestry commission in my time there. So full of wartime training materials, live shells and bullets and even a couple of rifles, were collected and placed by certain marked trees in the woods for the army to collect and dispose of.

So sorry to hear of the demise of the Decoy. Like so many village pubs it used to be a buzzing core of the village. The landlord and landlady were firm friends of ours and would visit us when we moved up North.

Although I come back to Norfolk regularly. I haven't been back there for about 3 years. So lost touch.

[kpnut]

Yet more places to explore, following your superb write-ups. Many thanks.

[Meantime]

I only really discovered the forest as a place to walk about a year ago, despite coming to the Broads for over 20 years. I tend to use the Ordnance Survey app to scope out places to walk and then use Google maps street view to scope out possible parking places close to my planned walk, which is how I found the parking down New Road.

Doing some Googling recently I found there is quite a military history to Waveney Forest. Bell Hill near to Staithe Belt used to be a military battery. Some interesting place names around there. Skeleton Wood, Tinks Wood. Foxburrow Hang.

The path of the old dismantled railway through the forest is quite easy to follow, just a shame you cannot follow it all the way to Belton. I took the public footpath from Sandy Lane which runs down towards a dead end on the marsh. On the left is part of the golf course and on the right is a holiday park. As you get to the point where the path of the old railway line crosses the footpath there is locked gates in the golf course fence and the holiday park fence. I did wonder if some ancient right of way was being blocked, otherwise why have two gates in two different private properties right where the line would have crossed?

[Meantime]

21 minutes ago, kpnut said:

Yet more places to explore, following your superb write-ups. Many thanks.

The good thing about The Waveney Forest is it can easily be explored from the boat by mooring at The BA public mooring at St Olaves. If you walk away from St Olaves you soon reach a dyke where you head inland before turning left and skirting around the edge of the forest. Eventually the public footpath peters out to a dead end, officially, but there are many unofficial footpaths to explore from that point that take you through the forest.

You could do a circular walk through the forest, out to New Road, turn right along New Road and then right at the end back towards The Bell Inn before returning behind the bungalows to the mooring.

[kpnut]

I fully intend to do so when I get to the south. But I might take a drive round there sometime when I’m doing diy at the boat and needing a day off. 
Your photos are super, really bring the descriptions to life. 

[bewitched]

Hi kpnut, there are many hidden wonders around the Broads for those of us that use them rather than just sit at home and talk about them 

Like yourself I love to explore the walk and cruising routes all around the Broadlands so I hope you have great fun on your ventures.

There aren't many areas around the waterways I don't know, so I look forward to seeing if you can find somewhere new for me 

[Gracie]

A lot of people who sit at home talking about the Broads have reasons why they can't visit as much as they would like unfortunately. Perhaps they join here to make themselves feel closer and more in touch with the place they know and love. For those of you who are able to visit on a regular basis are very fortunate indeed, if not a bit poorer in the pocket 

[floydraser]

19 hours ago, Meantime said:

I only really discovered the forest as a place to walk about a year ago, despite coming to the Broads for over 20 years. I tend to use the Ordnance Survey app to scope out places to walk and then use Google maps street view to scope out possible parking places close to my planned walk, which is how I found the parking down New Road.

Doing some Googling recently I found there is quite a military history to Waveney Forest. Bell Hill near to Staithe Belt used to be a military battery. Some interesting place names around there. Skeleton Wood, Tinks Wood. Foxburrow Hang.

The path of the old dismantled railway through the forest is quite easy to follow, just a shame you cannot follow it all the way to Belton. I took the public footpath from Sandy Lane which runs down towards a dead end on the marsh. On the left is part of the golf course and on the right is a holiday park. As you get to the point where the path of the old railway line crosses the footpath there is locked gates in the golf course fence and the holiday park fence. I did wonder if some ancient right of way was being blocked, otherwise why have two gates in two different private properties right where the line would have crossed?

Thanks again for these walking guides.

I made enquires a while ago about opening up old railway lines for walking and cycling around here. The reply from the council said they could see the potential but added that through the mists of time most of the land had been sold to local farmers and was now private. Not sure how they've done it in other areas.

[Meantime]

It is a shame that not more have been saved or opened up. There is a cycle and footpath that runs from a public footpath in Normanston Lowestoft, diagonally towards the seafront. It ends at Station Road which I guess is the giveaway that it was an old railway line originally. It probably branched off towards Gorleston.

There is another good footpath that links East Ruston with Stalham, it forms part of The Weavers Way. It comes out at Stalham High Street, the end where the old hotel used to be. I'd read somewhere that a lot of the A149 follows the route of the old railway, and when you look at the map it becomes obvious that as the A149 bears inland after Stalham, the railway would have carried on along The Weavers Way. I believe the footpath between East Ruston and Stalham whilst forming part of The Weavers Way is still privately owned and is a permissive footpath. At section along the path there are still some of the old railway gates.

[Meantime]

The section I've highlighted in red is now a cycle / footpath. Quite an interesting map as it also shows the line that used to run from Aldeby through Haddiscoe and onto Yarmouth through The Waveney Forest.

I've also just read that during the second world war explosives were placed under the railway bridge at Potter Heigham ready to be detonated to blow the bridge up should there be an invasion. They were never removed and were discovered again in the 60's when workman with oxy acetylene torches were cutting up and dismantling the old bridge. Apparently, they moved pretty sharpish when they realised!! 

 

[marshman]

Gracie is of course exactly right - many of us sitting at home often have little choice how far we walk!! Oh how I envy those with the ability to walk 10 miles or more, which used to be my norm!

As we get older, often for one reason or another, our mobility decreases and I am now down  to 3 or 4 miles and some days even that's an effort - others its better!

So enjoy it whilst you are young, or fit enough to do it - you do miss it and worst of all its actually a toss up whether some days I go out and face the pain or stay in doors!

[Vaughan]

48 minutes ago, marshman said:

So enjoy it whilst you are young, or fit enough to do it - you do miss it and worst of all its actually a toss up whether some days I go out and face the pain or stay in doors!

Very true.

Personally, I gave up walking when I came out of the Army!

[Gracie]

2 hours ago, marshman said:

Gracie is of course exactly right 

Well of course, I'm a woman 

It's also threads like this from MT and the lovely holiday tales with beautiful photos that can really brighten up your day. Thank you all of you for taking the time and effort to post them.

I'd just like to add from my previous post that because people are fortunate to own their own boats, it's not luck, it's through hard work and saving the pennies to achieve your dream, I get that x