On the 24th May 2024 (Bank Holiday Monday) I arrive at Hainault Forest by bus and wait for my friend Ian to join me.
Ian arrives and we discuss a route and we set off through Hainault Country Park passing the petting zoo and the Woodlands Trust Café further down. I can feel my ankle twinging a little, I had pain on my last walk in Norfolk, hoping it won’t be too bad. We pass some houses then turn left and up a muddy path.
This ancient woodland is home to a wealth of wildlife and plant species, and was once a royal hunting forest. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 ancient hornbeam pollards survive, which support a myriad of species including owls, woodpeckers, bats and whole communities of specialised insects, lichens, mosses and fungi.
The path becomes very muddy and we are trying to find firm ground to make our way across. Should be dry be this time of year, but we have had a lot of rain.
I miss a path that would have took us diagonally across, but no matter we will take a slightly longer path and skirt around the outside.
We emerge from the trees and turn left alongside a field and uphill towards Crabtree Hill.
At the top by a gate, we turn left and walk along passing a marker for the LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL BOUNDARY.
So this means we must now officially be in Essex. We turn up a path and follow this up to Manor Road.
We cross the road and enter Gallmans End Farm and take a footpath from here.
This path is very muddy indeed and very slippery in places and deep water in others.
We reach a point where the path was so flooded so was no way across other than wading. I remember seeing a bit earlier where we could get out onto a farm field, so I walk back to check this out. There was indeed so we walk of the path and along the field.
A little further on we re-joined the path and cut across to another path that passes a view across to Bishops Hall.
Bishops Hall
Designed by former president of the Royal Horticultural Society, Lord Lambourne, the Abridge country estate has three lakes, mature trees, formal lawns and two houses. The main home Bishops Hall is a palatial six-bedroom residence, which replaced the original Victorian house after it was destroyed in the 1900s. The current mansion is smaller than the original, but still boasts six reception rooms, domestic offices and an attic.
As we approach the church, My ankle is really giving me a lot of pain. We have no other options but to continue.
We reach the Church of St Marys and All Saints in Lambourne.
Like much of the neighbouring area, Lambourne was thickly wooded in the Middle Ages with forest gradually being cleared for agriculture. A few remnants of the historic Hainault Forest are found in the southern fringe of the parish, and now form part of a country park.
Its population was 505 in 1801 rising to 904 by 1841, remaining at about that level for the next century.
The church was built about the middle of the 12th century, but in the 13th century the chancel was almost entirely rebuilt. Early in the 16th century the bell turret was added. In the middle of the 18th century both the chancel and the nave were largely remodelled, most of the windows being renewed and the north and south doorways of the nave reset. During the removal of defective plaster in 1951 on the north wall of the nave there was disclosed the stone jamb, part of the head, and deep splay of one of the original Norman Lights. This has been preserved. The walls are of flint rubble, covered with cement; the dressings are of limestone and brick; the roofs are tiled, the bell turret and west gable are weather boarded and the spire is covered with lead.
Lambourne Hall
Opposite the church is Lambourne Hall.
In 1050, the manor of Lambourne belonged to Leffi, a Saxon, but at the Conquest, it was given to Eustace, Earl of Boulogne. It was afterwards held by the Lambourne, Lampet, Hatfield, Barfoot, Aland, and Fortescue families. In 1782, it was purchased of the latter by the Rev. Edward Lockwood, and it now belongs to Wm. Joseph Lockwood, Esq., who has a pleasant seat here, called Bishop's Hall, but part of the parish belongs to Sir Charles C. Smith, Bart., Mr. Samuel Crane, Mr. John Jones, and a few smaller freeholders.
Lambourne Hall is an old farmhouse, which has been a large mansion, and near it was a handsome house, built by the first Lord Fortescue, but it was pulled down many years ago.
We walk up the road a bit and take a footpath near to the grounds of Lambourne Hall and head towards Abridge, still following the Three Forests Way.
We walk through a field of ponies before another field of Alpacas and out onto New Farm Drive.
New Farm Drive
At the end of New Farm Drive I turn left onto Ongar Road and walk into Abridge.
It takes its name from the brick bridge over the River Roding, which is situated just to the north of the modern centre, on the road to Theydon Bois.
Abridge lies on the historically important stagecoach route between London and Chipping Ongar and has been an important crossing point of the River Roding for many centuries. The boundary of the Conservation Area includes the historic core of the village which is evident on the Chapman and Andre Map of 1777. Originally in the parish of Lambourne, Holy Trinity Church was built in 1836; before this, parishioners had to walk three miles to Lambourne Church by a footpath. A Wesleyan chapel was built in Abridge in 1833; it became Congregational in 1844. The hymn tune "Abridge" by Isaac Smith 1734–1805 was named after the village.
Listed buildings include the Blue Boar Inn (early 19th century), now renamed the New Boar Inn, the group of medieval buildings that form the Roding Restaurant, the 18th-century house immediately northeast of the restaurant, Roding House (late medieval), River Cottage in Ongar Road, and the Maltsters Arms (18th century).To the east of the village is Stapleford Aerodrome formerly RAF Stapleford Tawney of 11 Group east sector.
We walk to the Maltsters Arms, been a pub I haven’t drunk in yet and was a closed last time and bugger me closed again this time!
So we walk back to what is now called The New Boar Inn a have a pint of Madri.
I ponder whether to walk on to Deben Station like last time or across to Stapleford Abbotts to The Rabbits Pub where I haven’t drunk before either. My foot feels a little better with rest, So I decide we’d walk to The Rabbits PH.
We walk back up through the village back up New Farm Road and take a different path alongside some houses.
This takes out onto a field of horses that trotted over to say hello.
We walk through Apes Grove and follow a path to Church Road that we cross.
Another path takes us pass Stapleford Aerodrome and we can see many light aircraft on the field. We pass an old pillbox that I assume was placed there during WWII to defend the airfield.
In the field below us were a few Hares, boy can they run fast!
My ankle is killing me again, but it not far now. But to add further pain it’s started to rain!
We somehow missed our path, there were no signs. Bugger it we’ll follow the farm track and hope (1) no angry farmer comes running out and (2) there no gate or fence to stop us reaching the road.
Well with luck we passed the farmhouse sharpish and no angry farmer and we were able to walk out onto Stapleford Road and up to The Rabbits pub.
I check the bus stops for the next bus. Bugger!!! No buses on Sundays or Bank Holidays.
So I have a pint of Cruzcampo and order a cab back to Collier Row. No way could I walk any further on this ankle.
8 miles in all, I really hope this ankle problem I’ve had for a few weeks isn’t the end of my walking days!! How much is an off road mobility scooter anyone?
On Monday the 13th May 2024 I picked up Ian at 6am and drove to Weybourne, where we finished the path last time. We parked up for free on street parking at Home Park Rise, otherwise its £8.50 a day at the car here.
The village's name origin is uncertain. The second element is 'stream'. The specific may be a pre-English river-name, or perhaps, 'weir/mill-dam stream', although there is no evidence for the age of the mill pond here. Other suggestions such as the Old English 'wearg', 'felon' and 'wagu', 'quagmire' are less likely.
We climb up a small cliff and up top here in the cliffs are nesting Sand Martins and the air is full of them.
The beach below is framed with beautiful Sea Thrift or Sea Pinks as they are also sometimes known.
Sea thrift, Armeriamaritima, is typically found growing on cliffs and seashores, but also makes a pretty garden flower. A compact, evergreen perennial, it forms low clumps from which long stems of soft pink blooms emerge in summer and attracts bees.
Across to our right we can see the Windmill here in Weybourne.
The Windmill was built in 1850 and consists of five storeys built from red brick. When it was in operation the sails, which are now fixed in an easterly direction, powered three pairs of overdriven millstones. The millstones were located on the second floor. The mill had four double shuttered sails. The cap is boat shaped and has an eight-bladed fan. It once also had a stage around its girth at the second floor which has long been removed.
The windmill ceased production in 1916 and fell into disrepair. In 1925 some restoration work of sorts took place but as a result most of the machinery was removed except for the windshaft. By 1929 the windmill had passed into the hands of Sydney Broklesby and the mill had no sails, fantail or gallery.
In 1967 the windmill was purchased by A Mr Body and in 1968 a new cap made and installed by William Bird & Son, Contractors Ltd. of North Walsham. In 1969 the skeleton sails seen to this day were installed by Thompson & Son. There was no brake wheel and so sails were fixed accordingly to face to the East. In 1970, a grant was given by the Norfolk Windmills Trust to restore the paintwork of the windmill and in 1973 a further grant was given by the Trust for further renovation and maintenance work. In 1982 the windmill was once again up for sale and was sold for £125,000. Hate to think what it’s worth now, but what a great property that would be to own!
We continue along the cliff and approach some cottages by the edge.
I see a flag and assume it must be the flag of Norfolk and a google search confirms this.
The flag of the English county of Norfolk consists of a vertical bi-colour of gold and black, with a white bend bearing nine black ermine spots alternating between pairs and singles. It was officially registered on 11 September 2014 as a traditional county flag, following a campaign by Norfolk resident Dominic Victor Maverick Smith.
The flag's design is the banner of arms attributed to the first Earl of Norfolk, Ralph de Gael. This 12th-century design has been associated with the county ever since, appearing on maps and books and forming the basis of the county council arms awarded in 1904. It is thought that the ermine bend (the diagonal stripe from top left to bottom right) found in the design may be a reference to Brittany, where Ralph was Lord of Gaël; the dukes of Brittany bore a shield of plain ermine, and accordingly ermine figures in much Breton heraldry, including the regional flag. This ermine pattern has had differing designs but for the registration a precise form was chosen in consultation with the Flag Institute and a flag bearing this design was commissioned by the Association of British Counties. This pattern was duly registered.
We walk around the cliffs and back onto the path and eventually we walk pass the National Trust Sheringham Park sign.
We walk on through some Gorse and alongside a golf course.
The path comes to an incline again and we stop to look at a fishing boat out at sea.
The path climbs steeply now, I thought Norfolk was supposed to be flat!
At the top we stop at a bench to eat and drink by the Sheringham Coast Watch.
Sheringham Coastwatch operates from the old coastguard lookout on Skelding Hill.
At 170ft above sea level, the watch tower has a commanding view extending 15 miles out to sea and as far as Blakeney looking back.
Their volunteers are on watch seven days a week, 365 days a year from:
09:00 - 16:00 (BST) in the winter
09:00 - 18:00 (BST) in the summer
As our primary purpose is to maintain a visual watch over the coastline, we can only operate during daylight hour.
We walk on through more Gorse and continue alongside Sheringham Golf Course.
As we start to descend the cliff we can see Sheringham in the distance.
We walk pass a boating lake and into Sheringham.
The place-name 'Sheringham' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Silingeham. It appears as Siringeham in 1174, and Scheringham in the Book of Fees (Liber feodorum) in 1242. The name means 'the homestead of Scira's people'.
Historically, the parish of Sheringham comprised the two villages of Upper Sheringham, a farming community, and Lower Sheringham, which combined farming with fishing.
The fishing industry was at its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the coming of the railways made it possible for fish to be transported more efficiently to market. Through the 1900s the focus of the fishing, as all along the north Norfolk coast, began to be on crabs, lobsters and whelks. The local fishermen were major suppliers of crabs and lobsters to the London fish markets. Long lining for cod and the catching of herring began to become less important in the second half of the century, as did whelking. Today, from a peak of maybe 200 boats, Sheringham has eight boats operated single-handed.
The current town of Sheringham was once Lower Sheringham, a fishing station for the main village, now known as Upper Sheringham. It is a railway town that was developed with the coming of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway line in the late 19th century. Most of Sheringham's range of buildings and shops come from this period and the early 20th century. It has a particularly interesting range of buildings using flint, not normally in the traditional Norfolk style but in a variety of techniques. Sheringham Town Hall, the former headquarters of Sheringham Urban District Council, was completed in 1912.
A walk along Sheringham’s seafront will take you past exhibits from The Sheringham Art and Sculpture trail; unique works by local professional artists, part of a regeneration project transforming stark areas of the concrete sea defence.
Sheringham is home to artist Brian Lewis. He depicts iconic Norfolk scenes; seal boats, stately homes, beach huts, with mischievous individuality. Don’t miss Sheringham’s Little Theatre (big programme!) the smallest stage of any professional theatre in the UK and one of the last surviving summer rep seasons in the country.
In the First World War, Sheringham was hit by two bombs from a Zeppelin raid at 20:30 GMT on 18 January 1915, making it the first place in Britain to be attacked by Zeppelins from the air. No one was killed.
The fishing industry was at its peak in the late 19th Century. Londoners took the train to the Norfolk coast just to eat crabs, lobsters and whelks. Of 200 boats back then, now only eight remain, but ties to the sea stay strong. The town's own Morris dancers are known as ‘The Lobster Potties’! The Mo, Sheringham’s Museum, has a collection of old lifeboats and is home to the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Windfarm visitor centre. The Fishermen’s Heritage Centre charts the history of the private ‘Upcher’ lifeboats, provided by the Upcher family of nearby Sheringham Hall. Next door’s shell gallery displays over 200 exquisite examples
We pass some brightly painted beach huts as we continue
along the promenade.
As we walk on and onto the beach, it’s here I notice that we had gone wrong and missed the path that takes us up and onto the Beeston Bump.
Beeston Bump (formed 10-15k years ago and still rising!) towers above us.
I look along the beach and it looks like the tide is going out so we shouldn’t get cut off by the sea and we decide to carry on an avoid The Beeston Bump climb out of Sheringham.
We eventually reach West Runton Beach and the Seaview Beach Café. There is a toilet block here too.
We walk up the slope and continue along the cliffs.
Rocky Bottoms started out as a 1800s brick kiln with a purpose to fire bricks. Eventually the brick kiln was unable to compete with larger competitors and closed down after WW2. Since this time the brick kiln has offered itself as agricultural storage until it collapsed and stood derelict.
In 2008 the brick kiln’s potential and need of restoration was spotted by local fishing family; The Matthews. After years of love and attention, Rocky Bottoms, as we know it today was born. Their doors opened in May 2015, just in time for the start of the crab season. They deliver local shellfish from pot to plate in a laid back environment. Rocky Bottoms believes in enjoying the simpler things in life!
Richard has been the local fisherman for 35 years; his faithful Anna-Gail fishing boat is a traditional double-ended crab boat who is naturally au fait with the north Norfolk coast and is just one of very few traditional fishing boats on our waters today.
On return from fishing Richard boils the crabs and lobsters and Alison prepares the produce, mainly dressing crabs which involves removing the ‘dead man’s finger’ and cracking open the claws. At this point the crabs and lobsters are Rocky Bottoms ready.
We walk on along the cliff passing East Runton and eventually we reach Woodhill Campsite where Ian has camped many times before, here we are diverted out onto Cromer Road and eventually back through the carpark to the cliff top and walk down into Cromer.
The town has given its name to the Cromerian Stage or Cromerian Complex, also called the Cromerian, a stage in the Pleistocene glacial history of north-western Europe.
Cromer is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The place-name 'Cromer' is first found in a will of 1262and could mean 'Crows' mere or lake'.There are other contenders for the derivation, a north-country word 'cromer' meaning 'a gap in the cliffs' or less likely a direct transfer from a Danish placename.
It is reasonable to assume that the present site of Cromer, around the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, is what was in 1337 called Shipden-juxta-Felbrigg, and by the end of the 14th century known as Cromer. A reference to a place called CrowemereShipden can be seen in a legal record, dated 1422, (1 Henry VI), the home of John Gees.The other Shipden is now about a quarter of a mile to the north east of the end of Cromer Pier, under the sea. Its site is marked by Church Rock, now no longer visible, even at a low spring tide. In 1888 a small pleasure steamer called Victoria struck the remains of the church tower, and the rock was subsequently blown up for safety. In the present day, members of Great Yarmouth sub-aqua club dived at the site, and salvaged artefacts from both the medieval church and the wreck of Victoria. Cromer became a resort in the early 19th century, with some of the rich Norwich banking families making it their summer home. Visitors included the future King Edward VII, who played golf here. The resort's facilities included the late-Victorian Cromer Pier, which is home to the Pavilion Theatre. In 1883 the London journalist Clement Scott went to Cromer and began to write about the area. He named the stretch of coastline, particularly the Overstrand and Sidestrand area.
We stop at No.1 Fish and Chips and get a drink and a portion of chips which we enjoy by the pier.
Cromer suffered several bombing raids during the Second World War. Shortly after one raid, Cromer featured as the location for an episode of An American In England, written by Norman Corwin with the narrator staying in the Red Lion Hotel and retelling several local accounts of life in the town at wartime. The radio play first aired in the United States on 1 December 1942 on the CBS/Columbia Workshop programme starring Joe Julian. The account mentions some of the effects of the war on local people and businesses and the fact that the town adopted a Bangor-class minesweeper, HMS Cromer.
On 5 December 2013 the town was affected by a storm surge which caused significant damage to the town's pier and seafront.
In 2016, the Cromer shoal chalk beds, thought to be Europe's largest chalk reef, were officially designated as a Marine Conservation Zone.
There are records of a pier in Cromer back as far as 1391, although then it was in the form of a jetty. In the year 1582, Queen Elizabeth I, in a letter to the inhabitants of Cromer granted rights to export wheat, barley and malt with the proceeds to be used for the maintenance and well-being of the pier and the town of Cromer.
In 1822, a 210-foot (64 m) long jetty was built (of cast iron, made by Hase of Saxthorpe) but this structure lasted just 24 years before it was totally destroyed in a storm. This jetty was replaced by another wooden structure but this time it was a little longer being 240 feet (73 m). This jetty soon became very popular for promenading. A keeper was employed to keep order; there were strict rules applied including no smoking, and ladies were required to retire from the jetty by 9 PM. The last wooden jetty survived until 1897, when it was damaged beyond repair after a coal boat smashed into it. It was dismantled and the timber sold for £40.
For a period of time from this date Cromer was without a pier but to end this situation the "Pier Commissioners" planned to replace the old wood structure with a more fashionable structure. In 1902, the new pier was completed and opened to the public. This new pier was designed by Douglass and Arnott and the construction was carried out by Alfred Thorne. The new pier was 450 feet (140 m) long and had cost £17,000 to build. In the early years the pier consisted of glass-screened shelters and a bandstand on the end of the pier. The shelters were roofed over in 1905 to form a pavilion; the bandstand was later replaced with a stage and proscenium arch. From 1907 this was used to accommodate the latest craze of roller-skating.
The pier is owned and maintained by North Norfolk District Council which undertook responsibility for running and funding after the local government re-organisation of 1974. Since that time, the District Council have carried out a number of major repair and refurbishments, the most recent being completed in 2013.
In March 2015, the pier was voted Pier of the Year 2015 by the National Piers Society. Owners North Norfolk District Council said it was "a fantastic reward" and they were "hugely proud of the pier".
We leave Cromer, the path officially follows the beach but we climb the cliffs up to get a good view of Cromer Lighthouse.
There has been a lighthouse on the cliff top at Foulness, east of the town of Cromer since 1669. Before this time a light was shone from the top of Cromer parish church to act as a guide to passing shipping. Although this light was small it had always been useful, as had many similar ecclesiastical lights that were dotted around the coastline of Great Britain from medieval times.
With the expected destruction of the old lighthouse, plans to build a new lighthouse had been put into place long before the loss of 1866.
The present lighthouse was built half of a mile from the cliff edge (although it is now much closer), and came into operation in 1833. It is constructed of masonry and the tower is octagonal in shape and is 59 feet (18 m) tall. When built, the tower was topped by a much larger lantern than at present; it contained a revolving three-sided array of 30 oil lamps (ten on each side, each mounted within a parabolic reflector),[ which consumed around 1,100 imperial gallons (5,000 L; 1,300 US gal) of oil annually. The optical apparatus took three minutes to complete a full revolution, so the lighthouse continued to display one flash per minute; it was said to be visible up to a distance of 27 nautical miles (50 km; 31 miles).
By 1897 the equipment in the lantern had been upgraded: it now contained fourteen mineral oil lamps and reflectors, arranged in two divisions on either side of a frame which revolved on its vertical axis; it made a full revolution every two minutes (so preserving the lighthouse's characteristic of one flash every minute) and had a range of 27 miles.
We continue along the cliff passing the Royal Cromer Golf Club and along the Overstrand Cliffs.
These soft cliffs are subject to falls and slumping, providing a habitat for species associated with disturbance such as the rare beetles Bledius filipes, Harpalus vernalis and Nebria livida. The cliff is geologically important for its succession of Pleistocene glacial exposures.
We eventually reach Overstrand by the car park and café. We head inland to catch the bus back.
We wait almost half hour before the CoastHopper 2 bus arrives to take us into Cromer. At Cromer we wait another 15 minutes for the CoastHopper 1 bus to take us back to Weybourne. We board ask for tickets to Weybourne. The driver says “ Oh I don’t think we’re going into Weybourne as the road was closed earlier! I’ll have to check with control. Otherwise the closest is either Sheringham or Cley Next the Sea!” Anyway Control didn’t know. The driver said he saw no signs on the way, so we’ll chance it and try to drive to Weybourne. The bus drove off and a fingerbiting journey did take us to Weybourne. We got lucky. We got off thanking the driver and walked back to the car for the 2 and a half hour drive home.
Another great day on the Norfolk Coast at 10.5 miles in all.
