Sunday, July 29, 2012
Peddars Way- Day Two
Day Two- Little Cressingham to Castle Acre- 12.5 miles;
After a suitably huge breakfast as befits an intrepid endurance walker I set off into grey cloud and the promise of drizzle. I thought that today would be the shortest an easiest day... I was wrong... instead it turned out to be the greatest threat to the whole walk!
If yesterday was dominated by forest walking, then today was all about road walking. I must admit that this first part of the Peddars Way isn't as interesting as the latter stages, and I probably wouldn't choose to walk it again.
Road Walking
Luckily the roads were quiet- rabbits were scampering across the road and at one point a weasel dashed across in front of me. The Peddars Way is well sign posted and there are even signs pointing to local pubs off route, with distances and phone numbers so you can contact them to check that they are open.
Sign Posts En Route
The church at the lost village of Houghton-on-the-Hill is just off route and apparently contains Roman frescoes, so I decided to take a look and turned off the main track into the drizzle. Unfortunately the church was locked so I didn't get to see the famous frescoes.
Houghton-On-The-Hill Church
After rejoining the route it passed through fields, the original Roman road being lost here. Although it was pretty, the ground was very soggy and I could feel blisters developing on both feet as socks and shoes were wet through. I decided I had better try to sort it out and stopped at North Pickenham to dress my wounds.
Cornfields And Wind Pumps
I sat on a handy bench and passed the time of day with an elderly lady with a wheelbarrow full of weeds. The route left the village- I couldn't resist a peep at a wooden Anglo Saxon warrior- and followed the line of an old railway.
Anglo Saxon Warrior
Old Railway Track
There was another Songline sculpture here- 'The piety of every man and every woman's whispered prayer clasped in the grain of wood and stone and in the grace of ancient air'.
Songlife Sculpture
The track ended at the A47 and a McDonalds, where I allowed myself to be seduced by a Smarties McFlurry! Unfortunately it was quite showery and I could feel my dressings sliding around which certainly wasn't helping my blisters any.
The last part of today's walk was along more roads, although the path sometimes followed field headlands next to the road. I caught my first glimpse of Castle Acre through a gap in the hedge, with the castle ruins looming over the village.
A ford allows entry to the village, although there is a bridge too so I didn't have to get my feet totally wet! The road into the village passes under Bailey Gate, part of the old castle fortifications.
Bailey Gate
As well as the castle ruins, there are also the ruins of a Cluniac Priory, a victim of Henry 8th's dissolution of the monasteries.
I had a sandwich and coffee in The Ostrich Inn, and walked down the road towards the priory ruins. Unfortunately it started to rain quite fast, so I decided not to pay to look around the ruins but headed for the castle instead. I took some pictures, but it started to pour, so I took shelter in a handy sentry arch in the ruins of a gateway. It was coming down in torrents, so I sat it out in my shelter for 30 minutes, before it eased enough for me to find the Cost Cutter and the path to the B and B. Unfortunately my blisters were quite sore at this point, and I was becoming concerned as I still had the longest three days to go.
As I headed out of the village, the sun came out and it was lovely. After some deliberation I decided to head back and snap the castle ruins in the sunshine. As it turned out, I was to regret this decision!
Castle Ruins
The castle dates from the 11th century and was built by William de Warrene, the first Earl of Surrey, who also built the priory. The castle was remodelled during the 12th century and fell into disrepair after the Civil War.
I had just scrambled down a steep bank to take the above photo when my right foot slipped on something and I fell heavily onto my right side. Feeling a fool, I got to my feet and walked off but after a few steps it was apparent that I had done something to my right ankle.
I was in some discomfort when I finally arrived at the B and B. I had deliberately chosen one out of the village to shorten tomorrow's distance, and Wicken View fitted the bill nicely with a warm welcome. I had another lovely hot bath, as a terrific storm broke overhead.
My ankle felt quite sore during the night, and my blisters looked pretty bad too- I was feeling really concerned and rather worried about tomorrow's 22 miles...
If yesterday was dominated by forest walking, then today was all about road walking. I must admit that this first part of the Peddars Way isn't as interesting as the latter stages, and I probably wouldn't choose to walk it again.
Luckily the roads were quiet- rabbits were scampering across the road and at one point a weasel dashed across in front of me. The Peddars Way is well sign posted and there are even signs pointing to local pubs off route, with distances and phone numbers so you can contact them to check that they are open.
The church at the lost village of Houghton-on-the-Hill is just off route and apparently contains Roman frescoes, so I decided to take a look and turned off the main track into the drizzle. Unfortunately the church was locked so I didn't get to see the famous frescoes.
After rejoining the route it passed through fields, the original Roman road being lost here. Although it was pretty, the ground was very soggy and I could feel blisters developing on both feet as socks and shoes were wet through. I decided I had better try to sort it out and stopped at North Pickenham to dress my wounds.
I sat on a handy bench and passed the time of day with an elderly lady with a wheelbarrow full of weeds. The route left the village- I couldn't resist a peep at a wooden Anglo Saxon warrior- and followed the line of an old railway.
There was another Songline sculpture here- 'The piety of every man and every woman's whispered prayer clasped in the grain of wood and stone and in the grace of ancient air'.
The track ended at the A47 and a McDonalds, where I allowed myself to be seduced by a Smarties McFlurry! Unfortunately it was quite showery and I could feel my dressings sliding around which certainly wasn't helping my blisters any.
The last part of today's walk was along more roads, although the path sometimes followed field headlands next to the road. I caught my first glimpse of Castle Acre through a gap in the hedge, with the castle ruins looming over the village.
A ford allows entry to the village, although there is a bridge too so I didn't have to get my feet totally wet! The road into the village passes under Bailey Gate, part of the old castle fortifications.
As well as the castle ruins, there are also the ruins of a Cluniac Priory, a victim of Henry 8th's dissolution of the monasteries.
As I headed out of the village, the sun came out and it was lovely. After some deliberation I decided to head back and snap the castle ruins in the sunshine. As it turned out, I was to regret this decision!
I had just scrambled down a steep bank to take the above photo when my right foot slipped on something and I fell heavily onto my right side. Feeling a fool, I got to my feet and walked off but after a few steps it was apparent that I had done something to my right ankle.
I was in some discomfort when I finally arrived at the B and B. I had deliberately chosen one out of the village to shorten tomorrow's distance, and Wicken View fitted the bill nicely with a warm welcome. I had another lovely hot bath, as a terrific storm broke overhead.
My ankle felt quite sore during the night, and my blisters looked pretty bad too- I was feeling really concerned and rather worried about tomorrow's 22 miles...
Labels: Castle Acre, Peddars Way
