Walks from Hoveton and Wroxham

Field paths and a former-railway trail through Broads countryside to a riverside village; mostly unsurfaced with kissing gates, stiles, gates and steps, slight with one steep hill.

Coltishall

Lunch: Riverside pubs at Coltishall.

End-of-walk reward: Pubs and cafés in Wroxham.

Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).

A mix of field paths, pavements and quiet lanes, mostly on small lanes. Field sections can be muddy and harder to navigate in wet weather and with road-based alternatives in places; some parts have become overgrown. Passes Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, well worth visiting. Heads through the Broads.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Lunch: A pub, shop and cafe by Malthouse Broad at Ranworth, part-way along.

Warnings: There are short sections of fast 60mph road where stepping onto the bank is the only option when traffic comes.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A mostly flat route that leaves Norwich over Mousehold Heath, where flint-stone paths are steep and uneven underfoot, before settling into quiet country lanes and field paths and a wide farm track. Some sections can be muddy after rain; pavements are generally wide. Several shops and supermarkets in Sprowston for supplies early on; little in the way of facilities for the final five miles after Spixworth. Frequent trains and buses run back to Norwich from Hoveton.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Lunch: Shops, supermarkets and takeaways in Sprowston, plus a cafe at Spixworth village hall around two-thirds of the way.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Kings Head

Warnings: The route crosses the busy B1150 North Walsham Road twice, including a 50mph section, with no pedestrian crossing; take great care. The flint paths over Mousehold Heath are steep and uneven.

Walk details: Slow Ways.