Best walks to or from Thetford
Norfolk · East Anglia | Walks by train
MapBeautiful walks starting or ending at Thetford Station.
Brandon Station to Thetford Station
Stunning route; a really lovely route, mostly through forest and fields. A mostly wooded walk through native and plantation forest on broad, clear gravel and compacted-dirt tracks, with sandy sections and a final stretch along the River Ouse on narrow and sometimes muddy riverside paths. A short road section on the outskirts of Brandon has no footpath. There is a campsite beside the River/Little Ouse with a swim spot. Deer can be seen on the route.
Easy: 12km, gentle ascents.
A short section on the edge of Brandon has no pavement (walk the verge). Near the river crossing by the Weir, fallen trees must be climbed over and two small streams crossed; not suitable for those with mobility issues. Riverside paths can be sloppy. Can be muddy.
Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route
Thetford Station to Attleborough Station
Predominantly road walking (around 90%): busy main roads with roundabouts out of Thetford, then smaller quiet roads through idyllic countryside and villages and with a section of semi-maintained forest track. Fairly accessible but not a great walking route. Passes near Snetterton race circuit (audible but not visible) and a swimming spot in the river at East Harling. Better suited to confident cyclists than walkers or children.
Tough: 28km. Gentle ascents.
Leaving Thetford the route is on a busy main road that does not feel safe for walking, without a continuous decent pavement.
Lunch: Quite a few places to eat in Thetford's high street at the start.
Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route
Bury St Edmunds Station to Thetford Station
A walk through forest and farmland that turns difficult in the final third, with a road section on the A134, field paths that are hard to find, a dismantled railway with no crossing and a dual carriageway with no central-barrier gap.
Tough: 25km. Gentle ascents.
The A134 near Ingham has no footpath for about 300m, forcing you to walk in the road. A field footpath is blocked by a dismantled railway with no way across, and you must cross a dual carriageway and clamber over its central barrier, which is not safe.