Roudham Junction, Wretham & Hockham, Stow Bedon, Watton & Holme Hale, Click here for Swaffham Gallery 2: 1963 - 1967, The Great Eastern Commemorative Steam Tour, Off Station Street A1065 north of the Market Place and town centre. West of the station an earth bund prevents access and sight along the trackbed. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. Generally, you should have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to manage 7 or 8 miles at about 3 miles per hour. The area was named "Loch Neaton" in honour of the Scottish navvies who built the line, with Neaton being the local hamlet. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Both companies lines were double track at that point although each became single less than 100yd beyond the junction. Our area groups publish periodic local newsletters, usually by email, which set out what is happening in each area. An 8.20 am Thetford to Watton train returned from the market town at 8.49 am after a five minute stop. It was given to the town by Lord Orford in 1783. The cheapest way to get from Swaffham to Wells-next-the-Sea costs only 8, and the quickest way takes just 32 mins. Part of the extraction site was flooded and became known locally as Loch Neaton, allegedly after the Scots navvies who built the railway. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. It is now fairly clear. This part of Norfolk has the highest density for Pingo ponds and I can guarantee you certainly wont be disappointed with what youll see. [13], Swaffham is one of the many locations for The Man Who Became Rich through a Dream folk tale (Aarne-Thompson type 1645). The road was not, however, constructed. Most of the Pingos that were in the Brecks area have now disappeared due to the land being ploughed up for farming, so the ones remaining are historically, ecologically and internationally important for the wildlife. The idea has been suggested as part of Breckland Council's 'Future Breckland' project . An exhibition of Carters work in Egypt can be seen in the town museum, which also serves as the tourist information centre. Once through Cranberry Rough, you then follow the straight disused Thetford to Swaffham railway track for a while, along open farmland, and this path eventually takes you all the way back to the car park. Another famous local was Howard Carter, the eminent 20th-century Egyptologist who discovered Tutankhamuns tomb in the Valley of the Kings and is rumoured to have died as the result of the boy-king curse. The walk begins in the centre of Swaffham, near the Market Cross. Tools The Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch), also known as the Crab and Winkle Line, [1] was a railway line in England. Drive from Kent to Swaffham. Experience a V shaped wood, an ancient ice house, an extraordinary church interior and a beautiful lake. Other great bird watching walks can be found here on our coastal and inland walks page. Theres a well-equipped kitchen, enclosed Little Flint and Lyons Green are two secluded, traditional brick and flint English country cottages built in the early 18th century, both with inglenook fireplaces, beams and many original features. He had a fine hound called Czarina, who regularly chased hares across the heaths surrounding Swaffham. The Wattonwater feature is so named because it was created byScottish railway workerswho were digging earth to be used for anembankment on the line. Tickets for travel from intermediate stations, except at Watton, were issued by the guard. There was a smaller building, little more than a shelter, on this platform facing the south platform; the pent roof of this structure sloped upwards towards the platform face and its angle was continued by the timber awning. Passing through Thetford Forest between Stow Bedon and Hockham Heath the trackbed is a Permitted Public Path before once more being obliterated by agricultural activity towards the site of Roudham Junction. The section of line between Stow Bedon and Wretham was intended to be used for a new road, and Stow Bedon station was demolished as part of this plan. Opened in 1875, the Watton and Swaffham Railway -also known as the Crab and Winkle line - connected the towns with Thetford in one direction and King's Lynn in the other. That on the south (up) side housed the main station buildings, the station yard and public access from the town. From here you continue along the path and over the common land until you reach a junction with fairly open land on your right hand side. This is Downton station, the first stop south of Salisbury on the LSWRs cross-country line from Salisbury to Wimborne, whence most services continued to Bournemouth West (although Dorchester and Weymouth could also be reached directly). Disused Railways - Open Paths and Trails It was the junction for lines to King's Lynn, Dereham, and Thetford. Cross the busy road and head for the path for cyclists and walkers only. For Swaffham Bulbeck in Cambridgeshire, see. [28] Shortly after the sale, Swaffham Town Council gave BCD a parcel of land next to the centre on which BDC intends to build a leisure centre. [5] On the top is the statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest. The up platform was linked to the down side platform by a footbridge at the east end of the station. In 1897 it was fully absorbed into the Great Eastern Railway and became part of the London & North Eastern Railway at grouping of the nations railways on 1 January 1923. ', 'Inspired by the BBC series, Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury, this section aims to document the surviving remnants of Britain's many disused railways (unfortunately without the assistance of Julia Bradbury). Rose (NLA), 16 June 1995.Overbridge north of North Pickenham village still marked RJS 2409 14 miles 15 chains.The embankment remains in part to the east.E. "Ice Age To Royalty" Norfolk Stately Homes walk. Apr 2023 - Watton-Swaffham railway . Timetables from Alan Young . The view from the hide overlooking Thompson Water. Turn left to continue along this road, past a few cottages until it turns into a track straight ahead. From there easily with the Metro to Heinrich-Heine-Allee (Altstadt) go upstairs and walk to the river rhine Promenade. Further round the coast you'll findGreat Yarmouth, one of the most popular resorts in the UK and packed full of amusements, shops and seashore entertainment. Steam-worked passenger trains ceased running through Swaffham at the end of the 1955 summer timetable after which all services was operated by DMUs based at Dereham. Watton-Swaffham railway line could become 15km walking link The last train to Thetford left at 7.16pm and arrived back at Swaffham at 10.01pm. Via Airport sky train to Airport railway Station. Biddle (Victorian Stations, 1973) notes the plain ogee gables and lozenge-latticed windows which betokened a delightfully cosy simplicity entirely fitting in north Norfolk. You occasionally have to keep an eye out for way markers, but Norfolk Trails have upgraded the posts, so you shouldn't have a problem. Once past this stretch of open meadow, youll have a very pretty walk in amongst woodland and alongside a stream and eventually arriving at more Pingoponds and then the wonderfully picturesque Thompson Water. Beyond the barrier the line is a cycleway and footpath, about a mile long, ending abruptly at a metal fence near the A47 Swaffham bypass. [12], One of the ballast quarries created during the construction of the railway through Watton was converted into a leisure park and bathing lake known as Loch Neaton. A Brief History of the Watton and Swaffham Railway - also known as the Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch) Railway The shopkeeper laughed, and replied that he often dreamed that if he went to a certain orchard in Swaffham and started digging, he would find buried treasure. Under the proposal, the former Watton-Swaffham railway line would be repurposed to become a walking and cycling link. Beyond it the spans of the Sporle Road bridge have gone although its abutments are partially present. The club carries Civil Liability Insurance, which covers all members plus non-members on taster events (as described above) but not friends, family or other casual participants. On the main line there were six passenger trains in each direction plus one more on each of Tuesday and Saturday, these being market days in Lynn and Norwich respectively. book contains 18 walks with an interest. The Watton town plan includes a separate proposal to regenerate the area around the loch,potentially including the provision of new car parking, toilet facilities and a cafe. Norfolk Health, Heritage and Biodiversity Walks Project, 'Walking your way around Swaffham, you will see many fine examples of historic architecture and you will experience a sense of traditionalism mixed with the energy of modern day life. Earth was extracted from a pit beside the route. There are various exhibitions on display throughout the year and children's activities in all A castle mound was raised here by the Earls of Surrey in about ad 1080, and the first stone castle was added around the 11th century. Sunday saw two trains, both late in the day, the first activity being at 4.32 pm from Swaffham. They point out that similar links have been created along other disused railway lines across the country, such as the 13-mile Bristol and Bath Railway Path, which hosts some 2.5 millionjourneys per year. Set off on this walk from Tennyson Ave and follow the Swaffham . Swaffham railway station - Trainstation | RouteYou Goods traffic continued on the line as far as Watton until 19 April 1965 and Swaffham lost all of its goods trains in 1966. The pace and physical demands on our walks is more Rob Bell than Bear Grylls. These two turbines have since been joined by an independent development of a further eight turbines at the village of North Pickenham, three miles from Swaffham. This trail is great for running and walking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. On the west side of Swaffham Market Place are several old buildings which for many years housed the historic Hamond's Grammar School, as a plaque on the wall of the main building explains. The line from the junction with the Dereham line at Swaffham remains unobstructed, although with some bridges removed. 'Lists as many accessible disused railways that have been converted to Greenways as we can find. Streetmap, A circular walk from Turbine Way, Swaffham; heading west from Swaffham along Shouldham Lane, turning south then east from Town Farm along Shoemakers Lane towards the southern end of Swaffham, joining Dulgate Lane to head north on tracks and paths until the route of an old railway line is reached, turning west on this route and continuing on paths and roads back to the start. If you want to see what's in store for you before you go, why not check out the video below! The North Norfolk Coast is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and probably the finest of its kind in Europe. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, 1st Floor, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, Wales, NP20 1DW Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Just after Swaffham, the line split into two, one branch heading south to Thetford, and the other east towards Dereham. Overview. As you venture out in to the rural surrounds of the town, you will have the opportunity to explore the fascinating remains of castles, churches and priories, to learn more about Breckland's natural environment and discover how this has influenced land-use and communities throughout the ages.'. The 1906 timetable shows five southbound weekday (up) through trains and four down. About 8km to the north of Swaffham can be found the ruins of the formerly important Castle Acre Priory and Castle Acre Castle. Railway Station to Swaffham, Kings Arms. By the 14th and 15th centuries Swaffham had an emerging sheep and wool industry. . Light railway steam locomotive for use on branch lines. [24] In 2008 the energy company Ecotricity took over the management of the site[25] and in 2012 the visitor centre was renamed the Green Britain Centre. Last walked on 23 July 2016, A circular walk from Turbine Way, Swaffham; heading west from Swaffham along Shouldham Lane, turning south then east from Town Farm along Shoemakers Lane to reach the centre of Swaffham, heading east by the churchyard and then to the southern end of Swaffham by streets, joining Dulgate Lane to head north on tracks and paths until the route of an old railway line is reached, turning west on this route and continuing on paths and roads back to the start.