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Shotesham Five Churches, Norfolk

Difficulty Easy

Walking time 2 hours 49 minutes

Length 12.1km / 7.5mi

Route developer: Janet Stevens

Route checker: peter james

Start location Shotesham St Mary's Church car park
Route Summary A circular easy going walk from Shotesham passing five different churches, some complete and some ruined. The route passes through a number of woodlands and crosses several fields and grassy tracks.
*move mouse over graph to see points on route
Getting there

Car - Shotesham is situated around 7 miles south of Norwich, off the A140.

Bus - The 004 runs to Shotesham from Norwich bus station and Harleston. Operates Mondays to Saturdays excluding bank holidays - http://www.anglianbus.co.uk/timetables/

Description

[1] From Shotesham St Mary’s Church car park, and with the church behind you, turn left into the road and walk past the second, ruined church on your left. Carry on to the T junction with Rogers Lane. Ignore the footpath sign ahead. Turn left and walk a few yards to a footpath sign on the right. Turn right and walk along a field edge track. (The path bends left at a waymarker, keep following this path until you reach a crossing footpath. Turn right and walk across the field to a  bridge and a stile.

Cross the stile and walk ahead on the right hand side of the field. Cross the stile in the right hand corner at the end of the field, and turn right along a farm track to the road. Turn left and walk along the road, Wood Lane. Follow the road right just after the junction with Wash Lane (there is a footbridge if water is flowing across the road) to a footpath sign ahead. Take the field edge path from the corner of the road making sure that you cross a stile into a meadow near its end. At the far end of this meadow is another stile on the left. Cross the stile and turn left into (A) Saxlingham Nethergate churchyard.

[2] Follow the path on the right hand side. Pass by the church which is usually open and walk out to the road ahead.

It is worth looking round this pretty village with its splendid (B) Old Hall, near the church entrance.

Turn right at the road keeping the memorial to your right take the track to the left at crossing take track to left to corner of woods the path to church on this corner   

(C) Saxlingham St Mary Magdelene ruined church  pass through the church to a path to the end of woods turn right along track to finger post to the left follow field edge to plank bridge cross follow path to the side of school at road turn right   then left into  hall lane   were you will pick up waymarkers for  Boudicca’s Way — note the yellow waymark bearing a sword, passing a finger post to your left take the path to right along field edge  to a track  at road turn left  (Saxlingham Green) using the very wide verges where possible to another Boudicca’s Way waymark on the left.

[3] Turn left into a field and immediately right on to a field edge path. Follow this round the field, turning right at the Boudica’s Way sign, and keeping on in the same direction until you meet a minor road. Cross the road and pick up a cross-field path on the other side which goes to the edge of Little Wood. Turn right and follow Boudicca’s Way round the edge of the wood at end of woods turn  left,  still keeping the wood on your left, walk on until you come to a stile a little hidden away at the northernmost tip of the wood. Cross the stile and continue forward across a field to a grassy track leading to Stubbs Green, passing a white cottage on your right in due course. Continue ahead to a pond, ignoring all other signposts. Turn right at the pond and follow a hedge on your left to a gap with a footbridge across a ditch into the next field. (Do not go as far as the footbridge ahead that can be seen more clearly than the one on the left).

[4] Cross the field to a  hedge, turn right , then left across another field to the edge of a wood . Keep ahead on a grassy track looking forward at a (D) fine view of Shotesham St Mary’s Church, to a crossing stream where you must turn right at the side of the wood. This path takes you over a stream to emerge at Roger’s Lane and (E) Shotesham All Saints’ Church. The walk turns left at Rogers Lane, but first visit the church that is set on high ground behind you. 

There are fine views across Shotesham Common from this vantage point.

Walk along Rogers Lane and take the first turning on the right (Priory Lane). Continue ahead to footpath on the left opposite some bungalows. Turn left on to the footpath and follow it over a minor road towards St Mary’s Church before  stile turn left to go through church yard  and back to  the car park. 

POI information No details available.
Notes

OS Landranger 134

Acknowledgements

Featured in Southern Norfolk Rambles

Developed by Janet Stevens for Norfolk Ramblers' 2006
  • saxlingham church
    saxlingham church
    By - PETER JAMES
  • saxlingham village sign
    saxlingham village sign
    By - PETER JAMES
  • st mary magdelen ruin
    st mary magdelen ruin
    By - PETER JAMES
  • all saints church shotisham
    all saints church shotisham
    By - PETER JAMES
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