Ocotber 29, 2005

Charles and Joy Boldero enjoy five-and-a-half miles around the East Ruston and Dilham area.

Points of interest

1 St Nicholas church, Dilham, has been able to build excellent good-looking ramps into the church. It is a wonder that this church still stands today. In 1775, it was dilapidated, and cracks appeared in the square tower. By 1835, the tower was in such bad condition that it was pulled down. In 1931 a total rebuilding was completed of the church with money bequeathed by Henry Morse Taylor, of Dilham Hall. The roof is a hammer beam one with carved angels looking down from it. The font is partly medieval. The moving war memorial takes pride of place on the north wall with pictures of those who lost their lives.

2 We can recommend that you enjoy a good lunch here at the Cross Keys Inn. It is open seven days a week, and Charles supped a pint of Adnams Bitter. The Anglo/Saxon name Dylham is derived from the word DILL. Two mills were worked here in the village and wherries transported grain and locally made brick along Taylor’s Cut. Tolls were collected at Tonnage Bridge.

Map References OS Landranger 133, Explorer 252: 346272, 331271, 332268, 330267, 329267, 326259, 327251, 330249, 332256, 347261, 349264, 347270, 346272.

Paths were good, and well-signed, on this very nice five-and-a-half mile walk. We parked in the Weavers Way car park, off Chapel Road in East Ruston, which is situated on a minor road four miles south-east of North Walsham and three miles east of the A149.

From the car park we went up on to to Weavers Way and turned right along it ,going through the gate, crossing the track, and continuing along the path opposite. We went round a gate and kept ahead along Weavers Way ignoring all paths off.

Going through another gate, with a yellow marker on the electricity pole, we went left-ish to the narrow tree-lined path, going over the bridge. Reaching Honing Lock we crossed the bridge and turned left with the canal on our left. This path will probably be muddy; in fact, the last part was tricky.

We crossed the plank bridge and went through the small gate, turning right, and by the tree kept along the ridge path across the field to a gate ahead. Climbing the stile we continued along the woodland path, which became a gravel driveway.

We turned right at the country lane then, just after a wide red metal gate, we turned at the finger- post sign left along the field edge and followed it right round the field. We crossed the country lane and walked the field edge opposite.

After crossing the next road, with the church on our left, we continued along the field path opposite. We crossed the third (main) road and went round the wooden barrier and down the hidden steps, turning left along the field edge. There are road works here at present, so the path has been altered.

At the boundary we turned left then right into the lane, turning left to the main road, then right along main road. We turned left at the sign for Dilham, keeping left again at the T-junction. The excellent Cross Keys Inn was on our right by the telephone box and Victorian post box.

We continued along the street, going over the bridge, and turning right along the country lane. At the grass triangle we went right, and this, much later, became a rough track then a grassy path. We ignored all paths off.

We went right at the T-junction and over Tonnage Bridge through the gate, and turned left going through another gate, and keeping beside the river as we crossed the meadow. We climbed the stile then went diagonally right across the meadow going through a gateway, keeping left along a grassy path.

We climbed the high stile and continued along the path, ignoring another path right. We went through the gate and continued along the path to cross tracks, where we went right, through the gate onto Weavers Way, back to the start of the walk.

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