The good clear Norfolk air on a three-mile walk in the Baconsthorpe area proved a tonic for Charles and Joy Boldero.

THIS WAS AN EASY three-mile walk along good paths. We parked at Baconsthorpe Castle, which is two miles east of Holt at the end of a dead-end lane signposted to the castle.

Points of interest

1 The castle was built by Sir John Heywood in about the 15th or 16th century. It is said he was not the most honest of men; in those times crime did not pay, and he lost all.

2 All Saints, Lower Bodham, has interesting stained glass windows, one of which in the east end depicts the Nativity, Crucifixion and Ascension. The first Rector, William de Wending, took services there in the 13th century.

3 Baconsthorpe is a pretty flinted village, famous, of course, for Margaret’s Tea Rooms. On the church stall in the street there were pots of home-made marmalade and jam for sale in aid of church funds. The name Baconsthorpe is an easy one to understand, “hamlet owned by Bacon”, a Norman, and Old Norse “thorpe”. It is said that the name Bacon was originally a nickname in Old French.

4 The Hare and Hounds, at Hempstead, is now very popular for the food that is served there. They have a choice of real ales.

From the car park we turned right along the track, the penned cattle on the right watching us with interest negotiating the muddy track.

The path became a grassy one with the moat and castle ruins on right.
We climbed the stile, crossed the meadow, climbed the next stile and continued up the hill. This path led us to the country lane and we turned right along it.

Just before Bodham church, we went right at the yellow marker sign, a good wide path at the field edge. This took us into the wood, then we turned right walking around the field.

Turning right at the yellow arrow sign we crossed over the bridge and stile and through the copse.
We climbed the stile and walked down the meadow; then, climbing the next stile we turned left along the lane, turned right at the marker sign over the bridge and stile, and kept along another good path at the field edge.

Another stile to climb and we turned right along this next field, following the path right around it to the next stile.

Walking up the lane we then turned right along the Street in Baconsthorpe.

At the Hare & Hounds pub we went right along Hall Lane, which was muddy and wet in places, back to the start of the walk. These paths are favourite ones of Simon and Christine Malone, who kindly e-mailed us about them a while ago via EDP24.

Map References OS Landranger 133 and Explorer 25: 120380, 121389, 124389, 122379, 123379, 123372, 115372, 119377, 120380.

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