Ashill (4½ miles)

Ashill walk map

This was an enjoyable walk, with good paths, not a lot of mud and no stiles on the route. It starts at the car park by Ashill Common, then go along Dunnetts Close, which is opposite the village hall. Ashill is situated on the B1077 six miles south-east of Swaffham.

From the car park we went through the gate and turned right, then left around the large field. Just after passing the seat we turned right by a white notice, then left along the field edge - this path went left then further along right.

We ignored a path off left with a plank bridge. Then, with a house on the left, we turned left to the road. We crossed it, turning left and walking the grass verge. Then, just after the houses as many others have done, we went into the field and walked the field edge beside the road. At the house we went left, crossed the road and turned right along the pavement.

With the village sign ahead and the Old Bakery house on right, at the yellow marker sign we went right along the narrow path. This became a field edge path and it turned right, then left with the playing field on the right.

St Nicholas Church at Ashill is particularly fine.

We crossed the plank bridge and turned left along the field edge. The path took us right around this field with a hedge on the left and the church came into view. We turned left along the pavement, then left into the churchyard, going right to the lychgate. We kept leftish along the street passing the White Hart on the left. At the T-junction we crossed the road to the school fence and turned left along the pavement. We kept right along the narrow lane - The Green - with the pond on our left. At the T-junction we turned right. This became a rough track which was a little muddy through the farm. At the T-junction we went left with the pond on our left, then right to the wooden footpath sign and walked the field-edge path with a hedge and ditch on the left.

At the marker signs, we kept right and kept along the wide path. At the end of the hedge and at a right-hand bend, we went left, going over an iron flat bridge. We continued ahead along the field-edge path with a hedge on out left towards the white house.The path continued ahead along a wide-hedged track. We turned left along the metalled track. According to the map, the path went left across the field but there was an electric fence. A marker on a pole said straight on. At the T-junction we turned left then right up the driveway. Going through the gateway we turned right along the country lane back to the car park.

Map references: OS Landranger 144, Explorer 236: 896052, 898052, 097056, 894056, 894055, 886053, 887047, 884046, 883041, 887043, 887045, 890047, 892046, 894042, 899043, 896049, 894048, 893051, 896052.

Charles and Tammy on a footbridge.

BY THE WAY

1 Ashill Common covers 39 acres. There are seats around it, perhaps while there you would be lucky enough to see hares, deer or a barn owl flying over it looking for food.

2 St Nicholas church is a fine one and there are interesting children's drawings on the north wall. The font is 15th century and has attractive carvings of an angel, a woman and two men.

There is fine nave roof and war memorials, one in the shape of a cross to commemorate Lt KS Ford, a machine gunner officer.

Ducks in the pond on The Green.

The Rev Bartholomew Edwards (1789-1889) is noted in the Guinness Book of Records. This is for being the longest incumbency. He never retired, nor took a holiday, lived to be 100 but for nine days and was rector there for 76 years.

The memorial on the chancel wall is in memory of John Cotton, 1696. He was of the same family as Sir Robert Cotton, who was the famous antiquary who founded the Cottonian library - the first library of manuscripts at the British Museum.

The porch, it is said, was probably added to the church for secular meetings. The outer arch indicates a date late in the perpendicular period.

3 The White Hart pub has new owners - it closes Mondays when we did this walk. However the menu looked good and it serves Spitfire and Abbot real ales. We were able to speak to the landlord and are sure you will have a warm welcome there.

4 Ashill is an ancient dwelling place and a Roman gold torque was found here in 1874. Goose Green and the pond are looked after by village trustees. Householders in the village have the right to run a goose or gander on The Green.