The Bogtrotter

This is a great 5 1/2 mile walk taking in several of the best things about walking in Britain in one go – salt marshes, a small harbour, some woodland, a common and a Roman fort.

Small harbour at Brancaster Staithe

Starting from the village of Brancaster the path goes across the marshes – mainly on a raised boardwalk to stop you getting your feet wet – to Brancaster Staithe.  You can often see the piles of reeds where the local reed-cutters have been at work – collecting the harvest for thatching local properties.

Brancaster Staithe is a small fishing port in the middle of the saltwater marshes, and seems miles from the sea itself.  Most weekends in the car park here you will find the cockle van, selling an amazing variety of seafood along with the obligatory cups of tea.

From here the route continues along the coastal path past the back of the White Horse hotel and the round mussel beds until you reach the track up to Burnham Deepdale. You then turn inland and the next stretch (the only bit of the walk along tarmac) takes you up the road towards the woods of the Downs.  In the summer the fields near here are awash with poppies, completely overshadowing the wheat crops beneath them.

Field of poppies near Brancaster

You then get to cross Barrow Common – surrounded by the coconut scent of the Gorse bushes. The views from here stretch right across the marshes, giving you a full panoramic vista even though your only 50 metres above sea level.

The route then drops down towards Brancaster, and after crossing the coast road you end up in the Branodunum – the roman fort that gave the village it’s name. Although no remnants of the fort remain you can still clearly see the earthworks and outline of what was once there.

And then you’re back to your starting point at Brancaster.

You can download a routemap for this walk from the Norfolk County Council web site – it is the first half of Walk 09.

In the few days that count as an English summer there is nothing better than a stroll around a beautiful garden.  Last July I was lucky enough to visit Loseley Park, near Guildford in Surrey, for a wander around their walled garden.

Gazebo in Loseley Park gardens

The garden is based on a design from Gertrude Jeckyl, and is split into several smaller themed plots.  The Rose Garden contains a good mix of traditional roses surrounded by low box hedges, in keeping with a historic garden.  The focal point of this area is the gazebo, with white roses crawling across it’s frame.  Other areas include the Flower Garden providing an almost garish splash of colour, in stark contrast with the tranquil serenity of the White Garden opposite.

My particular favourite was the Moat Walk, an old moat lined with a grass pathway and borders containing a magical array of flowers.  At the end of the moat is a stairway up through windswept flowers towards the dovecot.

Steps near the moat at Loseley Park Gardens

And not forgeting the old Wisteria against the wall nearest the Hall, with it’s old branches that you think could have come straight out of a fairytale.

You can find out more about Loseley Park on their web site at www.loseley-park.co.uk.

Some monuments are visible for miles around. Others just creep up on you and suddenly hit you between the eyes. That’s how I first saw the Pont Du Gard.

Pont Du Gard, France