To Mileham Castle from Gressenhall and return

We last stood on the mound of Mileham Castle on a rather damp Sunday in February 2010; we had our (first!) lunch there today, a considerably warmer and drier day. But first of all we had to get there; we knew that parking in Mileham was tricky and it isn't that far from Gressenhall, so we decided to park near Gressenhall, walk to Mileham, then retrace our steps. We had decided to walk this leg, having previously deciding not to, because the Wensum Way now starts where the Nar Valley Way ends and provides the next leg of a route across Norfolk; the little car park we used (at TF977168), next to the little nature reserve at Hoe Rough, is actually just slightly beyond the end of the Nar Valley Way and opposite a sign indicating that you've walked 300 metres of the Wensum Way. However, we were soon back at the sign marking the end/start of one of the paths and the start/end of the other, between the two parts of Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse (now housing the Museum of Norfolk Life).

Our main reason for deciding in 2010 not to continue to Gressenhall was that it is some distance past the source of the Nar (which we had already passed) but we also felt that there would be too much road walking. The next section, from the museum to the village green in Gressenhall, then to the right and up through the village, did necessitate road walking, but it was attractive enough with several things to hold our interest e.g. the village pub ("The Swan") which the community are raising funds to buy, and a friendly dog walker. who obviously knows the Nar Valley Way. We turned left by Manor Farm then turned onto a path which headed along a wooded corridor, passing an attractive pond, then across fields to the north-west of Gressenhall

We emerged onto Stony Lane for the second leg of road walking, but to call the delightful narrow lanes along which we progressed "roads" feels like something of an overstatement. We turned right, then as we turned left we spotted Bittering Church, so we went to take a closer look; it's a lovely little place.We then turned right again by an attractive lake.

We turned left into Happy's Wood then crossed what looked like a browning field of oil seed rape. Then things got interesting!; the path led across a large field of sweetcorn, and was scarcely visible because of the sweetcorn plants. Fortunately there was a tree at the other side which helped me to stay on track. We emerged onto a track, exactly the right place, though if we hadn't walked the route in this direction, I'm not sure we would have spotted this bit on the return leg. The track led past some domesticated rose bushes in the middle of nowhere (now how did they get there?) and a rusty old tractor, then past Lodge Farm, behind a horse box which was just emerging. We continued down the track, eventually passing a plant nursery and bringing us to the road to the east of Mileham.

After walking to the centre of the village we crossed a green to the mound of the castle; thus "joining up" our walk along the Nar Valley Way. It was only just after 11am, but we stopped for a "first lunch" before retracing our steps then stopping for a "second lunch" at a bench on the green in Gressenhall. Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse seemed so quiet that I concluded (wrongly) that it hadn't reopened after the Coronavirus lockdown, but the little car park at Hoe Rough was packed, and we noticed cars in what would be an alternative place to park, just where the Wensum Way parts company with our route of today.

Following leg on Cross Norfolk Trail (Wensum Way)