Castle Acre to Anmer Minque

Boy oh boy did I need a break from work, so I was delighted to return to the Peddars Way. We woke to a lovely sunny morning, though it was quite windy. The cloud gathered rather ominously at one point in the afternoon, but we didn't get wet. We left one car by the B1153 at Anmer Minque (grid reference TF755294) and the other on the Green in Castle Acre, and we set off walking just before 11am.

For three and a half miles to the north of Castle Acre, the route of the Roman Peddars Way is used by a road, so in following the ancient Peddars Way it is necessary to follow the road. When we walked the Peddars Way in 2006 we omitted this section, which the guide book describes as an uphill trudge. This time we were determined to walk the whole of the Peddars Way, so omitting this section was not an option and actually it wasn't too bad. Between the minor road to West Acre and the turning to Wicken Farm the route isn't on the road at all, but behind the hedge, and this was pleasant walking. After this, there are frequently wide verges. We didn't actually use these much - the grass was long, making walking difficult, so it was easier to walk on the road. Fortunately there were not too many cars about. You are definitely climbing in this section - there is a trig point at the dizzy height of 92 metres at the end - but it is a very gradual climb and we made excellent progress, reaching the end of the road walking section (when the road veers to the right, and the route of the Peddars Way becomes a track once more) little more than an hour after starting it.

We passed a pig farm, complete with some very young piglets and others which were enjoying their ability to escape below the electric fence and were out playing with friends! We crossed the B1145 and passed the cottage marked as 'Rhubarb Cottage' on the map - unfortunately it has a rather more boring name on the ground. After another brief section of tarmacked road, the Peddars Way became a track. The route was straight as a die, but we passed close to the villages of Great Massingham, Little Massingham and Harpley. Great Massingham is an extremely pretty place (with two village ponds) so it is a pity that the route doesn't go that way, but as with the road section, if you are following the Peddars Way you have to, well, follow the route of the Peddars Way.

We stopped for lunch (sitting on our waterproofs and rather chilly in the wind) then crossed the A148 by the 'Dogotel' at Harpley Dams. After another brief tarmacked stretch the Peddars Way became a delightful green lane. The tree belt on the edge of the Houghton Estate came into view on the right-hand side and we passed several tumuli; burial mounds that have been dated to around 1700 BC.

We crossed the scrubland of Anmer Minque, with lots of blackberries and elderberries, and we reached the car on the B1153 around 2.20pm. Speedy progress! We drove back to the other car in Castle Acre and had tea and cakes at the Church Gate tea room.

Following leg of Peddars Way