Bramerton Common to Rockland Staithe and return via Rockland St Mary

When I'd suggested that we should return to the Wherryman's Way today, after starting this route just yesterday, I had really done it just to keep up the momentum after our enforced period of rather limited walking opportunities. Up until yesterday, the weather forecast for today had been for grey weather, like yesterday's but colder. I hadn't believed it when the forecast had altered for the better, thus the pleasant sunny day was a lovely surprise. And we thoroughly enjoyed the walk itself, finding it difficult to believe that we hadn't discovered this glorious route before now, despite the fact it is just an hour's drive from the place we have lived for more than 30 years.

We drove, again in just one car, to the same parking area as yesterday at Bramerton Common (TG294061). There were two cars here before us today, and a few more boats, and instead of yesterday's sculls which had turned here, today's rowing activity was an eight which came towards us then continued along the river. Eventually we dragged ourselves away from watching the world go by and set off on our walk.

Soon after crossing the common there was a truly delightful section right by the river, around the edge of someone's garden which was a mass of spring flowers. Then the path took us through woodland, which extended up the slope to our right, with reeds between us and the river to our left. After skirting a rather grand waterside residence, we reached the beautiful round-towered Surlingham Church. There is a car park by the Church and there were a fair number of people about.

As we walked down onto Surlingham Marsh we discussed with a friendly couple the best way to avoid a muddy patch; we managed to negotiate it without too much difficulty and this was the only really difficult section of the day, though the section around the private house had relied on a sort of sandbag construction to keep the path out of the river. For now though, we there was a straightforward section alongside the river, from which we watched a Ranger's boat pass by and couldn't escape the noise from a firing range on the opposite side of the river.

We had a quick look at a couple of reed-surrounded ponds, then continued onto the nature reserve on the route shown on the Ordnance Survey map (the signposting on the ground tried to send us inland). As we approached The Ferry House there were more of the sandbags to keep us out of the river.

In accordance with the current regulations, The Ferry House is currently closed, but we watched people at the landing stage on the opposite bank then headed away from the river, though some flooded woodland. On the outskirts of Surlingham, an enterprising man was selling coffee from a bicycle-pulled machine; he was doing a roaring trade. We headed back down to the river at Coldham Hall, another closed pub, but here we spent some time working out where we were relative to the cottage our friends Kate and Rob had rented on the opposite side of the river in Brundall's Riverside Estate, whilst waiting for their barn to be converted into the house where they now live. We visited them there in November 2019. Today we followed the signposted route from the grounds of the pub to those of the Sailing Club, after spending more time than should have been necessary in untying the string which was holding the gate closed - they certainly didn't want anyone to be able to open it in a hurry.

We turned away from the river for the last time today, crossing reedbeds and, after half a mile or so, rejoining the road we had left previously. We didn't turn right to the centre of Surlingham, instead continuing straight on to a track. Cars continued to pass us from time to time, with some stopping at the Yare Valley Farm Shop and others driving on to Ted Ellis's Wheatfen nature reserve. We passed Surlingham Wood on the left and a herd of Belted Galloway cows on the right. At the end of the track we turned right then left by a field of oil seed rape then passed Broad Hall Farm and reached the road in Rockland St Mary.

We had realised that we could use the Rockland St Mary circular route as our way back towards our starting point. However, before walking the length of Rockland St Mary, we initially turned left, out of the village and headed down to Rockland Staithe. There is a fair-sized car park here; it was full so we'll need to get here earlier, as this is where we are planning to park one car for the next leg. The Staithe is a pretty place and and there were convenient benches overlooking it. We ate our lunch watching the rangers (whose boat had passed us previously, but was now moored here) helping someone get his boat on the water.

The return route took us along the long street through Rockland Sy Mary, then across most attractive agricultural land, initially on a footpath then on minor roads. It was an excellent contrast with our earlier walk along the river and across marshes, and pleasant walking in its own right. It was a much shorter return route and, near Surlingham Church, we rejoined the coast path to Bramerton Common. It was distinctly busy, as befits such a lovely section, though the family with two small children who were attempting to cycle along the footpath caused some delays. When we got to Bramerton Common, there was plenty of activity off and on the water, with some quite posh boats moored here and one very posh one coming past.