At A Glance:
- Various trails and walks from one to several miles.
- Free car parking at start/end of walk.
- Old and new woodland.
- Countryside views.
- Largely flat with some route designed for wheelchairs/pushchairs.
- Lots of flora and fauna to observe.
- Sculpture Trail (20 low-relief ‘bosses’ (circular bronze plaques) mounted on oak posts at a height suitable for children to take rubbings).
- Dogs are allowed.
A walk in the early Autumn sunshine – just what the Doctor ordered.
A sunny Sunday in early october was the perfect day to drive the 7-odd miles out of Norwich and visit Burlingham Woods, which has a number of routes for walkers of all ages to enjoy.
Following meandering, well established tracks through lovely Norfolk countryside, the changing of the season from Summer to Autumn was in full swing, with berries and seed pods everywhere, and all the colours of Autumn in the hedgerows and trees.
We started our walk at the car park near North Burlingham Church, and followed the trail up to Millennium Wood. Over 7 acres of woodland, this was planted by local people for the benefit of the local community. It is planted with shrubs and trees native to the locality, including English Oak, Ash, Field Maple, Hazel, Hawthorn, Crab Apple, Birch and Small-leaved lime.
On the edge of the wood is a wild-looking orchard, which was bursting with apple-y bounty.
Flanked by fields, we continued along Green Lane track to the ‘Long Plantation’, which was created in the early 19th Century, its boundary following that of an earlier one – on open field furlong called ‘Apps Wood’, in the 17th Century.
The western half of the wood was replanted after the Second World War with Sweet Chestnut, Ash and Sycamore.
The eastern part of the wood was largely cleared and replanted before the war with mainly Ash, together with Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Hazel, Sycamore and Elm.
Looping back along another trail that followed the path of the road, we popped in to Ozzie’s Oinkers Farm Shop at Kings Close Farm (a little honesty farm shop that takes cash and cards!), which was just across the road, a small distance from the route, for some locally-made sweet treats.
After this we walked down to Belt Plantation – around 5 hectares of woodland with a wealth of animal diversity within apparently. We walked around Belt Plantation before heading back the way to the car park, along a slightly different track, that brought us past an old oak tree, encircled with painted posts. This modern ‘henge’ in Millennium Wood, was created in 2019, and local schools, cub, brownie and beaver groups helped paint the posts that surround the tree.
A lovely walk, Burlingham Woods is worth a look and then a second look. We only tried a short part of the walk on this particular day, but there are tracks all the way to Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden in South walsham, and further trails leading to Acle.
Definitely a nice way to get out and enjoy the Autumn sunshine.
Read more and download a PDF map of Burlingham Woodland Walks.
