Hovacl one

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Overall this was a good walk if you are fit and able. The route is a mix of across fields which are fine when the weather is on your side, pavements, and road walking. The roads are quiet, however there are small sections which are not quiet, 60mph roads, where moving onto the bank of the road is the only option when there's oncoming traffic.
Some small sections of the route have become a little overgrown, see pictures.

We walked this route from Acle to Hoveton, parking in the Acle War Memorial Recreation Centre. The walk heads north to Upton, via a solid track and then a mud path across fields. Luckily at the time of walking (May 2025), the weather had been dry but during wetter times this would be more difficult to navigate. There are road based alternatives here in places.

From Upton the track heads west to Pilson Green where, again, there is a footpath across a field with an alternative road option with few cars. The track carries on west to South Walsham, past Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden which is well worth visiting.

The track then heads north from South Walsham to Ranworth where there is a pub, shop and cafe by Malthouse Broad. A lovely spot to rest and watch the boats. A diversion from the track is recommended in Ranworth, down Broad Road, where there is boardwalk out through the trees, reeds and marshland to the broad.

The track carries on west, via quiet roads, to the village of Woodbastwick, which is picturesque and has a lovely spot for a picnic lunch. It also has a lovely pub and brewery. Further west along the road is Salhouse and then the track turns slightly north through to Salhouse Lodge. Just before the Lodge, take a track to the right to avoid most of the busy road to Wroxham (Bell Lane). This track joins Bell Lane so there is a bit of more dangerous road walking here until you get to some bus stops in Wroxham where the pavement starts again.

The walk through Wroxham to Hoveton is fully paved and easy to navigate, although the paths can be narrow bringing you close to passing traffic.

Overall the walk is largely quiet, despite being mostly on roads. Where footpaths are used there are usually paved alternatives,which is useful in wet weather. The vast majority of this walk is navigable for wheelchairs but note that many of the roads are single track so passing farm vehicles could make life difficult.

We saw much wildlife on the walk, including deer, a heron and a red kite. There is a hide on the aforementioned boardwalk which may be of interest.

This is a highly recommended walk as it is long enough for a day’s outing but not a long slog, it has abundant nature and is largely solid underfoot.

I completed this walk in 2 phases. The first phase was absolutely lovely when I got off the main road onto the first country lane. The lane didn't have any signs or a road name so I just assumed I was going the right way. Once I continued, the walk took me down a track and then eventually onto small and very peaceful country lanes all the way to the Fir and Feathers pub at Woodbastwick. This was the end of phase 1 - where I enjoyed a well earned refreshing drink.
I think that if you could cut out the main road aspects and park close to that first country lane it would make the walk much more enjoyable. You don't really need to start the walk from Hoveton as this was just another main road walking passed all the residential houses and not particularly very interesting. All in all phase 1 was a pleasant quiet walk - the terrain was mainly flat walking on the quiet country roads, the country lane was a bit more rugged but not too bad.
The 2nd phase wasn't very good at all - mainly due to my own map reading skills. Unfortunately I got completely lost and ended up walking to Acle on the main busy road - not very safe at all. I think I may try and do this walk again in the future and plan my route a bit better ! :)
I would walk this again but try and avoid the main roads as they are not all particularly safe, with tiny or no paths at all. I'm not sure if the map was accurate but then I did get confused with my directions. When I do phase 2 again and get the directions correct I will post the info on here.

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