Norwhov five

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

On this 10 mile walk you'll come across a mixture of different locations which make for some nice variety. Beginning with a short stint from the train station along the river, through some pleasant woodland areas in Mousehold Heath and past a handful of villages that bring you towards the fringes of Norwich. There are plenty of opportunities around this part of the walk to stop and grab a snack/drink. A bit further out from Sprowston you'll have to cross the B1150 (which can prove difficult and potentially unsafe at the wrong time of day - worth baring in mind for dog walkers), once past this point however it's mostly quiet countryside roads which provide some lovely scenery until you reach Wroxham. which is only a short train ride back into Norwich city centre. All in all, a nice walk to go on and I'm sure would be lovely in the summer.

I feel like the woodland, field and country road parts of this walk were really great. They were quiet, there was an opportunity to view different wildlife and plants etc.

Often however there were parts that brought you alongside busy roads or at one point a need to cross a fairly busy road (the slower of us got left behind for a bit :)).

The park in Spixworth was a good place to stop for our group, but there were other spots along the route as well as a few shops along the way if needed.

We had a good weather day when we walked despite it being January, but the rainy days prior (storms) had made paths muddy.

Wroxham was a good end destination with places to eat and rest (and shop) and a train station to take you back to Norwich.

Walked this route on 24th January, 2024. It took us around 4 hours from start to end (including a 40 minute break.) The route is fairly simple with lots of busy roads and the occasional muddy ones. Overall, the route was filled with scenic views and was an enjoyable one - we even spotted a deer!
I would recommend carrying light snacks and wearing running shoes for the route.

I give this route a rating of 4 stars out of 5 due to it intersecting North Walsham Road (B1150) twice, making parts of the walk dangerous and some members of the group had to wait a considerable amount of time in order to walk safely. Otherwise, the walk was pleasant, with a lot of countryside and natural views.
I walked this route with a group on 24th January 2024. According to my Strava recording, it was 11.36 miles (24,252 steps) and took 3 hours 33 minutes of "moving time". We took a nice break about 2/3 of the way to complete a Guardian Crossword (would recommend) at Spixworth Social Club. The route on Slow Ways is very accurate and I would not suggest an alternative route.
Starting at the train station, we headed North along Riverside Road, towards Mousehold heath - which apart for the steep incline, is a pleasant segment of this route. We then walked along Sprowston Road, Sprowston, which has several shops that one could stop at for a bite to eat - including Tesco Express and Aldi! A lot of the first half of this walk is through villages that surround Norwich and this continues until you get to Church Lane, which is a country lane (this is where you have to cross North Walsham Road, which is a 50MPH - which you later cross again after passing Crostwick Lane). The final stretch towards Wroxham is pleasant, and then Hoveton greets you nicely with Bridge Broad where you will find boats and swans galore. There seems to be plenty to do in Hoveton, with various takeouts including Ken's Fish & Chips, McDonalds as well as Roys department store. There is also a train station, which we used to return to Norwich. A single fare is £5.70 and takes only 16 minutes.
I would recommend this walk to anyone who is local to Norwich and wants to walk along a peaceful route.

Some parts of this walk were very pleasant, others not so much. There were several occasions where the route followed busy roads, rather than using quieter public footpaths through wooded areas, or quieter lanes.
The long, loud walk along Sprowston road was particularly jarring after coming out of the pleasant Mousehold woodland area. However, this part could prove useful if you need to grab some food/drink etc along the way, as there were several supermarkets.

Around 60% of the way through, the route takes you past Spixworth Park, which has some nice picnic benches, and a cafe within the village hall if you would like some hot food/drink. There’s also a play area there for children.

Eventually the route brings you back onto a pleasant track through some fields, where lots of interesting wildlife can be seen, such as buzzards, kestrels, and even some deer if you’re lucky like us!

I did notice a good amount of dog poo bins along the way, and would say the walk is definitely appropriate for those with dogs as there were no stiles to obstruct.

The latter end of the walk takes you through some nice villages, with interesting houses to look at along the way.
It ends in Hoveton, which boasts a nice dock with boat hire for the Broads. There’s a “bird feeding area” packed with swans (and seagulls) and a rather pricey fish and chip shop. Otherwise, there’s a pork sandwich shop across the road, or a McDonald’s a little further up.

The train station is nearby which has a semi-regular train back into Norwich, for a small price.

If the walk had less busy roads I’d have given 4*.

The walk is safe and definitely has some good aspects.
It’s also almost entirely flat, as is usually the case in Norfolk!.

This route took us about 4 hours to complete, albiet it with several stops for various activities. Alot of this route was along a busy road from Heartsease to Sprowston which doesnt have the most ideal of scenaries. However after this there was lots of nature to see, we spotted Kestrels, Robins, Squirrels and even a lovely cat in Mousehold. There weren't many stopping options for food, but in general the route was enjoyable.

3/5
Did this 10 mile walk in end-Jan which took us 4 hours with a 45min break.
Very scenic and low difficulty.
Half of the walk is on pavements/road/walking through towns with the other half on public footpath and only a small portion in mud (given it did rain the previous day)
So, trainers are appropriate if you don't mind them getting only-slightly muddy.
Several part were slightly up-hill.

Overall a nice day-walk.

It was an easy walk, easy to navigate. A fee busy roads to cross. Lovely to get out into the open countryside beyond Sprowston. Very flat. Well paved route - nothing too muddy. We saw many cyclists and runners and dog walkers around Sprowston. We cut through Mousehold easy enough. Not very nice pubs in Wroxham and google maps said the Kings Head was closed but found out later it was open. We ate at wroxham hotel and very pricey with only one vegan option. We got the train back from Hoveton- a 5 min walk from shops.

Overall the walk was very enjoyable.
However, Mousehold Heath and it's paths are not very accessible if you are infirm or have difficulties walking in general, very uneven and hilly in parts.

Overall a very nice route - particularly the section from Spixworth to Wroxham. I've added a just a few points to consider:
- When walking through Mousehold it looks like there may be a cut through allowing you to walk through the woods instead of the pavement on Guerney Road. However this is a BMX track (see photo - very steep!) which isn't really suitable for walking along. Also the section through Mousehold is very steep if you're cycling but there is a wide pavement to push you bike along if you need to walk.
- In Sprowston on Church Lane there is an entrance which allows you to walk though Barkers Lane Open Space and Millenium Woodland alongside Church Lane which I think is nicer than walking on the pavement. I've added photos showing the entrance and exit points.
- You can't walk through Spixworth Park as there is only one entrance/exit point.
- The walk along Rackheath Lane/Skinners Lane from Spixworth to Wroxham is very nice (photo added) but I couldn't find any benches or suitable points to sit down and it is a long stretch. So if you think you'd like to stop somewhere here I'd recommend bringing something to sit on.

As another reviewer has commented this is probably the best route to Wroxham over the NDR. The detour to the bridge crossing also takes you down some delightful country lanes.

I personally loved the route despite doing it on a rainy day. If planning on wheeling to/back from Wroxham then some of the unpaved sections are potholed and muddy when wet (see photos).

Worst parts without a doubt are the Norwich sections (Sprowston road etc) but the pavements are wide there just isn't much in the way of peace until you hit the public footpath that heads towards Beeston St Andrew. The main road through Wroxham towards Hoveton is also a busy one at all points especially in the summer and the pavements are less generous here.

A final caution should be given to the part of the route that crosses the B1150 out of Spixworth again quite a lot of traffic both ways here and no pedestrian crossing, something to consider again in terms of accessibility.

To sum up, its a great walk once your out the urban areas, lots to view and time to ponder with hardly a soul to bother you.

There are currently five suggested routes from Norwich to Hoveton, this one takes the safest option over the Broadland Northway road to the north of Norwich, using a bridge via Spixworth, instead of using a crossing near the roundabout on Wroxham Road.

From Norwich, the walk starts along Riverside Road, reaching quite a busy roundabout at the bottom of Kett's Hill. If on the right hand side of the road, you'll need to cross 2 sides, as there is no pavement alongside the Castle pub.
There is then quite a steep section of pavement alongside the road, heading up to Mousehold Heath. When you reach the junction with Mousehold Avenue, you take a left, and then very quickly turn right onto a path/cycleway (Gilman Road)along the edge of Mousehold.
Halfway along this, the suggested route tells you to turn right and head into the woods, and follow paths until you eventually end up at the edge of Hill Farm allotments. However, there is an incline here and a number of overgrown paths and roots, and there is also potential to get lost in this section. (For full ease of access, I would actually recommend staying on Gilman Road, which eventually brings you out at Sprowston Road anyway.)
Going down the path alongside the allotments, this is also very rough with a number of stones.
Sprowston Road is quite busy, but is well paved, and when you approach the roundabout with the A1042 Ring Road, there is a set of traffic lights that you can use to cross Sprowston Road, and 30m or so to the West of the roundabout there is another set of traffic lights, enabling safe crossing, rather than at the roundabout.
Once you've travelled along Sprowston Road and gone over Blenheim Road, there is a cut through to Church Lane, although this features a kissing gate which may block access for buggies/wheelchairs.
Once you reach the end of this footpath, the route then moves to Church Lane, which is very quiet as vehicles don't have access once youv'e gone past the Cemetery.
The route crosses the North Walsham Road, which can be quite busy, so care needs to be taken here.
Beeston Lane is very quiet, and eventually brings you out at Buxton Road, which has a cycle lane/footpath, and most improtantly a bridge that takes you over the Broadland Northway, (as mentioned at the start of the review), leading to Spixworth, where there are a small number of facilities, such as a newsagent, and a couple of takeaways.
Leaving Spixworth, the route then again needs to cross the North Walsham Road, which at this point is a 50mp speed limit, and again care should be taken.
Once you've crossed, Rackeath Lane is very quiet, as there is no through road for vehicles, although there may be farm vehicles using the road.
There is a short section where there may be cars as a road from the left joins it, this is no more than 100m, and I did not see cars during this time when walking the route.
The route then moves onto Skinners Lane, which is a loose gravel/dirt road, and this forms the bulk of the rest of the route to Hoveton. This was again very quiet, and with wonderful views over the countryside. The route takes a left which takes you towards a couple of houses, and then turns right just as your each them, to follow the lane round towards Wroxham.
Once into Wroxham, the route follows Church Street, which does not have pavements although again this road is fairly quiet. Caen Meadow is a very pleasant place to stop, with some benches overlooking the river.
once you follow Church Lane, this goes over the railway, before joining the main Norwich Road. Turn left, and follow this through Wroxham, as you reach the boatyards there is a set of traffic lightsq to allow you to cross, as you need to use a footbridge to cross the river which is on the right hand side of the road.
Once over the footbridge, you are into Hoveton, featuring a number of cafe's, takeaways and a pub.

Overall Summary
I would consider this route the safest of the 5 routes currently listed, and once on Church Lane in Sprowston, is a very pleasant countryside walk.
However, as noted in the details, the section at Mousehold Heath could pose difficulties for access, as well as getting lost. For these reasons, I have given this route 4 stars.

Also to note, once you have gone through Spixworth, there are no facilities to speak of until you arrive in Hoveton, which is the best part of 5 miles.

This is just a test review - please ignore (although I have walked it and it is a good route).

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