Tavnor one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 80.00% of reviewers

Underfoot from beginning to Cosstessy is mildy moist underfoot and a bit puddly. There are toilet possibilities at Drayton services if you need them.
Minimal traffic but overall ok crossing main roads . Not suitable for wheelchairs until Cosstessy. Concrete underfoot then to the city. Plenty of History on disused railway line and plenty of pubs en-route from Halfords roundabout to Queen of Iceni. Also lots of wildlife to see and hear. Most of the way is a good dog friendly route too. I would recommend this walk. Albeit the map was confusing as my GPS has us walking 0.8km less than what the website says, so I wonder if we started at the correct place. We started at The Otter Pub which might have been the wrong starting point, other reviews on this site mention starting at Taverham Garden Centre.

Starts with going through Thorpe Marriott where directions were a bit vague, so we did go a bot wrong, but got to Marriott's way which was the bulk of the walk.
Did the walk at the end of November after lots of rain and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the path, with not much mud or flooding, a bit of mulch from leaves on the path (as expected for the time of the year).

Path got busier as we neared Norwich in particular cyclists so needed to keep a watch out for them

Overall a great walk which I would highly recommend, with most of it along the Marriott's way path so no cars, good footing, no blockages and in the country rather than through villages.

Would walk again

We parked at Taverham garden centre, had breakfast and a coffee there - they have loads of parking so worked well

Feedback for slow ways
1) better maps would be useful as we struggled to download the detail - came on notepad and we had difficulty seeing on work laptops
2) some shorter walks would be good as most are about approaching 10miles or more and that way several shorter walks could be done together in the same day, with a circular route back to the cars.

The main issue with Slow ways is trying to download the route. This is a clunky website and not easy to navigate. Regarding the walk it was easy to walk and follow as part was the Marriotts Way, an established walk. Due to rainfall a couple of days before and time of year - Autumn the ground was muddy in parts with mulch. However overall good established pathways. Would recommend.

Really enjoyable route, and as mentioned, almost entirely on Marriot's Way.

There was one section in town which had steps, just a couple but if you were in a chair or on a bike you may want to find an alternative route through town to get to the start of Marriot's Way.

Once on Marriott's Way everything is lovely as you'd expect, there were a couple of potholes (see pictures) where bollards have come out and not been replaced. We did this route during some heavy rain and there were sections of the path that become completely blocked, if you're on a bicycle this can be a bit tricky, if you're on foot you'll be fine so long as you don't mind walking up a bit of the banked sides.

Overall 5/5, just a few bits to be aware of.

Very nice route. It's almost entirely along Mariott's way, which I entered near the skate park in Taverham on Pendalsham Rise. It took me just over 2 hours each way and the terrain was fine (during summer). The map here seems accurate but you can't really go wrong once your on Mariott's way. I'd definitely walk this route again.

There were several cyclists along the route so watch out for them. Also keep an eye out for some nods to this routes previous use (a railway line), with benches and sculptures made from the old tracks as well as some info points.

This is a lovely walk from Taverham to Norwich, most of the way you are on an old cycle path so away from traffic and the scenery is lovely. The pathway is quite muddy along the Taverham/Thorpe Marriott end of the route, but it's paved from Drayton onwards. You have to share the path with runners, cyclists, horses too, but there's plenty of room for all to share and enjoy the route.

I really liked this route, as a walker I followed the route as suggested however there is a more direct route with less elevation which follows the river from the station to the start of the Marriott's Way.

With the exception of a short section within Norwich itself, the route is nearly all shared with National Cycle Route 1, so you should expect cyclists. This isn't too much of a problem, as the path is reasonably wide (it's a disused railway line). The upside of this is that it is generally suitable for other forms of wheeled transport, and a pleasant walk that cuts well into the city while retaining something of a countryside feel.

The path is also punctuated by sculptures with a railway theme, and information boards are also present to provide some local history.


Tricky turns

Taverham to Norwich

1. As the path approaches Drayton, the cycle route signs indicate a left turn. Walkers can continue straight along Station Road.



Norwich to Taverham

1. 1. As the path approaches Drayton, the cycle route signs indicate a right turn. Walkers can continue straight along Station Road.

There are nicer ways through Norwich from the station to the beginning of Marriot's way near the St Crispin's roundabout. One way goes through the cathedral grounds and then along the river all the way to the roundabout, where it joins Marriot's way. Another option would be to follow the river entirely from the train station (turn right by the Compleat Angler pub over the bridge, go down the stairs and follow the river). The way along the river is not likely accessible by wheelchair though, and bikes may need to be carried up/down 4-5 steps.

Don't know how to edit a review, wanted to rate 4* for the rest of the route which is really nice.

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