I walked this, the 6th stage of my Grand Norfolk Hike, on Sunday 29th January 2012.
It was a foggy, foggy morning when Jo kindly drove me out to Shippea Hill to pick-up the eastbound route of the Grand Hike. The farm track alongside the railway is part of the Hereward Way long distance footpath.
The first 90 minutes of the walk took me over farmland and down country-lanes until crossing the railway line towards the Little Ouse river.
Before arriving at the Little Ouse I stopped for a cuppa tea and chocolate.
The landscape changed from agricultural to wild fen and I imagined how William the Conquer’s troops must have been terrorised by the guerrilla warfare of the Fenmen led by Ely hero Hereward the Wake who knew the area so well.
On the path by Botany Bay I saw a young Muntjac deer, we considered each other for a couple of minutes before it skipped off into the fen.
Finally I reached the Little Ouse.
I followed the river for another two hours. One of the drawbacks of winter walking is the lack of dry places to sit. I did finally find a place to stop and eat my delicious sausage and onion pastie purchased from our excellent local butcher in Ely.
Finally I reached Brandon. I was feeling pretty tired after walking 13 miles and popped straight into The Ram for a lovely pint of Rusty Bucket bitter, produced locally at the Brandon Brewery.
I took the train back to Ely, tired but happy.