Stage 7: Littleport to Downham Market

I walked this, the 7th stage of my Grand Norfolk Hike, on Sunday 5th Feburary 2012.

Littleport to Downham Market
Littleport to Downham Market

It had snowed the night before and I was keen to get outside and see how the Fens looked covered in white.

I decided to walk up the Great Ouse from Littleport before taking a left and hiking out across farmland until I reached the Old Bedford River.  Most of the farm tracks hadn’t been touched by human feet but plenty of animals had criss-crossed the path as I could see by footprints they’d left behind.

All the drains and ditches were iced over.

A frozen drain near Littleport
A frozen drain near Littleport

I had estimated it would take an hour to reach the Old Bedford River but I ended up taking twice as long.  I seriously underestimated the distance from Littleport.

The Old Bedford River
The Old Bedford River

From the river the walk was as straight as an arrow north until I hit Downham Market.  It wasn’t always the most interesting of walks.  The highlight was spending some time at Welney Bird Reserve where I found a dry bench to sit on and enjoy a cup of tea and chocolate.

Welney
Welney

Welney is a wonderful place to visit, especially the night time feeding of the hundreds of migratory geese from Siberia and Iceland.

Welney
Welney

I finally arrived at Downham Market just as it was getting dark.  My train was leaving almost immediately so no time for a pint.  I made up for that by having a swifty in the Prince Albert in Ely.

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