I was joined on this walk by Herbert, an old friend from Canada. He was in the UK for a few weeks and wanted a glimpse of the lovely East Anglian countryside.
We decided on a hike alongside the river Little Ouse, through Thetford forest, between the Suffolk towns of Thetford and Brandon.
We joined the Little Ouse path at Thetford.
The Little Ouse is a delightful river, lazily winding its way through the forest.
We stopped for a brew which gave me a chance to show off my new wood burning stove.
Lunch was outside the 12th century St Mary the Virgin church in the pretty ‘forest village’ of Santon Downham.
The bridge at Santon Downham took us across the Little Ouse and onto the final leg of the hike.
Tree debris presented the opportunity for some clowning about…
We arrived in Brandon and made our way quickly to the Ram pub where we enjoyed a couple of pints of bitter brewed locally at the Brandon Brewery.
This is the third time I’ve done this walk and I never tire of it. The forest, the river, Santon Downham and a great pint at the end all add up to the perfect day’s hiking.
Oh and I spotted some lovely spots for a bit of wild camping later in the year.
While there are amazing landscapes in Canada or elsewhere, sometimes people overlook what is in their own ‘backyard’. I think that is why I found this short trek between Thetford and Brandon all the more beautiful because from the train between those two small towns, you don’t realise how truly beautiful the area and the little Ouse is!! It was a great little walk, Martin. I’m still looking forward to doing the one, at some point, to Melton Mowbray (in search of the best pork pie!!).
I’ll probably have done the Melton walk by the time you get back here but at least I’ll know where to go for the best pies : )
A lovely area.
Thetford Forest is a huge and wonderful area, very easy to get lost in and fine for a discrete wild camp.
I remember going for a few walks in Thetford forest many years ago, and I swam in the Little Ouse. your blog brought back a few memories…
Thank you for sharing !
The river does look perfect for swimming, maybe in the summer…
Hi there. Is the walk well signed between Thetford to Stanton Downham?
Hi Paul, thanks for dropping by. The sign-posting isn’t bad but I’d recommend taking an OS Map for when the route leaves the riverside, a compass is always helpful as well.