Breydon Water and Burgh Castle

About trip

Near the western reaches of Breydon Water there is a Roman fort, a wind pump owned by the National Trust and an atmospheric pub, which is inaccessible to cars. However, there is an obstacle preventing you from wandering to and from these sites: the River Yare. At the start of the walk you will see the river begin to widen, until it forms the vast, silt slippery flats of Breydon Water that lies between the Roman castle and the mill and pub, so the only way to see all three on foot is to walk around it! This part of the Broads is perhaps the most mysterious and lonely of all, and the fact that few roads cross the marshes that radiate out from Breydon Water means that it is generally people-free. This suits birds very nicely, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) manages quite a large part of it, maintaining it as a nature reserve to encourage both rare and common species. Halvergate Marshes, to the west, is an alluvial basin that is home to shoveller, snipe, lapwing, yellow wagtails and redshank. Berney Arms Mill is one of the most spectacular mills in the country. It is in perfect working order and stands some 70ft (21m) high, making it the tallest marsh mill in Norfolk or Suffolk. It was built in 1870 and now houses a small museum. Downstream is the Berney Arms, accessible only to people who walk or navigate the silty channels in their boats. An Impressive Fortress. Gariannonum, or Burgh Castle, lies on the opposite shore of the river. Originally this would have commanded an imposing position looking towards Caister, but changes in the sea level and silting up have relegated it to a quiet part of the river. It was built in the 3rd century ad to defend the Roman province from marauding Saxons, and was an impressive fortress. Even today, visitors will see walls rising to more than 15ft (5m). This stronghold is said to have been the place where the Irish missionary St Fursey arrived in England in about ad 630. One of the first things he did was to found a monastery, which he called Cnobheresburg, although nothing remains of this today. Later, Fursey removed himself to France, so that he could become a proper hermit. He founded a monastery near Paris and when he died, his body declined to rot. He was declared a saint, and various parts of his corpse toured the country until most were destroyed during the French Revolution. The head was said to have survived, though, and is still an object of reverence in Péronne in Picardy. While you're there: Great Yarmouth to the east has a Pleasure Beach with rides and attractions. Pleasurewood Hills, between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, is a huge leisure park with rides and animal shows. What to look out for: More rare birds were once shot on Breydon Water than anywhere else in Britain, but it is now a nature reserve comprising more than 1,100 acres (440ha). Where to eat and drink: Church Farm Hotel serves food at lunchtime and evenings, with hog roasts on summer Sundays. There is a garden, with a children’s play area. The Queens Head at Burgh Castle also serves home-cooked food and has a garden and play area. Directions: Leave the car park and walk uphill towards the church. Take the path to the left of the church, through a kissing gate, signposted to the castle. After a few steps and another kissing gate, you will see a well-trodden path cutting diagonally across the fields. Follow this until you reach the spectacularly grand walls of the Roman fort Gariannonum, aiming for the gap in the middle. Go through the gap, and explore the castle, then aim for 28 steps in the far right-hand corner. Descend the steps, walk alongside a field, and look for 40 steps leading down to the river bank. Turn right along the Angles Way and continue until you reach a junction of paths behind Church Farm Hotel. This stretch of riverside and reedbeds may be flooded after heavy rain. Turn left towards the double gates, which will take you on a long (3-mile/4.8km) uninterrupted trail along the edge of Breydon Water. The path sticks closely by the river, following a raised flood bank with glorious views in all directions across the pancake-flat marshes and mudflats. Eventually, you will see the tall struts of Breydon Bridge in the distance. Pass through a gate to enter the Herbert Barnes Riverside Park. When the path divides, take the right-hand fork, leaving the river and winding across a meadow to Broadland Rugby Club, where you climb to the A12. If you want to avoid a busy stretch of main road, turn around at this point and retrace your steps along the river, enjoying the views of Breydon Water in the opposite direction. Otherwise, turn right on the A12, keeping carefully to the right-hand verge, and continue for just over 0.5 mile (800m) to a roundabout with a retail park on your right. Keep right on a pedestrian and cycle path beside the road. After passing the entrance signs for Bradwell and just before an industrial estate, look for a gap in the hedge and steps leading down to a footpath across the marshes on your right. Turn down the footpath, which takes you between the estate and the marshes. After 0.75 mile (1.2km), turn left on to a wide track for about 250yds (229m), then take a footpath through a gap in the hedge to your right, past the farm buildings of Bradwell Hall, to a crossroads. Keep ahead through a rusty gate and past an abandoned house, then follow the path between the fields. Cross a stile and across the fields to a short farm track, which bends left to arrive at High Road. Turn right and right again on to Back Lane. This quiet lane bends left, passing houses and an Anglian Water station, before emerging on to High Road at the Queens Head. Turn right and keep climbing until you see the church. Turn right into the car park.