A drizzly morning walk for Matilda, founder of Muddy Boots Norfolk.
Now I have been to Mousehold Heath before… admittedly every time was to stuff my face with a burger from Zak’s… This morning was a little different, coffee in hand and with a hat to hide from the drizzle, I parked up in front of the Pavilion with the hopes of a walk and no clue of where to start.
The local nature reserve is completely surrounded by the bustle of Nowrich city, here at the Pavillion car park this is evident, but only a few short steps away the blanket of the forest surrounds you and you feel you could be miles away from the nearest human.
I started my walk at this sign I saw peaking out from the rain. I took a quick snap so I could find myself if I took a wrong turn and then set off with the intention of completing the blue trail which was 2km long.
As I said, as soon as you step into the cover of the trees the noise of the city dies away and you are alone in a Jurassic woodland, waiting for a Huehuecanauhtlus to run into your path. (You would be waiting a long time, the Huehuecanauhtlus was discovered in Mexico!) I followed the red mushroom trails signs as much as possible, although they were hard to make out between the drizzle and the lattice of paths that cross the heath.
I came across few other Muddy Booters whilst out, a few dog walkers and a runner or two but not many people out enjoying the world at a slow pace.
The trail curves to the left from the car park, down and up the sides of a small valley and out into a flat heath land at the top. This is the site of Vinegar pond, a byproduct of the areas quarrying and wartime activity. Over the fern-covered heathland the trail moves back into the trees and back down towards Gurney Road, the main road that bisects the heath.
Next I came across the ruins of St William’s Chapel, however, after a brilliant summer and heavy rain, there wasn’t much to see as it was overgrown. There is, however, a sign and some information about the ruins.
Attempting to stay on track and find the posts that guide the trail, I walked along the road for a short while before disappearing back into the trees. After a week of laying on the sofa, the steep inclines were a welcome shock to my body.
After what seemed like no time at all, I was back at my car so decided to continue the route to explore the other side of the heath, past HMP and out towards Ketts Hill. The site where Robert Kett camped his rebellion forces in 1549 prior to taking the city. Unfortunately, the rebellion was unsuccessful and Kett, quite grimly, found himself hanging from the exterior of Norwich Castle, which can be seen in the beautiful view from the top of the hill.
All in all it was a successful stomp. I would thoroughly recommend getting lost in the heath for a few hours, it’s great for dogs, there is lots of free parking and there are bins located throughout. I would only caution to take a good GPS enabled phone with you in case you take a wrong turn and end up out of the trees.
My Boots certainly got good and Muddy today!