The Marriott's Way is a
footpath
A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...
,
cycle-path and
bridleway in north
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, England, between
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
and
Aylsham via
Themelthorpe. It forms part of the
National Cycle Network (NCN) (Route 1) and the red route of Norwich's Pedalways
cycle path
A bike path or a cycle path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "C ...
network. It is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Its total length is 24.6 miles (39.5 km). It has a mixture of surfaces: tarmac, compacted gravel and earth. The name of the route originates from the chief engineer and manager of the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR),
William Marriott, who held the position for 41 years.
[Marriott's Way]
Retrieved 21 November 2008
Railway history
The path uses the trackbeds of two former railway lines: from
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
to
Themelthorpe and from Themelthorpe to
Aylsham. The Themelthorpe to Norwich line was built in 1882 by the
Lynn and Fakenham Railway Company, which was taken over by the M&GNJR in 1893 as part of a line that ran to
Melton Constable; this line gave a through route to the
Midlands. The Themelthorpe to Aylsham line was completed in 1893 by the
Great Eastern Railway to provide a link to its other lines at
Wroxham and
County School, close to
North Elmham.
The lines were never profitable. Freight services were largely based on farm products and the line closed to passenger traffic in 1959.
In 1960, the two lines were joined by the
''Themelthorpe Curve'', believed to be the sharpest bend on the
British Rail network. Its construction was to maintain the important movement of concrete products from
Lenwade railway station; once production ceased in 1985, the line was closed.
[
]
Route
At Norwich, the path begins to the north of the Barn Road and Barker Street Inner Ring Road roundabout; much of this area was part of the former Norwich City railway station. The path, which is also known as the ''Railway Path'', follows approximately the course of the River Wensum which forms a boundary with the Train Wood.
After crossing a footbridge, the industrial landscape gives way to the water-meadows of the Sweetbriar Road Meadows before crossing the Wensum over the A frame bridge at Hellesdon. Travelling in a northerly direction from the junction of Marlpit Lane and Hellesdon Road, through the site of the former Hellesdon railway station, the way soon crosses the tiny River Tud at Costessey. The tree-lined River Wensum can be seen to the east, as the path passes through the open country side of the Wensum Valley. The river is crossed by means of an A-frame bridge (there are only three in Norfolk), before arriving at Drayton. The original Drayton railway station is now an industrial estate; the path follows a gravel path before crossing a minor road and entering a deep cutting to cross the busy A1067 road, close to Taverham. To the west is Thorpe Marriott, a large housing estate built in the late 20th century.
The tranquil path passes through extensive mixed woodland of the Mileplain plantation to cross the Wensum below Attlebridge. To the east of the way, the circular Winch's Way can be accessed which links to the Swannington and Alderford commons. After reaching a country lane, the privately-owned former Attlebridge railway station can be viewed; the way can be accessed close to a car park and picnic area. After passing through birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
woods, the large industrial estate of Lenwade can be seen to the west of the way and water filled gravel pits to the east.
Crossing the Wensum for the last time, and close to the former Lenwade railway station which is now privately owned, and on to Whitwell railway station.
The (NCN) leaves Marriott's Way to follow a short cut along quiet lanes to Reepham. The way carries on to Themelthorpe and follows the curve to the important stop of Reepham railway station, where the preserved station and engineering shed can be found. Following an easterly course, the path passes close by to the village of Cawston on the B1145 road and then crosses the B1149 road. To the north, the way links to Blickling Hall via Weavers' Way before reaching the end of the trail at Aylsham; directly opposite is Aylsham railway station and Bure Valley Path, a walking and cycling route.Marriott's Way information
Retrieved 31 January 2023
Ecology
While the railway line was in use, trackside vegetation would have been partly controlled. The vegetation would have been cut regularly or sprayed with
herbicides, so that trains were not obstructed and to lessen the risk of fire. When the railway closed, such management ceased and a wide variety of plants colonised the track; this has made it the diverse habitat for wildlife that it is today.
Today
In the Wensum Valley, immediately above the
flood plain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
between Hellesdon and Drayton, over 100 species of vegetation have been recorded including
hawthorn,
guelder rose,
wild rose,
blackthorn, scrub
oak,
gorse and
broom. Many wild flowers can be found such as
shepherd's purse,
ox-eye daisy,
white campion and
meadow saxifrage. Closer to the river, the soil becomes heavier and wetter and vegetation includes
alder
Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...
,
elder,
marsh marigold and
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
.
To the north of Drayton, the way passes over a variety of soil types. On the chalky soils, typical plants found are the
sycamore,
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
and chalk grassland species such as
wild carrot,
self heal,
bird's-foot-trefoil,
knapweed
''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding ...
and
mullein. On the sandy soils
bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...
,
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
and
gorse are the more dominant species. Also of note are
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...
s, which are colonising many of the concrete structures and bridges along the track. The way is an important area for insects, birds and small mammals because of the variety of wild plants that are found.
Public works of art
Several concrete public works of art can be seen along the way, as a constant reminder of the line's connection with the concrete industry and of its last days as a freight line, carrying concrete products. Also on view are hand crafted benches and places to rest; many of these memorials are to cyclists and other way users.
The route is marked by steel benches, fabricated from flat-bottomed rail at intervals of 1 mile starting from the site of Norwich City station. Each bench is to a different design, often with the rail twisted or bent, but always with a flat length at sitting height.
Public access
Apart from the main trailheads at Norwich and Aylsham, the trail can be accessed at various points throughout its length.
Marriott's Way gallery
Image:Marriotts Way.JPG, Concrete mile-pos
Image:Marriotts Way6.JPG, Level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...
at Lenwade
See also
Official Norfolk Trails website*
Recreational walks in Norfolk
The following are lists of recreational walks in Norfolk, England.
Short walks
The following walks are some of the routes.
*Blickling Hall has three waymarking, waymarked walks.
*Bure Valley Way, 14 kilometres from Aylsham to Wroxham
*Felbrigg ...
References
External links
Norfolk County CouncilSustransMarriot's Way guideNorwich and Norfolk Naturalists' Society
{{coord, 52.6626, N, 1.2297, E, display=title
Norwich
Footpaths in Norfolk
Long-distance footpaths in England
Rail trails in England