Don’t let shorter days keep you indoors. Winter has its own magic and even a brief walk boosts health and banishes gloom. Belaugh is the quintessential English village. On a bend of the River Bure, it’s the setting for one of the best short walks in Norfolk.
This circular route in beautiful Broadland countryside, takes in fields and picturesque riverside paths, also following alongside the miniature Bure Valley Railway – maybe you’ll see a jaunty stream train chugging by! The path begins at the river moorings, so it’s lovely to arrive by boat. If you come by car, park in Upper Belaugh, as parking is scare elsewhere. It’s an easy 6.6km, good for those who favour gentler scenic walking trails. Depending on how long you like to stand and stare at the view, it takes about an hour and half. There’s no pub here, but Coltishall is a pleasant mile and a half walk across the fields.
Unusually for Norfolk, Belaugh perches on a hill, formed by one edge of the Bure Valley. Peaceful even in high summer, there’s just a pretty staithe, boatyard, a few houses and the 14th century church of Belaugh St Peter, on a steep slope above the village. And of course there’s a ghost. This one is Richard Slater, a thieving servant who drowned in the river during a scuffle with the rector in 1695. Each night he rises from the quiet and lonely water, eternally dragged back by the weight of his stolen loot. Or so they say.
