Walks
There are numerous walks and cycleways in and around Scarning, of various lengths and landscape.
There is an interactive Norfolk County Council website that shows eight footpaths within the parish boundary and numerous more linking through to Gressenhall, Dereham, Wendling and Shipdham. The following is a screenshot from the NCC website showing the footpaths within Scarning, though they are better viewed on their website.
Walking In England
This website includes a number of walks in our area, including downloadable PDFs, plus hundreds more walks further afield throughout England. Walking In England
Dereham Walkers Are Welcome
After a mammoth effort, 14 walking guides and a couple of information leaflets are available. Three thousand of these were printed and have been distributed free of charge but unfortunately, they have all gone. They are however all free to download from their website. Visit the website to also see a list of all the walks in our area. (Walks 4, 5 and 7 go through Scarning itself.) In addition, a booklet of 7 short walks can be downloaded, and there are plenty of printed copies of these available from the Library in Dereham.
Dereham Walkers Are Welcome host regular organised walks throughout the year. The monthly short walk (4 miles maximum) is usually on the first Friday of each month, with additional walks added during the year. Full details can be found on their website, but the walks are also included on our own Village Events calendar.
Walkers Are Welcome provide the following advice for walkers –
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- If you’re arriving by car, try to park in an official parking area – you may have to pay (the money is needed to maintain local facilities), but you can be sure you don’t block other traffic or access by farmers to their land
- Know where you’re going – a good map is essential to show the paths, but many of those on smartphones won’t show sufficient detail
- A mobile can be useful – but don’t rely on its map, or that you can always get a signal
- For all but the shortest walk, take water and food with you – in case you get lost or your planned route is blocked
- Especially on longer walks, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return
- Wear suitable clothes – short excursions in well-used areas that have been maintained with visitors in mind are one thing; but if you’re going further, paths can be very muddy, weather can change suddenly (especially if you’re climbing to any height), and you can get lost in unfamiliar places: make sure you have strong footwear, warm clothing and a good waterproof
- Always leave gates as you find them – open or shut – but do not leave anything else, please bring back everything you took with you. Farm and wild animals may be hurt by your unwanted items – even food.
- If you have one, keep your dog under close control – do not allow it to chase farm or wild animals, nor to bother other people (and collect your dog poo for disposal in a bin)
- If you’re out on a road in the evening, wear light clothes so you can be seen.
- There is a circular route down New Inn Lane along Rushmeadow Road, Podmore Lane and Dereham Road where you may see deer. Along this route, you will pass over the Parish boundary for a short distance but along the way, there are opportunities to explore other paths. At the bottom of New Inn Lane, you could turn right and then take the next left and take a walk around the side of the sewage works and onwards through Rush Meadow which is a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ (SSSI).
- There is a footpath and a cycleway leading from Allwood Avenue which leads on to Ted Ellis Way and then left on to Washbridge. Follow this route and you can walk into Dereham passing the Church on the left. By turning right off Ted Ellis Way you come upon the Water Meadows. By walking through the Meadows you can turn left, cross over the bridge and head towards Dereham. Vicarage Meadow is on your left and you reach the quaintly named Rolling Pin Lane with bungalows on your right. A short distance ahead on your left before you arrive at the end of the lane look out for this plaque. Palladium is the rare and silvery-white metal he discovered in 1803. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired by her when she slew Pallas. Do you know why?
- There is a footpath that starts opposite Scarning Grange on Dereham Road, crosses the A47 and continues past Railway Farm. Here, if you turn left on Fen Road, you can head towards Scarning Fen where you may be lucky to see a kestrel flying overhead. Sometimes there are ponies keeping the grass under control. If you decide to turn right on Fen Road, you pass Railway Farm on your right, and if you continue you will pass on the left-hand side the site of Drayton Hall, which was in the field where the road bends left. You will soon reach Manor Farm at a T-junction. Turning left here will take you southwards towards the start of the Green Lane, an unmade track on your left, and thence via Shipdham Lane into the centre of the village. Turning right at Manor Farm and heading back northwards down Manor Road will give you a good view right across to the church in Dereham and pass Poplar Farm on your left before returning to the A47.
