Discovering Norfolk’s riches alongside dunes and waterways
A winter walk in Norfolk winds alongside reed-lined channels to an untamed coastline where seals play at the sea’s edge
Above a beach on Norfolk’s wild eastern coast, the January air is crisp and bracing. There is a feeling of freshness, from the wind rippling through tufts of marram grass on the dunes to the tumbling surf of the North Sea and the silvery-grey sand along the shoreline. Fresher still, however, are Horsey’s renowned residents. Stretched out beside their mothers, the seal pups are suckling, resting, exploring and playing. The families of bulls, cows and their young line the beach in their hundreds; snorting, flapping and socialising. They are enjoying the chance to rest, revitalise and grow stronger before returning to the sea. The long, sandy stretch provides the perfect home for Atlantic grey seals. They reside here for many months of the year, but the beach is at its busiest during the breeding season, from late October to early February. In January, the colony is at its peak, with new pups being born as the slightly older ones become more adventurous and play in the sea. Out of care for this fragile population, human access is restricted at this time, but there are well-established viewing points all along the shoreline, making this the perfect time for an invigorating walk in the company of these playful mammals.
Church with a story
Horsey, pronounced locally as ‘hor-zee’, lies between the larger villages of Sea Palling and Winterton-on-Sea. It is 13 miles north of Great Yarmouth and 23 miles east of Norwich. It also marks the north-eastern edge of the Norfolk Broads. A six-mile circular walk around Horsey gives plenty of scope for discovering more about this fascinating area as well as leaving time to visit the seal colony. Many visitors choose to start their walk at Horsey Gap, a popular car park with access directly onto the beach. However, there is more to be seen by parking a little further south at the village pub, the Nelson Head. The landlord tends not to mind if walkers park here, as a visit to the pub makes a welcome end to a stroll around Horsey and its coastline. Starting here also allows the walker to explore the village and the unique Broads landscape that surrounds it, before walking out to the beach to meet the magnificent seals. Heading westwards along the lane, inland from the pub, the walk soon reaches All Saints parish church. Sequestered in a small copse, it adjoins the manor of Horsey Hall. The church is by far the oldest building in the village and the smallest of four churches in the benefice of Winterton. Like most churches in this part of Norfolk, its history stretches back into the late first century, but its architecture is a tapestry of improvements and embellishments over time. Its tower is one
of 119 round church towers in the county. Of these, 78 date from Saxon times, as Horsey’s does. The lower, circular part of the tower was built in the late 900s and the octagonal belfry added in the 1400s. Its construction is a tribute to the strength and versatility of local materials. The thick, angled walls are made of flint stone quarried from the coast, to keep it steady against the harsh winds which race across this flat landscape from the sea. The roof is thatched with two layers of reeds cut from nearby beds, held together by dry mortar. It was re-thatched in 1986 and again as part of a major restoration in 2008. Documents in the church provide a fine introduction to the story of Horsey itself. The name derives from Horse Island, implying that before the drainage works of the early 19th century, the village was
surrounded by water and grazed by horses. It was known as a desolate place when Robert Rising purchased the manor from Sir George Brograve of Waxham Hall, a few miles to the north, in 1803. Rising set about transforming the landscape into fertile and productive farmland. He did this by repairing the collapsed sea banks and draining the water from the surrounding marshes. Having made the village profitable, he built a new road linking it with Somerton to the south. In 1842, Rising was succeeded by his son, also called Robert, who rebuilt Horsey Hall in 1845. He also built a school for the local children. The interior of the church is filled with fascinating features, including tributes to the Rising family. Most prominent is a stained-glass window depicting
“I called in many a craftsmaster To fix emblazoned glass, To figure Cross and Sepulchure On dossal, boss, and brass” Thomas Hardy, ‘The Church-builder’
Catherine Ursula Rising, daughter-in-law of Robert. Catherine was known for her artistry and is depicted as a painter, with a music sheet close by. The window panel shown behind her looks exactly the same as the window in Horsey Hall today.
Reclaiming the land
Leaving the church, the route heads southwards across pleasant farmland lined by small copses. The path runs parallel to the West Somerton road, and shortly emerges onto it to reach Horsey Staithe. This serene set of moorings lines a small channel which was carved out to provide access to and from Horsey Mere, sitting just to the west. The staithe’s most notable landmark is the impressive Horsey Windpump, a four-storey drainage mill which was once part of a network of similar structures helping to convert marshland into farmland. There has been a drainage mill on this staithe since the early 1700s. The mill on the present site was built in 1800, and rebuilt in 1897. Over the centuries, it has had several names, including the New Mill, the Great Mill and the Black Mill. The present structure was built in 1912. It worked solidly until it was struck by lightning in 1943. Five years later, the mill was acquired by the National Trust and has since been restored. The mill’s damaged sails were removed in 1956, and replacement sails and a new fantail were installed after a further six years. The Great Storm of 1987 caused more damage, and repair works were required before the building could reopen to visitors three years further on. The mill is closed during the winter, reopening in March. Over the past three years, an extensive renovation project has been taking place. Weather permitting, the Trust hopes that the project will be concluded by the time the mill reopens, allowing the sails to turn for the first time since the damage caused in 1943. The mill has become one of the National Trust’s flagship Norfolk properties, with exhibits which it says provides “the perfect gateway to experience the connection between man and nature”. Outside the mill is a small tearoom. Roughly halfway up its black weatherboarded wall, just beneath the serving hatch, is a turquoise line marking the original sea level of Horsey. It bears the witty inscription: ‘This was sea level. Now it’s tea level.’ Water has always defined this landscape. It has been both its saviour and enemy. Flooding has occurred many times throughout the centuries. The most serious floods of modern times were in 1938 and 1953, when hundreds of homes had to be evacuated, and many livelihoods were lost.
Ada Cambridge, ‘By a Norfolk Broad’ “A thin mist, like a breath on glass, veils shining mere and distant shore. The moor-hen’s family is fed. The heron hies him home to bed”
Manmade waterway
Heading back along the staithe, a path leads westwards through the reed beds to the edge of Horsey Mere. This 129 acre sheen of calm water is typical of the Norfolk Broads. Thanks to a network of waterways including the River Thurne and the Hundred Acres Marsh, it connects to several neighbouring expanses, such as Hickling Broad and Martham Broad. Like the Broads as a whole, the mere was created artificially and by accident. Medieval monks amassed great wealth in this area by digging peat and selling it for fuel, an industry which was known as turbary. Over time, the sea flooded into the peat pits, engulfing the landscape and creating the Broads. This artificial formation was only noticed in the 1960s, when botanist Dr Joyce Lambert discovered that the edges of the Broads were cut diagonally and, therefore, the waterways were not formed naturally. Today, Horsey Mere is popular with boating enthusiasts. Restored 19th century grain wherries and brightly painted narrowboats can be seen crossing these expansive waters. Heading away from the mere’s edge, the path follows a placid channel known as Waxham New Cut. The path skirts the reed-lined fringe of Braydon Marshes. Along here, many species of overwintering birds may be seen. These include cranes, pink-footed geese, marsh harriers, avocets, lapwings and spoonbills. A helpful noticeboard at the wind pump usually lists the species which have been spotted in the area recently. A mile north of the mere, just before turning eastwards towards the coast, the path passes the ruined Brograve Drainage Mill on the opposite bank. This derelict structure consists of a brick tower with just the bare bones of three of its sails. The mill’s evocative silhouette, standing proud from the watery landscape, makes it popular with photographers. Like Horsey mill, the Brograve mill was a water pump. It was built in 1771 by Sir Berney Brograve, and is thought to have last worked circa 1930. The mill leans precipitously, which gave rise to a local legend that the Devil, enraged by
Brograve’s attempts to tame the landscape, tried to blow it down. Today, the land on which the mill stands, known as Brograve Level, is cut off from almost all footpaths by water. Given its precarious state, its inaccessibility is regarded as a good thing.
Seal watching
Continuing eastwards past Horsey Corner, the walk soon crosses the Horsey to Waxham road. The route follows an access track which leads to Horsey Gap, the quickest entry point to the beach. From the car park, signposted trails head southwards to the seal observation areas. To keep the animals safe from harm or anxiety, the viewpoints are set back from the beach, up on the 33ft (10m) high dunes. The sight from here is extraordinary, with hundreds of cows, bulls and pups ‘hauling out’ onto the beach; playing, nurturing and interacting. Keen photographers with long lenses capture close-ups of the contented, often excitable, faces of the pups. Some will be pulling themselves along the sands, while others play in the waves. Some will be further out in the sea, practising their diving; a skill which
“Beware; the channel shifts, and now and then A post deceives the hapless wherrymen” Hugh Money-Coutts, ‘The Broads’
they will perfect in time. Adult grey seals can dive to a depth of 100-230ft (30-70m), for periods of up to 10 minutes. Being so exposed, the dunes can be very cold and windy in winter, and walkers are advised to wrap up in extra layers for this part of the route, especially as viewing the seals may entail standing still for a while. Afterwards, a well-defined track leads south-west away from the viewing areas and back towards the Nelson Head. This characterful alehouse has won many accolades and is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, the Norfolk-born hero of the Battle of Trafalgar. The homely interior welcomes visitors throughout the winter, many of whom will have enjoyed this extraordinary wildlife encounter. Here, a hearty Norfolk ale or warming drink forms the perfect end to a crisp, cold day’s walk at the easternmost edge of England.