A Walk Around Swardeston Common

The small village of Swardeston lies four miles to the south of Norwich, and is the birthplace of Edith Cavell and the village is locally known for having a successful cricket team.

Swardeston Common is a mere “6” away from the village green where the cricket team play, and it’s how we discovered it, osrt of. Not by smashing a delivery out of the grounds, but just as we drove to the village green as my youngest son was training. So, as “Ben 10” was practising his batting and bowling we (that’s me and my occasional junior photographer, Luke) decided to take a little stroll around Swardeston Common on an overcast balmy summer’s evening.

Here’s few photos of some of the wildlife that we took on our walk.Enjoy!

Just over to the left, can you spot them?

Bunny rabbit on the path!

I didn’t see this insect until I reviewed the photos….

Lots of rosebay willowherb, below.

A busy buzzy bee!

Field Notes

FACILITIES – There are no facilities here but there is parking available opposite the common at the sports club

DOGS – Dogs welcome. There are sometimes sheep on the common and also there are small mammals (e.g. rabbits) and birds, so they should be on a lead.

SAFETY – There is some uneven ground, and just off the paths there is some small boggy ponds, so keep an eye on little ones.

WHEELCHAIRS – Some of the paths go downhill, and therefore uphill on the way back.

CLOBBER – The walk is on grass, so normal every day footwear should be fine, unless there’s be plenty of rain.

DISTANCE AND DURATION – We walked about 1 mile around Swardeston Common. A nice leisurely walk stopping for photos and watching the ducks in the pond opposite, so we spent maybe 30 minutes here. you can walk longer routes around the common, and you can also combine this with longer walks to, for example, Mulbarton.

ANYTHING ELSE? – Spring or Mid/late June are good times to go.

Final thoughts

It was a nice short walk, perhaps only 30 minutes or so, though we could’ve walked further if we had more time. Certainly I would say a walk around Swardeston Common is a pleasant way to unwind and a good opportunity to observe natural flora and wildlife.