Marston Marsh

Featured image

A nice walk around Marston Marsh helps the NorfolkPlaces team to walk off the excesses of Christmas dinner!

 

Even though a few days had passed, we were still feeling bloated from Christmas dinner and the subsequent post-Christmas food indulgences. As we lounged around the house either watching Christmas movies or helping the kids build their umpteenth Lego model I decided we needed to get out and go for a good walk.

 

We didn’t want to go too far. After all, we’d just had lunch and the latest bulky post-Christmas roast needed to put in the oven in a few hours time. So, we plugged for Marston Marsh.

 

Marston Marsh is a couple of miles away from Norwich City centre, however, as with many wonderful places you would not believe you were so close to the City. It’s located on the flood plain of the River Yare, and is owned/managed by Norwich City Council.

 

Having walked from home, our official Marston Marsh walk started from the Eaton end of Marston Lane. If you spot anyone dressed for golf at this point it’s because golfers from Eaton Golf Club cross over Marston Lane at this point as they follow their course. The walk we took was circular, and took us down towards and alongside the River Yare, back towards Marston Lane, turning before we reached the lane, and walked back to our start point across the marsh and past some pollarded willows. There are a few different routes to take; We opted for quite a short circular route as the ground was indeed rather boggy and we didn’t fancy losing a welly in the mud!

 

On the day of our walk it was a lovely crisp sunny day, but it was also very cold. With a lot of recent rainfall it was bound to be a bit muddy! So, with wellies on and several layers of thick wintry clothing we set out on a pleasant stroll around the marsh.

 

Unfortunately we didn’t see too much of the wildlife; I did spot a Heron going for a spot of fishing but I was not able to get a good picture of him, and on a previous visit the kids claim to have spotted an Otter. Nonetheless, even in the winter it’s possible to snap some nice pictures,  and I hope you enjoy the selection below. We also have some more on our Facebook page.

 

The white stuff on the photo below is ice – Just proving it was a cold day!

Marston Marsh

I quite like the contrast of the browny reed grass with the evergreens in the background on a blue canvas sky.

Marston Marsh

A swan and cygnet posing for the camera!

Marston Marsh

A train track runs alongside Marston Marsh, just the other side of the River Yare. The route towards Church Lane in Eaton will take you close to (but not over) the track.

Marston Marsh

 

marston_marsh

Note, there is a spot on the River Yare where people enjoy a little paddle. Too cold for us on our walk but we it’s a popular thing to do in the summer!

 

Field Notes

FACILITIES – There are no facilities at Marston Marsh. There is limited parking (up to five cars) in the Danby Wood car park off Marston Lane (off Ipswich Road).

DOGS – Dogs are allowed, but should be on a lead as there are cows grazing on the marsh grass.

SAFETY – There is some uneven ground, plus paths will take you near the River Yare and dykes too. Also, one of the routes can go near to the railway line.

WHEELCHAIRS – There is an “access for all hard-surface path” (which includes Marston Lane as part of this route). Other routes are not suitable for wheelchairs.

CLOBBER – The marsh can get a bit boggy, especially in periods where there has been lots of rain, so consider your choice of footwear. Wellies definitely a good idea.

DISTANCE AND DURATION – Excluding the walk from home, our circular walk around Marston Marsh was 1 mile, and took about 20-30 minutes (a slow walk due to the necessity of careful footing on squelchy ground!)

 

Where to Next?

Read more articles on walks or browse the rest of our articles.

Find things to see & do, places to stay & more in Greater Norwich
Why not check out our Norfolk quizzes and games

 

Check out the NorfolkPlaces’ Directory:

Find things to see & do  |  Somewhere to Eat/Drink  |  Accommodation  |  Retail Therapy

Locally Made Products  |  Lifestyle Services  |  Clubs and Classes.  |  Events

Share:
Greater NorwichShort Walk

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

Recent Posts