Walk at West Runton & Beeston Regis Heath

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Slap-bang between the seaside towns of Sheringham and Cromer, lie the coastal villages of Beeston Regis, West Runton and East Runton.  Further inland, and overlooking these coastal villages is the National Trust’s West Runton & Beeston Regis Heath.

A genuine treasure of the Norfolk coast, a walk through the wood and heaths provides some stunning views of the Norfolk coast, including the Beeston Bump, an impressive up-and-down hill which itself is sufficient evidence to verify that Norfolk is not entirely flat!

 

We actually took this walk several months ago, but didn’t get around to writing the article. It’s happened before, it’ll happen again. Indeed, there are quite a few sets of unused photos sitting in the tens of thousands of photos sitting on my computer. Perhaps I’ll find the time during lockdown to get around to writing these articles. I wouldn’t count on it, but you never know!

 

Regular readers of NorfolkPlaces and followers of our Instagram account will know we enjoy photographing a nice bit of scenery, and can be a bit snap-happy with the camera. Sometimes when this happens we can’t pick our favourite photos for an article, so we create a couple of articles to share the photos with you. Yep, this is one of those occasions. But with not much going on in these lock-down days we’re going to wait a few more days to share part two to give you something to look forward to.

 

So, let’s kick off part one at the start of our walk at the Roman Camp car park on Beacon Hill. From here we get one of the first of many stunning vistas as the woodlands open up to give a tantalising view of the North Sea. A bench is positioned to allow you take in this view for a few moments at the start (or the end!) of the walk. Of course, walking with kids means this is rarely possible for the NP parents!

 

Beeston Regis Walk2 NT sign for Roman Camp

Beeston Regis Heath walk

Hopefully the picture below shows there is a good variety of trees here, making every aesthetically visit different to the last. We’re not tree experts but we know there are silver birches, beech, rowan (mountain ash), oak, ash, sycamores and sweet chestnut.

Beeston Regis Heath walk

Occasionally the woodland opens up to provide glimpses of the sea. Here we can see the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm.

Beeston Regis walk - wind turbines

If I was an Arborist I could tell you for sure what these berries are on. I think it might be mountain ash.

The heath provides an array of colourful plants, making it a great environment for nature to thrive. I think the yellow stuff is broom.

In to a more narrower path, the trees, undergrowth and fallen leaves provide a blanket of greens and browns. Very much in woodland here, and you would not believe civilisation nor the seaside are close by.

Getting teens and tweens to go out on a walk is no easy task, but it’s not long before they’re leading the way, exploring the leafy footpaths and reporting back on what lies ahead just around the corner. Even a surly teen can’t help letting their imagination run wild immersed in this environment.

A Disney fan might picture Bambi & Thumper and other woodland folk may live here too. Younger kids might imagine Tigger, Winnie the Pooh and friends roaming around this area, having adventures with Christopher Robin. Well, with a wide range of animals living in and around the heath including roe deer, munjac deer, woodmice, grey squirrels and other small mammals, it’s not hard to envision a “Hundred Acre Wood” setting.

Birdsong can be heard amongst the trees too. There are many types of birds that visit the area throughout the year, including woodcocks, redwings, warblers, chiff chaffs, house martins, swallows, and black caps, sparrowhawks can often be seen soaring above the high ground. Of course, the can be quite elusive, so if you want to observe them a bit of patience is required (and maybe quieter kids too!)



Not sure what it is about hay bales, but I just like taking photos of them! I know the stacking of them will be by machine, but I can’t help pondering and picturing this in action. I can’t be the only one who thinks a hay bale structure like this is cool!

Another angle of the bales? Oh go on then!

 

WAIT THERE’S MORE -> CLICK HERE GO TO PART 2 OF ARTICLE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS WALK!

Okay. That brings us to the end of this selection of photos from our walk at West Runton & Beeston Regis Heath. That went quicker than I thought it would do, but don’t worry, there’s more. Click the link above to read and enjoy part two.

 

FACILITIES – Car park, but limited spaces

DOGS – Dogs are welcome but should be under control (should be on a leash, particularly on the route we took past Hillside Animal Sanctuary

SAFETY – On the route we took there is some walking along roads but there were footpaths. Nonetheless, be wary with kids.

WHEELCHAIRS – There are some parts of the walk that are not suitable for wheelchairs

CLOBBER – The walk is over a mix of terrain (grass, mud, gravel, paths) with some incline in parts. Comfortable footwear should be okay – we wore just trainers, though it was in later summer on a nice dry day!

DISTANCE AND DURATION – Our total walk was approx 4 miles, but there are shorter or longer versions. You should allow 1 – 2 hours.

 

Where to next?

Here’s a few more articles of interest and things for you to do to keep you occupied.

Enjoy walks around Norfolk? Then check out some more of our articles on our Norfolk walks around the county (and just over the county border too) or browse the rest of our articles.

Find things to do or somewhere to stay in North Norfolk.

Why not check out our Norfolk quizzes and games.

 

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