Norfolk Trails, Martineau Lane, , , NR1 2DH Tel: 0344 800 8020 E-mail: [email protected]

ISSUE 18

This Issue: Welcome to our festive edition of The Volunteer Newsletter! Breaking New 2 Following the success of the Norfolk Walking & Cycling Festival, we’re Ground Statistics pleased to announce the completion of the BNG project, as well loads of Volunteering 3 Opportunities to get involved in the Trails this winter! Opportunities Getting Trained 4 Up on Marriott’s Way

National Trail 6 Following hard work from the Trails team and our Winter Survey partners, the Breaking New Ground project, comprising of

Coast Path 7 15 Walking and Cycling trails around the Brecklands area, Junior Passport is complete. Norfolk Walking 8 & Cycling Festival Eco things to do 9 Work on the project this Christmas includes new signage for NBIS Events 10 the 15 routes, creation of interpretation boards which are installed

throughout the Brecks, and publishing a new booklet with details of all the new routes (pictured). See the infographic on page 2 to get an idea of just how much has gone into this project.

To find out more about BNG, go to:

norfolktrails.co.uk norfolk.gov.uk/out-and-about-in-norfolk/norfolk-trails/breaking-new-ground

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Date Site Activity Site Meeting Point

1pm Temple Rhododendrons must be Roadside by Postbox at the stopped – tackling an Gatehouse, Craft Lane, , Wed 6th Wood invasive plant before it , NR27 0LJ (TG 253 December Northrepps covers everything! 383). Bawdeswell Heath car park, on 11:15 am There upon the Bawdeswell Road between Friday 8th Bawdeswell Heath – to Heath and the A1067, December cut back birch. near NR20 4RH (TG 032 200). What, there’s more? Roadside by Postbox at the 1pm Temple Removing Gatehouse, Craft Lane, Frogshall, Wed 13th Wood Rhododendrons to Northrepps, NR27 0LJ (TG 253 December improve water quality in Northrepps 383). the ‘mighty’ . Wood nature reserve – 11:15 am 1st (most northerly) car park th The ancient craft of Friday 15 Foxley Wood after public entrance, coppicing. December Road, Foxley, NR20 4QR (TG 049 229). Common car parking Xmas ‘do’. A walk around area on Road 1pm the common followed by Southrepps (between Bradfield Road and Wed 20th food and drink to Warren Road), Lower Street, Common celebrate the year’s work December Southrepps, NR11 8UH (TG 260 – cheers! 351).

A walk round old North playing field car 11:15 am A bit of a Elmham walk then a park, B1110 Holt Road (near Friday 22nd ‘do’ celebration at Bawdeswell junction with B1145), North December Village Hall. Elmham, NR20 5JA (TF 984 207).

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Getting trained up on the Marriott’s Way Heritage Trail

As a follow on from our platform reclamation work on the Marriott’s way at Hellesdon Station, I have been back to the site with Matt from the Norwich Fringe Project and Framingham Earl Nurture group. In teams, the children got to cut up the remaining scrub left behind using various tools, including loppers and bow saws, before putting it on the bonfire. The group were taught team building and communication skills, as well as learning lots of new practical skills. As a reward for all their hard work the group got to roast marshmallows on the bonfire at the end of the day. In the next stages of our platform reclamation project, the Norfolk Trails team have been out on the Marriott’s way at Reepham old Station uncovering the ivy and nettle covered platform opposite Kerri’s tearoom. The platform Before and the old waiting area can now be seen, which makes it much easier to visualise the railway history that was once there. I returned there a few weeks later and saw some children playing on the newly uncovered platform and it was

After great to see it being enjoyed. 4

Marriott’s Way (continued)

I have also been out on our electric bike auditing the artwork and the bridges on the Marriott’s Way. I have been out to see which bridges would be suitable for a replica bridge plate to be installed onto it. The original bridge plates would have displayed the bridge’s unique number, which would have been used to identify the bridge. We are on track to install the replica bridge plates over the winter period.

In addition to this, the Trails team have been access testing the length of the Marriott’s way, which is now almost complete. We hope to have a much wider range of information about the accessibility of the Marriott’s way on our website over the next couple of months. My fellow trainee, Chris and myself, have also been on more training courses. Last week we attended a Share Museums course on Capital projects at the Castle Museum and a Digital training workshop at the Forum. Our first aid training will also be coming up in the next few weeks.

To get in touch about the project, all of the team’s contact information is now up on our new website. Take a look here... www.marriottsway.info

By Ella Meecham, Marriott’s Way Heritage Trail Infrastructure Trainee

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WINTER SURVEY

This enables us to assess the amount of use and the subsequent economic impacts of the coast path In Norfolk and the effect that new coastal access has had on local economies. You can complete a survey when out walking the national trail or online at www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NationalTrailUser

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Give the gift of adventure this Christmas!

Struggling for what else to get your little ones this Christmas? Give the gift of adventure with the Norfolk Coast Path Junior Passport!

Priced at just £5, the Junior passport is an ideal seasonal stocking filler! It’s designed for children aged 5+, with loads of fun activities to do along the Norfolk Coast.

The original stretch of the Norfolk Coast Path (Hunstanton to ) is broken down into 15 chunks which makes it easier for planning a day out on the coast with a Junior Passport! Between each stretch is a stamp which you can add to your passport—these are usually strapped to our Norfolk Trails finger posts or found at TICs.

Passports can be purchased at Hunstanton TIC, Burnham Deepdale TIC, Wells Beach Café, and Cromer TIC. Or if you’re an online Christmas shopper, head to nationaltrail.co.uk to buy yours today!

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Norfolk Walking & Cycling Festival 2017

This year we hosted a total of 63 events, including the NDR explorer day, guided cycle rides, marathons and more across the whole of Norfolk! This year’s festival included a series of “Walking for Health” guided walks that are open to everyone, but specifically catering for beginners.

It was fantastic to see so many volunteers and businesses alike come forward to host their own event, many for the first time. If you’d like to organise an event next year or are interested in volunteering at the festival, please get in contact and email [email protected] - we provide free walk leader training too!

Finally, thank you so much to everyone who was involved in the festival - we had over 2,700 people attend our events which is a 5% increase from last year! See you next year!

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Eco things to do this Christmas!

Norfolk Eco Awards Schools, businesses, local food producers, community groups and individuals are being invited to enter the Norfolk Eco Awards, which celebrates and rewards environmental excellence across the city and county. Shiitake mushroom growing, car sharing and food recycling were just some of the winning projects at last year’s awards. Please visit www.eco-awards.co.uk for more information and to apply. Time is running out applications until the 1 December 2017.

Volunteer at Holt Hall Help with conservation work on the grounds or lend a hand in the walled garden. Holt hall is an environmental and outdoor learning centre. The next open gate dates are on the 9th and 10th December. Please contact at 01263 713117, www.holthall.org.uk or [email protected]

Hedgehog Hibernation As hedgehogs are hibernating, visit Hedgehog Street for help in supporting hedgehogs in your own garden: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/

Help Record Parasitical Mistletoe on Oaks Mistletoe has a wide range of hosts including oaks. Oaks with parasitical mistletoe are still quite rare. Can you help collect the records for Norfolk? If you find any mistletoe, contact NBIS at [email protected]

Norfolk’s Freshwater Study Group Meetings Are you keen to learn more about freshwater life? If you are an enthusiastic beginner or have some experience of investigating the wealth of freshwater life in the county, then the Norfolk Freshwater Study Group meetings could be for you. Meetings take place every third Thursday of the month in the study centre at the Wheatfen Nature Reserve, Surlingham from 19:00 onwards. The focus is typically on invertebrate samples from ponds, dykes, broads and rivers, though they are happy to be side-tracked by anything aquatic! There is a range of microscopes, equipment, identification guides and a vast store of knowledge available to share and use. These meetings are an ideal opportunity to increase your identification skills and understand more about freshwaters. If you would like to come along an see what is available, please contact Dan Hoare: [email protected]

The Brecks Earth Heritage Trail is now open Want to try a new Trail? Full of prehistoric wildlife with 90 million years of geological history, the Brecks Earth Heritage Trail is one of Britain’s great natural areas to explore. Please visit for more information http://www.breakingnewground.org.uk/earthheritagetrail/ or download the Earth Heritage Trail Map app.

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NBIS Events

Bug Sorting Workshop NO.3 Come along and learn about invertebrate families and help sort specimens into those families. By doing so you will help really important UEA research into management for important invertebrates in the Brecks! Sign up today to as many dates* as you like. In the Brecks: Saturday 2nd December 2017 at Oak Lodge and at Santon Downham: Sunday 3rd December 2017 (https://tinyurl.com/yab8dhkx). In Norwich: Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th December (https://tinyurl.com/y72uqbv4) *Please book separately if you wish to attend more than one date

Dragonflies and other wildlife distractions of Madagascar 19:30, Tuesday 12th December 2017, St.Andrew's Hall, Eaton, NR4 6NW Illustrated talk by Dr Pam Taylor. With festive refreshments. http://www.nnns.org.uk/event/list

Wildlife of the National Nature Reserve 19:30, Tuesday 9 January 2018, St.Andrew's Hall, Eaton Illustrated talk by Andrew Bloomfield, Reserve Warden http://www.nnns.org.uk/event/list

Wildlife through the Lens 19:30, Tuesday, 23 January 2018, St. Andrew's Hall, Eaton

email: [email protected] Twitter: @NorfolkTrails @walkthetrail

If you need this document in large print, audio, Braille alternative format or different language please contact the Norfolk Trail office and we 10