1 Repton Cycle Trail Approximately 50 miles One of Britain’s greatest landscape gardeners, Humphry START Route Repton, has strong connections with Broadland – his • Opposite St Andrew’s Church and first professional commission was Catton Park and he is Blickling Estate Blickling Hall you will find a path on the buried in Aylsham Church. left hand side which leads to Aylsham. This cycle trail will explore locations across the district Blickling Estate started out in the • Follow the path around the back of that have links with Repton, and others that will be of 15th century under the ownership some cottages, through a gate and over interest to nature lovers and garden enthusiasts. of Sir John Fastolf of Caister, before an old railway bridge. going on to be the home of the • After the bridge, turn left down the Please note some parts of this route may require you to dismount from your Boleyn family. Today’s Blickling Hall slope on to Weaver’s Way. Go through bicycle, and some parts do include busy roads. was built by Sir Henry Hobart and a gate and cross the road following the is now in the possession of the Weaver’s Way signs. National Trust. This is a brilliant family-friendly attraction offering • Pass through a gate and keep walking, tours of the inside of Blickling Hall passing under two bridges. You will then and vast acres of outdoor parklands. pass the Weaver’s Way Viewing Platform During April/May Blickling Estate is a which you can use to view wildlife from. great place to see beautiful carpets • When you get to a car park, exit left out of Bluebells. of car park, and then follow downhill While Repton is thought to have onto Drabblegate. Follow this road down consulted on Blickling Hall, it is not onto Millgate, until you reach New Road. believed that his proposals were • Turn right into New Road and where the used. Blickling’s Orangery is home road bends to the right, pass Ash House on to a seat designed by Repton’s son, the left and turn left into Abbott’s Close. John Adey Repton. • Take the next right turn into Town Lane, which emerges opposite the Methodist Hall. BLICKLING HALL • Here turn right and then left into Red Lion Street, signed ‘Town Centre’. Turn Catton Park right through the Market Place and its AYLSHAM TOWN 17th and 18th Century buildings. OXNEAD HALL STRATTON STRAWLESS ST PETER’S CHURCH TAVERHAM MILL FISHERY & NATURE RESERVE CATTON PARK 2 Route Route • From the Market Place follow Hungate • On exiting the Taverham Mill, head Street down towards a bridge, go right straight up the hill onto Sandy at the bridge and on the left hand side Lane, and follow straight over the you will find steps below on to the crossroad into Breck Farm Lane. Marriott’s Way. On the Marriott’s Way turn right towards Norwich. • At its end, re-join the Marriott’s Way. Turn right on Marriott’s • Follow this old railway route past Way towards Norwich and Aylsham’s Woodgate Nursery and Aylsham Town Swannington’s Romantic Garden Taverham Mill Fishery continue cycling until you reach & Church Nursery and through key towns and & Nature Reserve Sloughbottom Park in Norwich. villages including Reepham, and • Here turn left through the park’s Aylsham is picturesque market Taverham Mill was best knownBLICKLING for HALL Lenwade until you eventually reach cycle track and exit onto Parr town thought to date back to 500 Taverham. This is marked by a marker being a paper mill from around Road. Head straight and over the AD, which later became popular for Taverham Garden Centre. 1701. Taverham paper mill was for trading in linens, specifically the very successful for a time and was crossroads onto Bignold Road. • Exit the Marriott’s Way here onto the AYLSHAM TOWN Aylsham ‘Webb’ or ‘cloth of Aylsham’ used to manufacture the paper for • Keep straight until the end of the which was supplied to English royalty. Fir Covert Road, and follow it past the 1st revised edition of the Bible, Taverham Garden Centre & Nurseries road, then turn right onto Appleyard In the 14th century the town was the Oxford Dictionary, bank notes to its end, and then cross straight over Crescent, then left onto Rye Avenue. granted a market by Henry VIII and produced by the Bank of England and into Beech Avenue. OXNEAD HALL the market is still today a thriving several daily newspapers, including • At the end of Rye Avenue turn right place of activity. Humphry Repton • At the end of the road turn left onto The Times. When it eventually closed onto Boundary Road. Take care here lived in Sustead and is now buried in Ringland Road. Follow this road straight in 1899 it was the biggest paper mill as this is a busy road. Stay straight Aylsham’s St Michael and All Angels until you come to a mini roundabout. in the county. It is now a fishery and until you see wooden fencing on the Church, near the front door. • Here you will find the entrance to nature reserve with some remains left hand side, then turn left into of the historic mill. There is also a STRATTON STRAWLESS Repton’s sister, Dorothy, also lived Taverham Mill Fishery and Nature Oak Lane. This is where you will find visitor centre giving some information in Aylsham and is buried in the Reserve, opposite medieval St Catton Park. on the history of the mill, and self- church. His son, William, became a Edmund’s Church. catering accommodation. very successful solicitor in the area and lived in Aylsham Market Place for many years, on his death he was buried with his father. As well as his Market Place abode, it is believed that William had The Orchards, 20 ST PETER’S CHURCH Norwich Road in Aylsham built for him by architect brother, John Adey TAVERHAM MILL FISHERY Repton. While this house still survives & NATURE RESERVE today, it is a private residence and not accessible to the public. CATTON PARK 3 BLICKLING HALL Old Catton & Route St Peter’s Church, Stratton Catton Park • If you follow from Spixworth Road, left Spixworth Strawless AYLSHAM TOWN Old Catton is a picturesque parish into Church road and onto Parkside The woods surrounding this historic Stratton Strawless is a small village of Broadland and was for several Drive on the left, you will also find a church are a popular location for in Broadland that has existed since centuries the home to many wealthy small pond. admiring Norfolk’s many displays of at least the 11th century. For many and high status individuals in Norwich, • This small garden is some of the lastOXNEAD HALL bluebells. You will see these normally centuries Stratton Strawless Hall was especially once Catton Hall was surviving remnants from Catton Hall’s between April and May and the the home of the Marsham Family. constructed in the 1770s by Charles formal parterre gardens designed by church often hosts walks and other Robert Marsham, born in 1707, Buckle, High Steward of Norwich. Humphry Repton. This is now in the events to celebrate the occasion. became the world’s first phenologist; Armstrong is quoted as saying in care of Old Catton Society. regularly recording changes to the 1780; “A very pleasant village, and STRATTON STRAWLESS natural environment and so to the the residence of many opulent changing of the seasons. manufacturers, who have retired from Old Catton was also the home of Route Robert Marsham was also a great Norwich, and built elegant houses.” George & John Lindley, father and son. George looked after the Catton lover of trees in particular and planted Jeramiah Ives who owned the • Head back onto Spixworth Road and many around Stratton Strawless, one Nursery in the late 18th century and North onto Buxton Road. Eventually Catton Hall estate which Catton Park drew up a plan for an Orchard in that still survives today is now known belonged to, hired Humphry Repton you will pass Spixworth and come to St as ‘the Great Cedar’ because of its 1776. His son, John, born around 1799 Peter’s Church on the right. to improve his historic 600 acre site in Old Catton, grew up to be a well- impressive height, towering over in 1788. Following this, Catton Park known botanist. He was an influential ST PETER’S• Continue CHURCH your route on Buxton Road surrounding trees. This is also now became Repton’s first commission as a figure in the Royal Horticultural and at the fork take the left on to depicted on the Stratton Strawless professional landscape gardener. Society and like Repton; Lindley often Spixworth Road. Village sign. Part of the Stratton TAVERHAM MILL FISHERY Strawless Hall land is now the Norfolk It is believed that the main work& NATURE RESERVE used painting in his work. • Follow this for a mile and then continue Bluebell Wood Burial Park, and is a Repton carried out was probably straight onto Hall Road later becoming beautiful setting for natural burials additional planting in the park and BLICKLING HALL Dumbs Lane. and wild flowers. the associated landscape. Repton CATTON PARK probably also had some input in the • At the end of the road, turn right onto Repton was an admirer of Marsham’s meadow which is now the Deer Park, Newton Road, and at its end turn right work and described the planting of lying to the east of the main park. It onto Waterloo Road, and immediately AYLSHAMtrees TOWN there as “a gem made out of a is likely that Repton removed trees to left onto Hainford Road.