Norfolk health, heritage and biodiversity walks - Enjoying the Norfolk ...

Walk
9
Sparrow
Hill
Start point The Chequers Inn (Griston Road, Thompson)
Grid reference TF922968 • Postcode IP24 1PX
Parking Chequers Inn car park – free
Distance 3.3 miles
Details Minor gradients, 15% soft
The Chequers Inn during
opening hours, toilets available
if using pub for refreshments.
Walk instructions
Please see important note on page 5.
1. Starting at The Chequers Inn, turn right on to Griston Road. At the
crossroads, walk straight on to Tottington Road.
2. Walk past Hallfield Road and then at the junction with Marlpit Road,
bear left, heading straight on along Tottington Road. Follow the road as
it bends right.
3. At the end of Tottington Road, turn right along the Peddars Way which
follows the edge of the Stanford Training area.
4. When you reach the road, turn right. This is Sparrow Hill. Walk all the
way to the end of Sparrow Hill.
5. At the junction (where you will see the war memorial), turn right along
Watton Road.
6. At the crossroads, turn left along Mill Road and then at the next
crossroads, turn left on to Griston Road and make your way back to
The Chequers Inn which will be on your left.
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Breckland Farmland
Many of the walks in the
Watton area pass through
a predominately large
scale arable landscape with
long, open views which
provide a valuable habitat
for farmland birds. With
rare birds such as the stone
curlew nesting in cultivated
land which has plenty of
bare ground and very short
vegetation, much of the
area is under National and
European protection.
Some of Breckland’s
farmland is designated Site
of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) characterised by its
climate and soils. Situated
in the driest region in Britain
it is subject to great extremes of temperature and the soil is a complex mix
of free draining chalk, sand, silt, clay and flints. Some Breckland farmland
is also designated a Special Protection Area (SPA). SPAs are designed
to protect internationally rare breeding birds (in this case, stone curlew,
nightjar and woodlark) and form a European network of ‘Natura 2000’
sites, designed to protect Europe’s most threatened wildlife.
This walk passes Merton Wood (County Wildlife Site), a traditionally
managed coppiced woodland. Many of the oaks are over 150 years old
and scattered amongst them are exotic curiosities such as the monkey
puzzle tree and sequoia.
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