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

Walk
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Loch Neaton/
Church Walk
Start point War Memorial (Memorial Way, Watton)
Grid reference TF917006 • Postcode IP25 6BS
Parking Free parking on Thetford Road by the War Memorial/
various town centre car parks
Distance 1.8 miles
Details Minor gradients, 10% soft
Walk instructions
Please note that walkers are asked to keep dogs on leads in the
grounds of Loch Neaton.
1. Start at the war memorial and turn right on to Thetford Road towards
the High Street. Turn left onto the High Street and after a short
distance, cross at the zebra crossing, turning right into Middle Street.
2. Follow the road round to the right in front of the town hall and then
turn left at the end. Almost immediately, turn right onto Dereham
Road (one way street).
3. Turn left at the T-junction on to the A1075 Dereham Road. Follow the
road for just under half a mile and then turn left on to Loch Lane.
Buggies, wheelchairs and mobility scooters: enter at the green gate
near the Sports Centre on Dereham Road. Follow the path left and then
bear right around the loch on a wide gravel track to an open grassy area.
Return to Dereham Road the way you came. Note that tracks around
the loch can be uneven and narrow.
4. Shortly after walking through the remains of the dismantled railway
bridge climb the steps on the left and go through the green gate to the
picnic area.
5. Follow the wide gravel track to the right of Loch Neaton, turning left in
front of the gates of the sports centre to walk on the raised path around
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(Easy access option
avoids steps on
Loch Lane)
the end of the loch. Alternatively, you could follow the rough paths
around the loch for a closer view; watch out for raised tree roots.
6. Leave the nature reserve via the green gates and turn right on to
Dereham Road again.
7. Retrace your steps back along Dereham Road and then turn left
through the white gates on to Church Walk, a wide lime tree-lined
pathway. At the end, turn right along Church Road past St Mary’s
Church.
8. Turn right at the T-junction and walk along Norwich Road to the traffic
lights. Turn left on to Memorial Way to return to your start point beside
the war memorial.
Loch Neaton
This late nineteenth century pleasure ground was formerly the site of a
railway ballast pit created by the construction of the railways in the early
1870s. At some time between 1883 and 1893 the pit was flooded and
an ornamental lake was created. By 1907 a wind driven pump had been
erected at the northern end of the site to pump spring water into the lake.
In 1907 the site was presented to the town, a bandstand was constructed
and provision made for bowls and croquet. By the 1920s the emphasis
was changing from pleasure ground to sports usage. Please visit the
website for more information: www.lochneaton.org.uk
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