Wander the Wherryman's Way
New long distance walk brings alive the days of the Norfolk wherries
A new long distance riverside walk which follows the route of the historic Broads trading wherries between Norwich and Great Yarmouth is to be opened with an all day festival on May 28th.
The 35 mile Wherryman’s Way, which starts and finishes at Norwich and Gt Yarmouth railway stations, winds through existing footpaths, open marshes, reedbeds, grazing meadows and riverside villages along the banks of the River Yare.
It is ideal for family excursions as walkers can and mix and match their route and mode of transport to include walking, cycling, boat and train. There are ten new circular walks around villages and three waterside paths providing easy access for pushchairs and wheelchairs, while a cycle trail linked to the National Cycle Route runs along both sides of the River Yare.
On the way there is not only stunning scenery to explore, wildlife to spot and riverside pubs for refuelling, but walkers can discover the history of a century ago. Stainless steel wherry sails, life-like figures, an audio post and information panels all help to tell the story along the way.
The Wherryman’s Way has cost in the region of £200,000. The major contributor is the Broads & Rivers LEADER+ Programme,
managed by Defra, with further input from the project partners who are the Broads Authority, Norfolk County Council, South Norfolk District Council and the Chet Valley Development Partnership.
It was the brainchild of Broadsman Mark Wells, Chairman of the CVDP and a Broads Authority member who lives in the riverside village of Bramerton, as an idea for regenerating the Southern Broads area.
“The Wherrymans Way is much more than a footpath,” he said. “It creates a branding for a whole new tourist destination on the Broads, supporting local businesses. It not only improves waterside access for people on land, but provides added interest at moorings for people visiting on boats.”
From Norwich the route passes the two new broads at Whitlingham Country Park where two stainless steel wherry sails are etched with an evocative poem about the Norfolk Wherry by celebrated Surlingham naturalist Ted Ellis.
A life-size talking figure of William Cullum, better known as Billy Bluelight, a legendary Norwich character who used to race the wherries for bets along this same footpath, can be found running at Bramerton Common. At the turn of a handle Billy’s great great nephew, Andy Cullum, who works on the Yare as a Broads Authority Navigation Ranger, and lives on the Wherryman’s Way route, takes on the character of Billy.
Further along the river, at Surlingham Ferry pub, a wherry mast and swing arm provide information about the area. The route passes through Ted Ellis territory, the marshes of Surlingham’s RSPB nature reserve overlooked by the simple hilltop graves of the naturalist and his wife Phyllis. It later passes their beloved home at Wheatfen, the nature reserve which provided Ted with so much inspiration for his studies and creative work.
At Coldham Hall Tavern gardens visitors meet the talking lifesize figure of a wherryman, while at Rockland St Mary staithe, opposite the New Inn pub, an audio post describes pioneering photographer P.H. Emerson’s encounter with Old Scientific, a Rockland wildfowler who lived on a houseboat. Also on the staithe the ribs of a wherry symbolise the wherries which were sunk on Rockland broad as war-time defences, and are still submerged there.
The walk continues round the broad and on to the Beauchamp Arms and Loddon where an information board illustrates how the River Chet was dug out to allow the wherries to moor outside the seed and coal merchants of Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co Ltd. The wherries continued trading there until the 1940s.
The Wherryman’s Way crosses the river by ferry at Reedham where many of the wherries were built. On the quay, with its choice of pubs, are a lifelike figure of a boatbuilder at work and a board describing the village’s boatbuilding heyday in the words of 19th century author T.F. Goodall.
The walk continues along the northern bank of the Yare to the Berney Arms pub and mill, and along the shore overlooking the wide expanse of Breydon Water to Great Yarmouth.
13/05/05
