A walk on the wild side!
Writer, producer and year-round swimmer, Eve Stebbing, has written a book called Wild Swimming Walks, which takes in her adventures across East Anglia. This extract features Outney Common, in Bungay, includes two swims and a five-mile circuit starting in the centre of the town.
Directions
01. Park near Holy Trinity Church in Bungay. Walk down the hill heading away from the town centre and keep left. The road curves around, you’ll arrive at the staithe.
02. Walk into the staithe and go to the river. Cross the bridge to enter Falcon Meadow and turn left. There are benches along the riverbank and platforms for you to easily access the water for a swim. 0.3 miles
03. Walk down the meadow with the river to your left, go through the kissing gate at the end and you will arrive at Bridge Street. 0.2 miles
04. Turn right and follow the road to Ditchingham. You’ll see the Maltings to your right. Be careful at the bridge at Ditchingham Dam. The traffic is fast and there are no pavements, but the bridge is short. Go to the third exit on the roundabout (Yarmouth Road) and cross it. You’ll see a footpath sign to the Angles Way. It points into a tree, but it means go left. 0.4 miles
05. Go across the Norwich road and follow the footpath signs. 0.2 miles
06. The path goes into some woods and then forks right and left. Take the left-hand fork and cross two bridges turning right onto the common. Follow the river. 0.2 miles
07. There are good entry and exit points for swimming here. The common floods in the winter, so it’s best to swim in summer months when the banks of the river are clear. 0.5 miles
08. Follow the path by the river until you get to a gate, there’s a very big step up. Cross the bridge and turn sharp left. 0.9 miles
09. Keep going along a dog path until you get to a track. Join the track for a bit and then take a left when you can to get you back on the grass path. You’re going down the edge of the common where you have just been walking, and you should be able to see it over your left shoulder most of the time through the hedge. You’ll eventually come back to a harder track. There’ll be a pond on your right and the sound of the road. Go towards the road and, just before it, you’ll see a path leading left towards a gate. Take this path and go to the gate. 0.8 miles
10. Once through the gate, go straight across the field. You’ll cross a small river, ‘Old River’, and then keep going straight to get back to your start point at the two bridges in the woods. 0.4 miles
To complete the circuit simply walk back the way you came. Navigate to the maltings when you get to the roundabout for your exit. 5 miles
The book is priced at £14.99 and can be purchased at www.wildthingspublishing.com/product/wild-swimming-walks-norfolk-suffolk/
