One easy walk near Norwich for beginners (Circular walk in Salhouse)

Salhouse is a tiny village, 15 minutes by train from Norwich and the perfect place for a walk near Norwich. The 9km circular walk in Salhouse I will talk about today is great for beginner and advanced walkers alike. Salhouse, alongside Hoveton, Wroxham, Norwich, Cromer, Sheringham and several other locations in Norfolk, is an excellent starting point for those interested in exploring the Broads and looking for walks near Norwich. For those less familiar with Norwich and Norfolk, The Broads is a national park and one of the most important attractions in the region. 

Norfolk county is famous for its idyllic villages, gorgeous countryside and 303 square kilometres of waterways that form the Broads. The biggest city in the county of Norfolk is Norwich, an important commercial and tourist hub for the entire county.

As I’ve noticed quite a strong interest in walks near Norwich, I would like to suggest another walking trail you can complete. The difficulty for the circular walk in Salhouse is quite low. The terrain is mostly flat. The route will walk you through open fields and country roads. The walking distance is approximately 9km. This walking route is a circular walk, meaning that you will finish the trail in the same spot you started, at the train station.

This walking trail is part of the Bittern Line walks network that covers most of the county. Another benefit of this walking trail is the low cost of the trip. A return train ticket from Norwich is only  £4.90. The train ticket can be purchased at the Norwich train station or online. The train operator is Greater Anglia. Needless to say that a packed lunch should be considered because this walking route does not pass by any supermarket or restaurants.

The Salhouse (circular) walk near Norwich

The walking trail starts at Salhouse train station. The Salhouse train station is small and only has 2 platforms. Once you get off the train, leave the platform and go towards the car park. You will have a monitor showing the trains schedule on your right-hand side. At this point, you need to turn left and exit the car park. Follow the small road as shown in picture number 2 which will take you to the main road as shown in picture number 3:

Now that you are facing the house from picture number 3, you need to turn left and continue walking. You will walk under a bridge and continue walking straight for about 20 minutes. You will notice that there will be some portions of the walk where there is no pavement. Walk as closer as you can to the road’s edge and pay attention to the traffic. If you are not from the UK, remember that in the UK cars drive on the left-hand side of the road. So consider this when crossing or walking along a busy road.

You will notice that the Red Wing Farm has two entrances. The big entrance and the fenced, little path that’s on your right. Take the fenced, little path as this will take you to the fields. The big entrance is used to access the farm and you don’t need that one. I advise you to bring long sleeves and long trousers. The weeds were a bit overgrown so for protection is better if you come dressed properly. Continue on the small path until you reach the first junction. Take the one on your left. As you continue make sure you have the woods on your left and the field on your right. This way you will know you’re on the right track.

From here, the path will lead you straight through an open field until you reach the next main road. Turn right on the road, walk for a few meters and then cross the street to where All Saints Church is. Be careful when crossing because the road can be busy at the time and unfortunately there is no crossing in that area. You might not be able to see the church at first because it’s well hidden behind the trees, but it is there. Before you continue the walk, I suggest you stop and have a look at the church. This centuries-old church is something worth exploring if you think it’s been in Salhouse for hundreds and hundreds of years. Apparently, the tower was never finished, this is why it looks a bit rough.

Now, that you finished visiting the church, return to the car park. On your left-hand side, you will notice a path that goes away from the church into the field. Take this path to continue the walking trail. Walk straight until you get to the next paved road. Here, turn right and continue walking on this road until you reach the village.

Continue your walk through the village because the aim at this point is a little detour to visit the Salhouse Broad. Keep walking straight on the road (Upper Street). There will be small junctions and the road will go downhill at some point. Keep walking straight. The aim is to reach the car park which is the access gate to the Salhouse Broad. After you pass another phone cabin on your right, you should know that the car park should be near now.

Leave the main road by turning left into the car park. There are toilet facilities before starting your walk to the Salhouse Broad. From the car park, it will take you around 10 minutes to reach the Salhouse Broad. The area is lovely. There are camping facilities too. I probably spend around half an hour taking pictures and walking around before I returned to the car park. You could probably spend more time there if you were to take a boat ride.

Once you’ve finished visiting the Salhouse Broad, return to the car park. As you leave the car park and head to the main road again, turn right and walk back to the phone cabin you passed by earlier. Here, you will see the same junction you’ve passed by earlier on your way to the Salhouse Broad. This time take the road that’s on your left (Lower Street) and continue straight on it until you get to The Bell Inn. You will walk through the village and admire some gorgeous cottage houses. I stopped several times to take pictures of different houses because they look so pretty. The English villages are simply stunning around this time of the year.

If you fancy a break, I suggest you stop at the Bell Inn. They have such a great atmosphere there. Everyone was lovely to me and ended up hanging out with some locals for a while. I was told that they don’t have many foreigners visiting their village. In fact, most of their tourists are people from the North of England. I ended up having the most interesting conversations with a group of 3 locals who were terrific storytellers.

Solo travelling can be challenging sometimes, but also rewarding. Most of the time you end up having the best conversations because you were on your own. Otherwise, most probably when travelling with someone else, fewer people would approach you. Solo travelling in the English countryside is definitely fun and less lonely than everyone thinks it might be. By the end of the walk, I talked and petted dogs in the village and had the best conversations with some locals at the inn. What could you ask for more?

Once you’ve finished your break at the inn (if you decide to have one), continue towards the junction. Here, you will need to take the 3rd exit on your left. The exit is called The Hall Drive which will walk you back to the train station. The walking trail will take you back through the fields. Follow it straight and ignore any left or right paths at this point.

You will need to keep walking for a while. You will pass through some gates (as shown in the pictures below) and you will continue straight until you reach the main road again (The Station Road).

When you reach Station Road, you will probably remember this portion of the walk because you’ve been here before. You will notice Howlett’s Loke road on your right which you took earlier in your walk. Once you get to Station Road, turn right to return to the train station. You will return by walking under the bridge again. Then, you will need to turn right to return to the train station. The circular walk in Salhouse finishes at the train station, the place where it started.

This circular walk in Salhouse is one of the many walks near Norwich you can choose from. Other easy walks near Norwich include:

This walk in Wroxham & Hoveton

The costal walk between Cromer and Sharingham

Apart from these 3 walks near Norwich, there are other walks in Norwich you can try out.

Whether you opt for walks near Norwich or in Norwich, there are several options you can explore. All these options are perfect for low budget trips near Norwich. All of these routes are perfectly safe for solo travellers and well served by trains or buses. This makes them perfect for those of you relying on public transport to travel.

The county of Norfolk is full of walking trails and the circular walk in Salhouse is one of them. As I discover more, I will keep expanding this list to provide you with more ideas of walks to take in Norwich and nearby.

How many walks in Norwich or nearby have you completed so far? Which one did you like the most?