Buxton - Brampton - Lamas - Buxton

Joe Jackson

You need to log in as a member of Walkingworld to access the details for this walk and have an active subscription. Please join, or log in above if you are already a member.

Buxton and Brampton are both beautiful Norfolk villages and this walk takes you to some of the best places. The walk starts off by the Bure Valley Railway at Buxton and follows the footpath alongside the railway for just over a kilometre. The Bure Valley Railway is a lovely scenic line connecting the Broadland village of Hoveton with Aylsham and is nine miles long. The route plays host to a charity event every year where people are sponsored to walk from Aylsham back to Hoveton to raise money for McMillan Cancer Research.

The route turns off and heads away from the railway and into the small village of Brampton. This village's history stretches back thousands of years. Only a mile to the west, Roman buildings were discovered, marking this site as some form of Roman settlement. According to Norwich History Museum, it is believed that the buildings were part of a large settlement like a town or fort, by no means of the size or importance of the Roman settlement in Caistor St Edmund (Venta Icenorum), but more like the settlements in Burgh Castle and Caister-on-Sea.

From Brampton, the route follows the southern riverbank of the River Bure from here on all the way to Buxton Mill. The start of this leg of the walk is one of the most beautiful places to walk anywhere in Norfolk. The footpath passes alongside Oxnead Hall and a stunning waterfall. Although not a natural cascade, it is no less beautiful. The waterside grassy field is the perfect place for a spot of lunch, with the sound of the crashing water by the weir and singing birds in the surrounding trees and marshes. The riverbank path is intercepted by a footpath that takes you right into the grounds of Oxnead Hall. This is a worthwhile diversion of about a kilometre and gives you grand views of the hall. The oldest parts of the present hall date from around 1580 and was one of the homes of the Paston family. In 1676 it had the honour of playing host to King Charles II and his court. Unfortunately, most of the hall was demolished after it was purchased by Admiral Anson in 1757, with only the servants' quarters remaining intact. The current hall has been extensively redesigned by John Hedgecoe (1932-2010).

From the hall, the route follows the River Bure all the way to Buxton Mill. In the process it crosses an ancient Roman road which connected the Roman settlement in Brampton to the camp at Wayford Bridge and on to Caister-on-Sea Roman Fort. The approach to Buxton Mill is glorious, passing Lamas Hall and Church in the process. The mill is now self-catering apartments and is a Grade II listed building. The origins of the mill date back to before the Domesday Book, but the present mill was reconstructed due to a major fire in 1991.

England - East England - Norfolk - River Walk

Features

Ancient Monument, Birds, Butterflies, Church, Flowers, Mostly Flat, River, Stately Home, Waterfall, Wildlife, Woodland

12/29/2020 - Paul Oakes

A splendid five miles despite the very wet conditions underfoot. If you are going to take on the walk in the winter be prepared. The path after the MoT building and right up to the wooden bridge is hard going and clearly not managed, I will assume in the summer it becomes very overgrown and a devil to navigate. After the small wooden bridge and metal gate the remainder of the walk is really inspiring. Oxnead Hall is very much a hidden gem.

6/17/2016 - Michael Clarke

Just walked this 17-06-2016 As previous comment, past the MOT testing garage is totally overgrown with nettles, we were in shorts and had to detour on the roads. Also got chased by jersey cows in the field after the garage. Quite a number of the paths are overgrown with nettles, no path management at all.

8/3/2014 - Liz Bale

I tried this walk a couple of days ago and I would like to pass on the following comments: 1. At waymark 3 where the walk goes through the MOT centre (look for a gate at the back) please note that the nettles are waist-high although I did do my best to knock them down. 2. The wooden bridge at waymark 4 is completely overgrown and I only found it by chance. I would describe it as a wooden plank rather than a bridge and I would take care when traversing it as not much of the wood is visible. At the moment it would be all too easy to miss your footing and slip into the ditch. 3. At waymark 6. The path was very overgrown and we were unable to locate the section of path close to the river bank. 3. Just beyond waymark 8 (Alder Carr) The footpath was completely blocked by a small herd of cows which included calves and a bull. It might have been possible to go around them but this would have involved scrambling about in a ditch and my partner and I were not sure if we would be able to rejoin the path later. We also had our border terrier with us so we (reluctantly) decided to turn back. We were very disappointed to have to cut the walk short as the walk by the river to Buxton Mill looked so inviting. Perhaps we will try again in a few weeks time and in the meantime perhaps other 'Walkingworld' members could up-date the site if conditions improve.

6/18/2012 - Alan Sturges

A little gem! Free parking, good paths, a river, swans, geese, historical houses, water mills and a steam train. What more could you want? A walk to do again for me.