Meandering Around the Massinghams

1 From St Andrew's Church in Little Massingham walk towards the phone box. Go to the end of the lane and turn left at the T-junction. After a few steps you reach a farm, The Paddocks, on your right. Turn towards it and follow the track that leads through its buildings. You will know you are on the public footpath when you pass the pond on your left.

2 The track eventually runs into Rudham Road, where you turn right towards Great Massingham. Go up a small hill between towering hedgerows, vitally important for breeding birds in the spring and that possess a very vocal population of dunnocks. When you reach the end of this road, cross over and turn left to walk on the footpath. This is Great Massingham.

3 The road eventually reaches a charming village green complete with duck pond. St Mary's Church stands on the green, with a splendid 15th-century tower and a simple 13th-century porch. Look for the menagerie of carved animals standing guard over the south aisle. When you leave the church, walk across the green towards the sign for Abbey Road. Next to this is a track leading up the side of the quaintly named Hoss Chestnut House. This will bring you out on to the rather wild common, where the foundations of the priory (it was never an abbey, despite its name) are supposed to be, although they are almost impossible to find.

4 Paths run across this common like a maze, but just look for the tall radio mast ahead of you, and aim for it until you reach a field. The footpath runs along the edge of this. Turn right along it until you reach the track that passes the mast and an Anglian Water storage tank. Once you have reached the mast the track becomes pleasantly rural and the verges are full of red campion and violets in early spring.

5 This track meets the Peddars Way, and is well signposted. Turn right, and continue walking along this straight track for about a mile (1.6km). This bisects a huge field landscape and climbs to reach about 300ft (91m) above sea level, while mature oak trees rustle their leaves in the breeze. There is a Peddars Way Norfolk Songline sculpture here, partway along, evoking images of an ancient land and the walkers who have used this track before us.

6 When you reach a public bridleway, turn right with the trees of Nut Wood to your right and rolling fields to your left. Keep right when you reach another track and follow it through Middle Farm to a quiet lane, where you turn left. A lake, perhaps with squabbling moorhens, lies to you right. The lane ascends a hill and you will find yourself back at St Andrew's Church again.