Spring

Spring is really here in King's Lynn and as I passed in the bus yesterday I spotted the formal gardens at the London Road end of The Walks, so I decided to go back later to check them out.

It was a really warm and pleasant evening, and I went first for dinner at the Chinese Buffet in Station Road, before walking down to The Walks, By this time the clouds had come over a bit, and it was starting to get dark, but even so the path leading from London Road to St John's Church was just a blaze of colour on each side, and then ending with a tree in blossom just outside the church:



This is a truly amazing display, and in particular I thought the vibrant blues here were particularly stunning:


The Walks is always a nice place to visit, but right now it's an amazing one!

A Random Trail

This is a strange walk in a way – when I returned and looked at the map it seemed I'd been in among houses all the time, but it felt like it was mostly green open land – I guess it comes from being on footpaths, rather than on roads.

Anyway, I started off along the quay and cut through Boal Quay parking lot, and then through the streets between there and London Road. The houses here are an interesting mix of ages – a few 17th century cottages still remain, but the bulk are Victorian or Edwardian, with some in-fill building within the last 50 or so years – so one can walk along a terrace of solid Victorian 3 stories houses, and suddenly come upon a side street with a courtyard of 1990's build apartments.

Reaching London Road I cross at the first available place, and see in front of me a tiny alleyway - it's only about 3 feet across, and on one side has a Grand Victorian building, now quite run down, and on the other a plot where it looks like construction has started, but stopped a few years ago. I assume the ally must lead somewhere, so go down it. At the back of the at the end of the building plot I can see that there is another Victorian building, this one really run down and is boarded up. The path runs the length of the plot, then turns a sharp left, and is now only 2 feet wide, running between the abandoned boarded up building and a tall wooden fence. The path is strewn with beer cans and only runs for a few feet before it turns to the right, continues along to a wide road – what a strange little alleyway!

Continuing on I walk in the direction of where I think the brook that runs behind the cemetery must be, and I cross the main road and choose a street at random to walk down. Suddenly, this road opens up to a green open space, and there is a bridge crossing the stream. On the other side the path goes along the bank of the stream, and I decide to turn left, and walk along with the green and the water to one side, and more allotments to the other. On my walk the other day I went past a huge allotment site, and this one seems at least as big – it's good to see so many town folk growing their own!

After a very short time the path comes to the railway line, and crosses it – I'm kind of taken aback at the fact that there is just a gate each side that I open with signs telling me to stop, look and listen – somehow this doesn't seem right in the middle of town, more what I'd expect to see in the middle of the countryside.

The path continues along with trees to one side, and then crosses over the stream to back onto houses on my left, and a wide area with brambles growing on the right – worth remembering for the autumn when the blackberries will be ripe! I'm walking along thinking that this path must link up with the Railway cycle path somehow, but just as I'm thinking that, my path ends at an industrial site, so it obviously doesn't!

I walk for a bit on the road, and then spot another path leading back through the trees, and take that. After a while the path becomes one of the small streets with terrace houses on both sides, and crosses the railway again – this time with a crossing barrier and lights!

I turn left along another road, this one with bungalows on one side – quote pretty and open, and then I see that I'm crossing Tennyson Road and The Walks are opposite me! So it's a simple walk across them and back home.

When home I get out my Ordnance Survey map to try to see where I've been – I can re-trace my route, but I don't see the name of the stream is that I crossed, and it's not evident that there is some green open space there. I guess it's all in how you look at it – and I chose to think I went for a walk in the country!

Gaywood Walk

I set out with no clear objective in mind, apart from wanting to walk.

After walking along South Quay, down to Tuesday Market place, around the Town Quay and past True's Yard I came out to the Loke Road junction, and remembered that there was a small waterway behind the houses, so I thought I'd go along the path beside that for a way. This waterway – about 3 feet across and 4 or 5 deep, with maybe a foot or so of flowing water - is one of the man made drainage ways that keep this part of the world from being marsh land, and I find from my map that this one is called Bawsey Drain.

I start off along the well made path here, with the backs of the houses on one side, and the backs of a commercial development on the other. This doesn't sound very promising, I know, and indeed there is evidence of some fly tipping in the stream – a supermarket trolley which is filled with water plants, a sofa with one end in the water. But even here, there are ducks swimming around, and grass growing on the banks, evidence that nature is not tamed. Every so often along the way there are foot bridges over the water, but I just carry on along the waterside, across roads, still with buildings on both sides.

Then as I cross one more road, the houses on the far side give way to allotments – and what a lot of them there are! Many with sheds and other structures. And in the distance, I hear the unmistakable sound of turkeys – evidence that it's not just veg that is being kept here. A bit further along, and there is another drainage channel running into the one I'm following. The land on the other side appears to be scrub land, with a newer building in the distance, and with the way the Drains run, it looks like it has a moat round it! The houses on my side of the river seem more spacious now too as the path takes me out of the centre and through North Lynn.

Soon I am coming towards the sports centre with the imaginative title of Lynn Sport, and an interesting area set up for competitive fishing! Here I have to cross over to the right bank of the water, and the path goes across between the playing fields, away from the stream. However, one can still walk alongside the water on the bank, and so I do this, as the Drain loops around the field. There is a screen of trees here, and the waterway is somewhat wider and deeper, and it feels almost like “real” countryside!

And then I come to an abrupt junction, where the Drain joins the Gaywood River, and I turn left along the appropriately named “Riverside”. And this is a simply wonderful little street – here on this side of the river there are a parade of small one story cottages facing the street, and then the grass bank of the river. On the other bank the houses have gardens coming down to the riverbank, and many of them are open with no fence, giving the appearance of a tiny countryside village.

But I can hear that I'm approaching a main road, and I soon emerge onto Wotton Road. Crossing over, I see that the river is boarded on both sides by private land, and though I walk a little way along to see if I can re-gain the riverbank, I eventually give this up, and retrace my steps back to the main road.

Rather than return the way I came, I decide to follow the Gaywood River, and this takes me on the other side of Lynn Sport. The houses on the other bank here have large gardens, and some have made a feature of the riverbank – one having built a deck with a seating area. Another appears to be in the process of building some sort of similar structure, and a third has a chicken coup!

After a while, the path I'm on becomes a road with houses on my side too, and then the river makes an abrupt turn to the right, and I follow it along an unmade road prettily called “Swan Lane”. This road also has small cottages along the road, and feels very rural, even though on the other bank I can see the back of the new super store which I know is on the busy Gaywood Road.

At the end of Swan Lane one of Lynn's many cycle paths cross the river, which I cross to continue following the river bank, but this is soon blocked by a fence, with what appears to be a farmers field the other side, so I go back and follow the path instead. This takes me across Gaywood Road, and then runs next to King Edward VII School, where the school-kids are out playing sports.

I'm familiar with this path – called the Railway Path – which runs next to the King's Lynn to London line, between mature trees. Then I'm across Tennyson Road and into the Walks, and nearly home. As I continue across the Walks, it occurs to me that the waterways here are probably the Gaywood river – I hadn't previously thought what this might be, but checking on the map later shows that indeed this is the case.

Overall an interesting and amusing walk – although I was always in one part of town or another, by following the waterways I saw a different, and more rural face to the area than anyone speeding past in a car will ever see.

Walk the Walks

On the edge of Historic Lynn is an open area of park called “The Walks”, and the first question I had about them was - why are they called The Walks? Well it seems that back in the 18th Century the rich considered it cool to promenade and needed somewhere nice to walk and be seen. And so they planned tree lined walks - paved with gravel to raise them above the marsh land that surrounded Lynn. Hence we still have “The Walks” which are a nationally listed landscape.

So much for history - what do they feel like? Well. I’ve been here for about 8 months, so have seen them in late summer, fall, winter, and now as spring makes itself felt, and in all those seasons they’ve been a quiet and relaxing, and invigorating and bright.

Entering the park from the west, you are presented with a long tree-lined avenue with a stream running on your right, and leading to a low stone structure. As you approach this it becomes clear that this is an old stone gate and bridge, which was once part of the town walls. Just the other side of the wall the water course has been made to form a small island with a band stand. Further along the area to the left opens up and is a large expanse of green where people play impromptu football games, throw ball and push their prams. This area is surrounded by impressive trees, and has the feel of being separate from the rest of The Walks. In the winter, during a really wet spell, this area was so waterlogged that pools developed and there were ducks and gulls on them! The whole area around Lynn used to be marsh land, and you could see then why the 18th century avenues were raised from the surrounding land - we wouldn’t want the gentry getting their feet wet, would we?

Coming to the other end of the Walks, and turning left, we get to the grand avenue, which is the smartest in terms of trees and street furniture, with elegant lighting and ironwork benches. I hear that the local council spent many millions restoring this area, and here it really looks like it was money well spent. Walking along here there is a children’s playground on the left, and then a small café.

Further along, and there is a raised area of land with an ancient looking structure - this is called “The Red Mound” and is a tiny circular chapel, and sign on it says Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount 1485. I hear it’s open to the public from time to time, but have yet to actually get there when it is.

We then pass St Johns church, and come to a formal garden which is known as St James Park, and its centrepiece of a stone fountain. There are pretty formal plantings here and is well cared for, and also well used when the sun is out.

It takes maybe 30 minutes to walk slowly round The Walks, and you get to see ancient architecture, old trees, rivers flowing, people playing and walking, abundant birds life and occasional squirrels - all in one neat historic bundle.