A New Year's Pilgrimage

Mild and still, and so perfect for a walk on the heath... First bird of the new year was, amazingly a buzzard, mewing as it flew low over the meadow at home. Ten years ago that would have been cause for mild hysteria, but in the last few years buzzards have become commonplace around here. Great to see, though. We headed off on the back road to Weeting, parking at the entrance to drive 58 and walking into the plantations there to try and find the Pilgrim's Cross. Anne Mason and I found this medieval wayside cross a couple of years ago, but I hadn't been back since. Carved from Barnack stone and dating from the 1300s, it once stood 12 feet high and had a decorative cross on the top. Access to it used to be via a greenway - once called Walsingham Way - which led north from Weeting and stretches of which still survive, although the way peters out near the cross and it's now unclear exactly where it went. The shrine at Walsingham was destroyed in 1538 and the cross was probably removed from the shaft either then or possibly in 1643, when parliament ordered that all such crosses be pulled down.

The area around the remnant shaft and plinth is planted with broadleaved trees - mostly beech (saw a flock of bramblings feeding on the mast there) and with stands of rampant box - the vestiges of some Victorian planting? The area is known as Mount Ephraim, after the hills of Palestine referred to in the Bible. There are several tumuli nearby, and there's a decidedly ancient feel to the area - quite unlike much of the 'newer' forest nearby. Also scattered nearby are some vintage Scots pines, some of which cannot be far off 100 years old.

One of the veteran pines near Mount Ephraim plantation

We headed north through conifer stands until emerging onto an open expanse of grass heath under the management of some Norfolk Wildlife Trust ponies. This is part of the Tomorrow's Heathland Heritage programme and must be great for classic Breckland plants and invertebrates in the summer - also woodlark and nightjar. We saw some good stands of carline thistle and a pair of bullfinches. We eventually found our way back to the ride parallel to where we had left the car - nothing corresponded to our map, but it sort of worked itself out! A great 2.5 hour walk in total.

Heathland restoration in action...