This is something I had been talking with my mother about for quite a few months and it took booking accommodation to spur us onto actually going for it. The route dates back to Roman times and stretches 46 miles from just south of Thetford up to the North Norfolk Coast near Hunstanton.
My main drive to complete it was to see the countryside from a different perspective, and have time to stop and draw things along the way. We gave ourselves two days to do the bulk of the journey, with the first 4 miles done a few weeks before as a warm-up one Sunday afternoon.
The first stretch went fine, us both stopping to take lots of photos and me doing several drawings, refining my ‘drawing whilst walking’ technique! We took 4 hours to cover 4 miles, so we realised we should go a bit faster for the rest of the journey!
Sketchbook drawing from the warm up walk.
The main event we started a few weeks later on a fine Sunday morning from Wretham. Our bags were packed with snacks and water, with twenty miles to cover in a day. Looking back it was a rather optimistic plan!
We ended up walking for over nine hours and eventually arrived at Castle Acre just before 9pm – legs aching like mad, feet sore and very tired! Turned out my legs ended up feeling worse then when I ran the London Marathon and my mum had a blister half the size of the sole of her foot!
So we decided to do the second half of Peddars Way another time, when we were recuperated! I really enjoyed the walk, and think it could be the start of a new pastime.
Trail art sculpture spotted on the route and a fellow walker we met.
Mum, as we walked past Thompson.
View over fields near Watton.
Archway at Castle Acre, our final destination. To be continued!