A Quiet Lane And A Castle

Back to Breckland again today for a walk on a sunny but chilly morning - it was just a degree or two above freezing when we left home. We're on Cavenham Heath this time, a peaceful and pleasant area for a morning stroll, with a chance of seeing some wildlife.

We started off down a quiet lane. We knew it was a quiet lane because....

There was a sign to tell us! We drove (quietly) part of the way, to where there's a small parking area. Then we had to don the boots and begin our walk. You may have noticed that the sandy lane is fenced on either side and at this time of year the gates to the western side are locked because any day now those strange birds, Stone Curlews, will return and nest on some distant grassy hummocks.

Although much of Breckland is given over to commercial forestry Cavenham Heath has just some small areas of birch woodland and a few scattered trees.

The sun was slowly warming the air and Skylarks were ascending overhead, singing continuously and climbing until they became just small black dots in the blue. Glance away for a moment and you'll never find them again, even with binoculars.

The track through the heather leads past concrete gun emplacements from WWII, standing somewhat incongruously in the tranquil scene. The land here is right on the edge of RAF Tuddenham airfield, which had a brief but interesting life. It started off as what was known as a "K" site, set up by the RAF Camouflage and Decoy Unit. In other words it was a mock-up designed to lure Nazi bombers away from the real airbase at Mildenhall. Apparently the dummy planes were designed and built by technicians brought in from Shepperton Film Studios.

The dummy planes were towed into the woods at times to suggest to any German reconnaissance planes that they were off on a mission. At night the site was lit up and special measures had to be taken so that Allied aircraft did not land there. On 27th February 1941 the dummy base was attacked.

In 1942 the imitation airfield was no longer needed and was converted to the real thing. After the war everything quietened down till 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis led to three Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, in a high state of readiness, being deployed nearby. All this history is gleaned from the Cavenham parish council's website and was far from our minds as we gazed across the calm and restful meadows.

With the larks still singing on high, we reached, appropriately enough, the River Lark, with a pair of Swans contemplating the nesting season perhaps.

Then it was time to make our way back along our quiet lane to where Les's car was patiently waiting.

There is however just time and space to show you a handful of pictures from our next destination, the quaint Norfolk village of Castle Acre:

I know it's called Castle Acre, but I bet you weren't expecting to find a massive gate like this right in the centre of the village. There's a road that passes beneath the ancient portal, though drivers have to decide and negotiate among themselves as to which direction has precedence. Pedestrians can avoid the confusion by slipping by to the left of the gate.

Once past the gate you can walk downhill for a short way before turning left to find the remains of the rest of the castle.

The castle was founded by William de Warenne, who was granted lands around here by William the Conqueror soon after 1066. The imposing building was as much a statement of his power as a defensive fortification. Over the centuries the site has been plundered as a source of building stone by the local community, even so enough is left to give a fair idea of its extent and impressiveness.

It gives views over the red rooftops and it's easy to imagine the "shock and awe" of the village population back in the eleventh century as they watched the huge earthworks and walls being erected "in their backyard"; something on a scale they'd never witnessed before.

Nowadays Castle Acre Castle is in the care of the charity English Heritage. Happily entry is completely free to all and the young villagers have an incredible playground on their doorsteps and we can all enjoy the panorama from this high point.

As many of you will know, there's much more to see in this small village, however we'll have to leave that till next time.

Take care.