A Swaffham circuit

The walk begins in the centre of Swaffham, near the Market Cross. Once called the Butter Cross, this Palladian-styled structure is topped by a little figure of the goddess Ceres, holding a sheaf. It was given to the town by Lord Orford in 1783. Swaffham owes much of its present-day elegance to late 18th-century and Regency times, when it was a centre for well-connected people to attend balls, soirées and concerts.

Regency Swaffham

One of the places they met was the handsome Assembly Rooms built between 1776 and 1778. There was also a theatre, which entertained such august personages as Horatio, Lord Nelson and his family (and his mistress, too, according to the records). People gathered in Swaffham for 'the season', and so many clergymen ranked among their numbers that the Bishop of Norwich was reported as being concerned that they were neglecting their parishioners.

One of the most prestigious events in the days of the Regency was the annual hare coursing hosted by the Swaffham Club. This was established by Lord Orford, a nephew of the writer Horace Walpole, in 1786. He had a fine hound called Czarina, who regularly chased hares across the heaths surrounding Swaffham. She is thought to be the ancestor of every pure greyhound alive today. When she was completing her 47th – and final – race, Orford became so excited that he fell off his horse and died.

The Swaffham Pedlar

The town is well known for the legend of the so-called Swaffham Pedlar, a local man called John Chapman who had gone to London and met a stranger on London Bridge. The stranger told him about a dream in which he had gone to garden (the one he had described was the pedlar’s own) and excavated a huge treasure trove. The pedlar set off home with great haste, discovered the treasure and donated his money to the town’s church. Legend has it that the fabulous Tudor windows of the north aisle of the Church of St Peter and St Paul were paid for by Chapman. The Swaffham Pedlar also appears in the hand-carved Swaffham town sign.

Another famous local was Howard Carter, the eminent 20th-century Egyptologist who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings and is rumoured to have died as the result of the boy-king ‘curse’. An exhibition of Carter’s work in Egypt can be seen in the town museum, which also serves as the tourist information centre.

Walk across the road to the Red Lion pub on the east side of the square, and head north with the Market Cross behind you. Almost immediately you pass the entrance to the parish Church of St Peter and St Paul's, which dates mostly from the 15th century and whose distinctive spire can be seen for miles around. After exploring the church, continue to head north and cross the road at a busy junction with traffic lights, passing the George Hotel. Walk on the pavement along Station Road until you see Sporle Road on your right. Turn right and stay on this road as it passes through a residential area, before keeping straight ahead at a crossroads and passing through a cutting in a disused railway. The road bends left and heads into the countryside, with the sails of a giant wind turbine turning up ahead. When you reach the A47, cross it (very carefully) and aim for the lane opposite and slightly to the right, passing beneath the wind turbine on your left. After about 0.5 miles (800m) you reach a sign on your right saying 'Peddars Way – Restricted Byway Pickenham 3km'.

Follow the lane over a bridge over a disused railway line and past Grange Farm, to eventually reach the A47 once more.

Cross the busy road and head for the path for cyclists and walkers only. Keep straight ahead on an old Roman road, now a shady path, passing a Norfolk Songlines Sculpture on your left, to reach a crossroads.

Turn right here and head back in the direction of Swaffham. The path crosses the dismantled railway and, after about a mile (1.6km) of peaceful traffic-free walking, comes out on the North Pickenham Road. In this vast open landscape, it is easy to appreciate the power of the wind. Two giant wind turbines dominate the views to your right, and the eight turbines of the wind farm at North Pickenham are visible across the fields to your left.

Turn right along the lane to head back into town. Climb to a junction and then turn left along White Cross Road. At the end of this road, turn right along London Street to return to the town centre and car park.