Nar Valley Way

Ford on the Nar Valley Way at West Acre

The river at Narborough. The River Nar is a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises near Litcham and flows 15 miles west through the villages of Castle Acre and Narborough. When in the mid 18th century the Industrial Revolution gathered pace the River Nar was already a major navigation. At that time it was owned by the Marriott family, Lords of the Manor from 1857 - 1875, and used to bring in timber, coal, grain, malt and bones from Kings Lynn by horse drawn lighters or barges, carrying up to 10 tons. Return cargoes included sand and gravel from Pentney pits and bonemeal fertilizer from Narborough Bone Mill.

The river was canalised to connect the village of Narborough to King's Lynn and beyond: the Nar system included one pound-lock, and ten staunches were built in the five miles below the village. Navigation to Narborough ended in 1884, although steam tugs and barges still used the lowest reaches of the river until well into the 20th century, notably those of the West Norfolk Farmers Manure Company which brought ammonia-rich gas water to their factory from Cambridge gasworks until 1932.

The railway once used to run along here at Narborough. What at first sight appears to be short sections of a hedge are the remaining overgrown brick piers of a dismantled railway bridge which carried the former King's Lynn to Dereham line - part of the Great Eastern Railway - over the River Nar. The Lynn & Dereham Railway, which weaved a 42 kilometre route to East Dereham via Narborough and Swaffham, was opened in stages between 1846 and 1848. The line to Dereham closed in 1968. Part of it is now a Norfolk Wildlife Trust Railway Line Nature Reserve, with the car park being situated about one kilometre south of Narborough village. The unique strip of chalk grassland here was created when engineers who built the railway line exposed the underlying chalk as they dug a borrow pit to build up the embankment.

The trail as you pass the noteworthy Castle Acre Priory. Remains of Castle Acre Priory, which is one of the largest and best preserved monastic sites in England, the foundation of Castle Acre Priory in about 1090 sprang directly from a visit by William de Warenne II and his wife Gundrada to the great French monastery of Cluny. So impressed were they by its beauty and holiness that they vowed to introduce the Cluniac order of monks to England. Through the opening you can see St James's Church in the delightful village of Castle Acre.

Walking the dogs in the Shouldham Warren Nature Reserve. The trail passes right through this wooded area near King's Lynn. The tracks and paths traversing Shouldham Warren are favoured by horse riders and walkers, with or without dogs. The warren is a wooded area on the edge of the fens, located a short distance to the north of the village of Shouldham with a track to the parking and picnic area turning off Spring Lane. The undulating site is traversed by numerous unmarked paths offering good views across the open fenland. Much of the northern part, which slopes upwards towards a central plateau, is covered by conifers, some of which has recently been cleared. A deep ditch crossable only in three places - separates the northern from the southern parts of the woodland.

West Acre village sign. The trail passes through this historic village which is well worth exploring. Near to the village church are the remains of a Priory which was founded for the monks of the Cluniac Order in the 13th century. There's also a decent village pub if you'd like a pit stop to refresh yourself.

Pentney Priory gatehouse. The ruins of the priory, mostly comprising the flint-built gatehouse, are Grade I listed. The Priory was founded c.1130 by Robert de Vaux and dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Blessed Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene.