27th May 2026 and the weather’s getting uncomfortably hot. So we pick a walk that’s going to be short. Although having to travel half-way across county does make for a full day out. We’re going to a water-meadow on the outskirts of Dereham. So let’s hop on that bus! Please come with us…
27th May 2026
🔼To reach the fen needs a short walk through town – where I see, in a barber’s window, these great guys. Thinking of this week’s Creative Challenge, I can’t walk past and not take a photo! 🔽 Almost there, and close to Dereham church is Bishop Bonner’s house, now a museum. Bonner, better known as Bloody Bonner, was a staunch Catholic during the period of persecution of Protestants, but the museum is a celebration of local history and archaeology
27th May 2026
27th May 2026
🔼 The unique vegetation of a fen-meadow. Not for straying willy-nilly, it’s a bit squelchy underfoot. But well-kept paths ensure walkers’ feet stay dry 🔽 An example of the typical plant community, and a hint of the challenge that presents the photographer
27th May 2026
27th May 2026
🔼 Time was when water meadows were deliberately flooded to ensure sweet grazing grasses in the summer. Those same channels now drain the fen so we keen walkers can remain dry shod! 🔽 They also encourage the water-loving plants
27th May 2026
27th May 2026
🔼 Not all is soggy fen. Here are areas of woodland, some old and, like these oaks, some young
27th May 2026
🔼 The dog rose isn’t fussy about where she plants her feet, and when trees block her light she’ll scramble past the obstruction 🔽
27th May 2026
27th May 2026
🔼 Nature’s gardener has a preference for mixed planting! Here’s Garlic Mustard (flowers done, now leaves begin to lose their green and turn to beige), Dame’s Violet, Forget-me-nots and buttercups 🔽
27th May 2026
27th May 2026
🔼 More of those meadows, focusing on the grasses and the trees that hug this land, providing homes for birds and to keep the town at bay 🔽
27th May 2026
And that, my friends, is all for now. We’re heading back to town for a light bite lunch, then the bus back to the coast. Hope you enjoyed. More photos in Tuesday Treats. And this week we again have Friday Flyers!
crispina kemp 
Love these pictures dear friend
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Thank you, Sadje. Trying to keep my destinations varied!
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You’re welcome. I love the barber shop window picture.
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It seems to be very popular!
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😁
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What a lovely day out. Thank you for your company 🙏
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No, no, Willow, thank you for yours! 🩷🩷🩷
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I really enjoyed it 😌
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🥰🥰🥰
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What a wonderful stroll. I love wild flowers and grasses- sometimes more than the manicured variety. And that first shot was epic.
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There’s usually some distance between jumping off the bus and starting the walk-proper, and I tend not to take photos for however long that distance. But that… yea, had to be snapped!
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Enjoyed this little walk in the fens
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Thank you, Bobby.
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Delightful!
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Since I discovered this place it now sits on my regulars places to visit
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Lovely photos and gorgeous greens, Crispina. That first pic is a doozy! LOL!
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Irresistible!
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Beautiful and your pictures of the dog roses and mention of wild garlic brought back fond memories of my childhood we lived in an old mill house which had a stream at the bottom of the garden and they could be found down there happy days 😊
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Oh, that sounds idyllic!
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Yes it was 💞
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What a lovely and vivid walk🌼
The fen-meadow, woodland edges, and all those wildflowers come through so clearly it feels like a peaceful journey through nature and local history all at once.
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It’s not an extensive reserve, but the path leads you through so many environments, and you don’t realise how far you’ve walked!
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Beautiful photos, Crispina. It requires great courage and love for nature to walk in uncomfortably hot weather.
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Thank you. Sometimes that heat catches me unawares. I think it’s not going to be so hot, so off I go. And it catches me when I’m still a distance from the bus stop to get home
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❤️❤️❤️
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