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St Benet's Abbey
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A Walk from
Ludham Village to St Benet's Abbey and Back
St Benet's Abbey was
central to the history and development of Ludham. The ruins of the
Abbey are well worth a visit and they lie about 2 miles south of the
village. This walk takes you trough the village and across the marshes
to the banks of the River Bure where the abbey ruins can be found. The
walk is mainly on minor roads and concrete tracks, but it can be a bit
muddy in the area round the abbey itself.If you have a boat moored at St Benet's, you can do the walk in reverse to reach the village.
From St Benet's, there are a variety of extra walks and alternative routes back to Ludham.
The Route:
Start in the middle of Ludham Village and walk down Staithe Road with St Catherine's Church on your right and the butcher's shop on your left.Follow this road down past the old parish staithe and the duck crossing.
This is the entrance to Lover's Lane on the right. There are some good walks up here for another time. For now, keep following Staithe Road.
When you reach this road junction
opposite Hall Common Cottage, turn right into Hall Common Road. Follow
Hall Common Road past allotments and the Millennium Wood on your left.
When you get to this junction turn
left and follow the road downhill.
You will pass this farmyard where
the road turns right and then left again. Stay on the concrete track
which now leads out across the marshes.
If you are lucky, you may even see
some of these.
The concrete track crosses the
Hundred Dyke on a bridge. The Hundred Dyke is the former course of the
River Ant which used to flow from near Ludham Bridge to the River
Thurne at Coldharbour.
Follow the concrete track past
barns on the left. St Benet's is clearly in view.
You now arrive at St Benet's
Abbey. Cross the style and explore the area.
The main ruin you see is the
former gatehouse which has had a windmill built into it. There is a
section of the wall which once circled the entire site and can still be
traced on the ground. The ruins of the abbey church are still visible
and the large cross of Sandringham oak marks the location of the high
altar.
From here you can retrace you
steps back to Ludham or you can explore the area further.
If you walk along the river bank with the river on your left, you can walk in a circle back to the concrete track along the banks of the Bure, Ant and Hundred Dyke. Currently there is a lot of bank work going on in the area and the main path runs between the old soke dyke (left) and new soke dyke (right) as seen in the photograph below. Before you get to Ludham Bridge, take the permissive path along the Hundred Dyke back to the concrete track and thus make a sort of circle.
You can also walk the other way along the river bank with the river on your right. You pass the site of the Chequers Inn, a former wherryman's pub destroyed by fire. Eventually, the river path leads you to Coldharbour and you can rejoin Staithe Road and return to Ludham this way.
If you walk along the river bank with the river on your left, you can walk in a circle back to the concrete track along the banks of the Bure, Ant and Hundred Dyke. Currently there is a lot of bank work going on in the area and the main path runs between the old soke dyke (left) and new soke dyke (right) as seen in the photograph below. Before you get to Ludham Bridge, take the permissive path along the Hundred Dyke back to the concrete track and thus make a sort of circle.
You can also walk the other way along the river bank with the river on your right. You pass the site of the Chequers Inn, a former wherryman's pub destroyed by fire. Eventually, the river path leads you to Coldharbour and you can rejoin Staithe Road and return to Ludham this way.
