Nelson's Love of the Sea
In 1758 Edmund Nelson, rector of Burnham Thorpe, and his wife Catherine had the fifth of their 11 children and named him Horatio. The rectory where Horatio Nelson spent the first years of his life was demolished in 1802 and a new one built. However, when you visit Burnham Thorpe you will see a plaque set in a wall where the old rectory once stood.
Young Sailor. Nelson was just 12 when he entered the Royal Navy. He quickly gained experience, travelling as far afield as the Caribbean and the Arctic by the time he was 16. He went to India, but was sent home after contracting malaria. Throughout his travels he was plagued by seasickness, a fact in which many novice seamen find comfort. Nelson became a captain at the tender age of 20 and spent some years in the West Indies, where he enforced British law a little too vigorously for the Admiralty, who refused to give him another command until war broke out with France in 1792. During this frustrating time, Nelson lived in Burnham Thorpe with his wife Frances (Fanny). Once back in service he was sent to the Mediterranean, but was blinded in his right eye by splinters from a parapet struck by an enemy fire. Undaunted, he returned to duty the following day. When he left the Mediterranean in 1797, Nelsonâs small fleet encountered a much larger French one. Due largely to his unusual tactics, the British inflicted an embarrassing defeat on the French, leading to a knighthood for Nelson. He lost his arm in the Canary Islands when trying to capture Spanish treasure and was wounded yet again in the Battle of the Nile - from which he emerged victorious. He was then nursed by Emma, Lady Hamilton, who later become his lover. Elevation to the peerage as Baron Nelson of the Nile followed. His brazen affair with Lady Hamilton (who became pregnant with their daughter Horatia) led to an estrangement from his wife, and lack of money forced him to apply for active service again. His fleet engaged a hostile force near Copenhagen, where he refused to obey the order of a senior officer to disengage. The battle was won, along with further honours. Four years later, in 1805, he was fatally wounded at the battle of Trafalgar. Although Nelson was buried in St Paulâs Cathedral, there are plenty of reminders of him in the Burnhams. There is a bust of him above his fatherâs tomb in 13th-century All Saintsâ Church, along with flags from his battles. Also on display in the church are the flags and ensigns from the Second World War battleship HMS Nelson. The Lord Nelson pub at Burnham Thorpe has a collection of memorabilia.
While you're there: You can explore the seven Burnhams - Market, Overy, Overy Staithe, Overy Town, Norton, Deepdale and Thorpe. Burnham Nortonâs church has a Saxon round tower, while Burnham Market has a handsome green, fringed by elegant 18th-century houses. Along the coast to the east is Holkham Hall with its Bygones Museum, while nearby Wells-next-the-Sea (which isnât really) is famous for its whelks and sprats.
What to look out for: In the marshes, particularly the sections that are nature reserves, look for sea aster and samphire. In the summer months, you will also see the purple bloom of sea lavender. Besides wading birds that inhabit the salt marshes and mudflats all year, you will also see noisy brent geese with characteristic black heads and white rumps in the winter.
Where to eat and drink: Start or finish your walk with an excellent meal at The Hero, which offers a varied menu of bar meals, including local crab and daily specials. Food is available seven days a week. There is a patio area where well-behaved dogs are welcome.
Directions:
From The Hero, turn right, then immediately left down East Harbour Way until you reach Overy Creek. Turn right next to the black-painted house, go through a gate and then bear left along the waterfront. The bank you are on was raised to protect the adjacent land from sudden incursions by the sea and is part of the long distance Norfolk Coast Path.
At the junction, turn right, through the gate, into a marshy meadow of long grass. This area is a Natural England reserve (part of Holkham National Nature Reserve) and the sand dunes, salt marshes and mudflats are home to a wide variety of birds and plants, including sea aster and plovers. Go through a second gate, cross a stile, then continue along the grass track until you reach the A149. Cross to the track opposite, and follow this until you have passed two fields on your right.
Go through the gap at the entrance to the third field, which is marked as a footpath. Keep to the right of the hedge until you reach a waymarker pointing left, across the middle of the field. Keep going in a straight line, through gaps in hedges, following the circular markers with yellow arrows until you reach a dirt lane. Cross this and go down the track opposite, towards the Norman tower of Burnham Overyâs Church of St Clement, topped by a 17th-century bell turret.
Turn left at the end of the track on to Mill Road, then take the grass track to the right, called Marsh Lane. Go through the gate and into a field, so that the River Burn is off to your left, with the round Saxon tower of Burnham Norton in the distance to your left and Burnham Overy windmill straight ahead. Go through the gate by Mill House, complete with mill pond and mill race (1820).
Cross the A149, with the pond on your left, then take the public footpath into the next field. Cross the stile and keep the hedge to your right. In the distance you will see the sails of Burnham Overy windmill, which is privately owned and not usually open to the public.
Cross a stile and turn right at the junction of paths, then continue to the A149. Turn left and follow the road to East Harbour Way on the left and The Hero pub on the right.
Gentle Walk
Donald on scottexservices.com