2. Caister St Edmund, Norfolk.

Details:- I started at the Roman town of Caister St Edmund south of Norwich, and walked back into the city along Boudica's Way via Arminghall and Trowse to Carrow Road. Distance:- 7 miles Walking Time:- 2 hrs 30 minutes; Average Speed:- 2.8 mph; Going:- mud up to the underside of my undersoles (sounds bad but isn't); Map:- OS Explorer 237; Progress:- walked 19 - 481 to go. Photographs:- none of my own - I forgot the camera!

Oxymoron of the day: - Bus Service! I took the bus from Norwich to the start of this walk. Looking at the timetable both First and Anglian do this route to Poringland every hour, but running within three minutes after each other! I caught the Anglian bus and there were twelve of us aboard. After alighting and setting off down the road the First bus trundled past a couple of minutes later - absolutely empty! Why have a bus every half hour when you can do a full one and an empty one every hour.

Wildlife:- two dead trees blown across the path near Arminghall. There was nix roaming the countryside of South Norfolk to-day.

What Did The Romans Do For Us? Caister St Edmund, or Venta Icenorum, is an old brownfield site, and only one of three Roman towns in the country not buried beneath a modern settlement. But even now the archaeologists know next to nothing about the place. It's raised to the ground and there's nothing to see - perhaps it was demolished in revenge by descendents of Boudica whose tribe, the Iceni, were from around these parts. Indeed they think the town was originally built in AD 60ish after Boudica's revolt to quell the native tribes of East Anglia.

AD 47 Boudica's XI 6 - Romans 0.

Seasonal Image:- A patchwork of gently rolling fields in a livery of winter seeded green and spring seeded brown; and above are fast moving, heavy clouds; dark grey and ominous, as if threating to dump all over us at any moment.


New Word:- for my dictionary - a farlow which is a bungalow pretending to be a farm, not to be confused with a farlowe - or a has been pop star, best known for the single 'Baby Baby You're Out Of Time', inspired by issuing parking tickets in his previous job as a traffic warden.

Bench:- I've not seen this before - a park bench in cast iron and hardwood set on a concrete base in a prominent spot overlooking the Tas valley, and left for the benefit of walkers and inscribed 'Dawne Victoria Hill 1939 - 2004 who loved these footpaths' I approve. Knowing the local authority I bet it was a planning nightmare to organise.

Carrow Road. The walk terminated at Carrow Road, where I watched Norwich City get beaten 3-1 by Plymouth Argyle. (why Argyle? - it's at the other end of the country?) Oh dear! It's been a frustrating time watching Norwich in the last few months; we need a Boudica on our team.

AD 2007 Plymouth Argyle 3 - Norwich City 1.