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The Peddars Way is a Roman road that passes through the Brecks, an environmentally-sensitive area, and links to the Norfolk Coast Path, which runs through the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route takes in open grassland and heath, forests, streams and expansive farmlands as well as delightful stone villages.The Access for All pack is due to be officially launched on World Sight Day, 13th October.
Special edition guides
During a series of walks in September a group of blind and
visually impaired individuals from the Norfolk & Norwich Association for
the Blind (NNAB) are to walk the Peddars Way as part of their bi-centenary celebrations.
To assist them they will be using a set of special edition guides.
The Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast Path National Trail has recently produced a set of special edition guides from the official National Trail guide for the route. These editions are Braille with Tactile diagrams, Large print with stylised maps, Audio (both tape & cd) and DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System - which is a method in this instance of fusing audio with a navigational structure). Studies show that not knowing what to expect from the countryside is often one of the reasons why individuals with access needs do not go into the countryside. This is why due to part financing through the European Regional Development Fund under the Objective 2 programme to promote sustainable tourism in the region, the guides have been produced as part of an Access for All project .
This will be followed by some truly ground breaking webpages giving detailed information on the hazards along the walk, ie. stiles, severe gradients etc. The content management system of the webpages is updatable and will be kept as current as resources allow, the pages are also downloadable in a pdf format in order to create leaflets as required, thus saving costly leaflet reprints and the risk of out-of-date information. This information will be invaluable not only for those with visual impairments but for a wide range of visitors from stick users to pushchair owners in order to give them confidence to go into the countryside. The Access for All pack is due to be officially launched on World Sight Day, 13th October.
Explore by bus
Working in partnership with cycle hire, pubs and tourism
interests in the area, Norfolk County Council has launched a new bus service
that enables people to explore the Peddars Way National Trail with greater ease.
This bus service will also improve travel opportunities for local people between
Thetford and Swaffham. The ‘Peddars Wayfarer’ bus service runs twice
daily between Thetford bus and rail stations and Swaffham market place, calling
at villages and major access points along the Peddars Way. The bus tows a specially-built
trailer which can carry up to eight bicycles.
The Peddars Wayfarer, which is also funded through the EU funding
scheme called the Breckland Objective 2 Cultural Package, will operate seven
days a week from Easter through to the end of October for the next two years.
It is hoped that the new service will encourage people to explore the beauty
of the area without using their car.
The service runs to a timetable that has been designed to link at Thetford with
regular trains from both Cambridge and Norwich. At Swaffham, the X1 bus service
will provide frequent connections to King’s Lynn and Norwich. Attractive
fares will be available – a day rover ticket will be just £3 for
one person, £4 for a couple and £6 for a family.
Tim Lidstone-Scott, Norfolk County Council’s National Trail Manager, said: “The Peddars Way has not been easy to get to by public transport in the past and so the new Peddars Wayfarer service offers an exciting opportunity for people to get out and about in the countryside and walk or cycle away from busy roads. It is also an opportunity for tourism businesses in the Brecks to link with cycle hire operators to offer visitors the chance to cycle on the Peddars Way while on holiday.”
For further information contact
Helen Levy, Peddars
Way National Trail