Marriott's Way
| Marriott's Way | |
|---|---|
The way at Thorpe Marriott village green near Taverham
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| Length | 39.5 km (24.5 mi) |
| Location | Norfolk, England |
| Trailheads |
Norwich 52°38′09″N 1°17′14″E / 52.6357°N 1.2873°E Aylsham 52°47′27″N 1°15′15″E / 52.7909°N 1.2541°E |
| Use | Hiking, cycling, horse-riding |
| Hiking details | |
| Season | All year |
The Marriott's Way is a long-distance foot, cycle path and bridleway between Norwich and Aylsham, Norfolk, England. It forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) (Route 1) and the red route of Norwich's Pedalways cycle path network. It is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Its total length is 24.6 miles (39.5 km). It has a mixture of surfaces; tarmac, compacted gravel and mud. The name of the route originates from the chief engineer and manager of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway M&GNJR, William Marriott who held this position for 41 years.
The path uses the trackbeds of two former railway lines, from Themelthorpe to Norwich and from Themelthorpe to Aylsham. The Themelthorpe to Norwich line was built in 1882 by the Lynn and Fakenham Railway Company which was taken over by the M&GNJR in 1893, as part of a line that ran to Melton Constable. This line gave a through route to the Midlands. The Themelthorpe to Aylsham line was completed in 1893 by the Great Eastern Railway to provide a link to its other lines at Wroxham and County School railway station close to North Elmham. The lines were never profitable. Freight services were largely based on farm products and the line closed to passenger traffic in 1959. In 1960 the two lines were joined by the so-called Themelthorpe Curve (believed to be the sharpest bend in the British Rail network). Its construction was to keep open the important movement of concrete products from Lenwade railway station. Once concrete production ceased in 1985 the line was closed.
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