Don’t let the name put you off!
This place is a little known oasis
situated just between the sea and
the main A149 on the outskirts of Dersingham.
There are distinct areas of woodland, heath and bog and it is managed by Natural England whilst being part of the Royal Sandringham estate.
You feel fully immersed in nature and rarely come across other walkers as there is so much space, it’s tranquil and slightly isolated with big open sky views.
There are 3 circular walks for you to choose from. They are well signposted and of varying lengths so choose depending on the time you have available or do a combination of them.
Some areas are quite high and were once an ancient coastline, you can see the sea from up here.
The low lying area is the bog (or Acid Valley Mire to give it it’s correct name!)
The mire is waterlogged year round, even during our heatwave this year, as you can see in the photo on the left. There is a boardwalk so you can get closer without getting your feet wet and an information board.
I would recommend keeping dogs on a short lead for this area unless you want the consequences of dog v bog!
The Mire is the largest remaining example of this kind of habitat in East Anglia and conditions are ideal for some rare and diverse species of plants such as Bog Asphodels, Round-leaved Sundew, White Beaked Sedge and Cranberry. The Mire also has some rare insects such as the Black Darter Dragonfly and moths such as the Light Knot Grass. In the dark it is possible to see glow-worms.
Cross-leaved Heath
I had recently downloaded the Merlin bird identification app on my phone and discovered a Linnet! I would totally recommend this app if you enjoy listening to birds but have no clue what the species is.
I had only ever heard of a Linnet from the line of the famous old music hall song My Old Man said follow the van. “I followed on wiv me old cock linnet” It may not be rare but the first time I had seen one. My app also identified a Stonechat, a pretty little red-breasted bird.
The woodland glades also attract many birds, I saw squirrels and deer too. Over 20 pairs of the famous and rare songbird Nightjar breed on the reserve and can be heard on a Summer evening. Woodlark are another rare species found here.
Birds known here
Birds I heard
- Redpoll
- Tree Pipit
- Crossbill
- Jay
- Cuckoo
- Woodlark
- Nightjar
- Woodcock
- Tawny Owl
- Shelduck
- Sand Martin
- Sparrowhawk
- Marsh Harrier
- Linnet
- Stonechat
- Goldcreat
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Nuthatch
- Green Woodpecker
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
I hope I have shown you what a beautiful, peaceful and interesting location Dersingham Bog really is. It’s just great for a mindful walk, somewhere the kids can let off steam or a perfect dog walk.
- Heading towards Hunstanton on the A149, just before Dersingham
- Turn off, signposted Wolferton
- Bear right
- Scissors car park is first, keep going for Wolferton car park