Footpath No3, Martham
Footpath No3: Runs from Somerton Road through Damgate to Somerton (in fact the following description is in reverse assuming that you have followed Footpath No2 and are doing a circular walk back to Martham from Somerton).
OS map ref: TG465195 to TG459189Â Â Â Distance: Just under a mile.
Surface: Rough field edge or overgrown grass path between fields and tarmac road.
Description: Open views north across Martham Broad, Hickling and Broadland.
Linked Footpaths: No2, Martham Staithe to Somerton and near to Footpath No4 Staithe Road to Ferrygate. Also, near Footpath No21 at Top Farm, SandyLane.
Start: Only just over the Martham Parish boundary opposite the old gatehouse of The Grange in Sandy Lane, Somerton footpath No3 starts at TG465195 marked by a sign pointing west over the fields.
The path crosses open fields running west for about 760 yards (702 metres) before gentle curving south west and south into Damgate which in the Survey of the Manor in 1292 was shown to be a hamlet known as Damiottofts which was said to be bigger than Martham itself. `Tofts’ was the medieval word for a small plot of land normally containing a house. So, the ‘toffs’ element of Damiottofts gives a clear pointer to a cluster of small homesteads. Damgate had its own Staithe — see notes for Footpath No2.
As you approach bungalows on your left the path turns into a tarmac road. Continue straight up past the sign for Damgate Back Lane on your left. Ignore the turning on the right but you may notice the eclectic assembly of modernised buildings on the corner which were once Martham Youth Hostel. Keep going past the Council houses on your left through a glade after which the path begins to bend east again across another open field heading towards the Water Tower before finishing along the back gardens of houses and emerging between 89 and 91 Somerton Road.
For a printer friendly version click HERE. This will open a separate window as a ‘pdf’ that you can then print.