Stage 13 – Fakenham to Walsingham (10 km)
The 13th and final stage on the Camino di Pheasant took place on the 15th June 2024 and saw the intrepid trio of Mark, Adrian and Tom tackle the leisurely 10.8 km from Fakenham to the finish line at Walsingham. The sun was shining in his jealous sky but unbeknown to the pheasants myriad religious events, including processions, had been timed for their arrival. Having to once again raid piggy banks for the cruel £6 fee to park in Fakenham, the group were soon off on their merry way northwards. The straight road helped the team make quick progress towards Barsham and East Barsham with little to hold them back.
The fun started just after a pleasant break, taking in the sights of the picturesque East Barsham Manor, causing much impromptu and later research to deduce the origins, history and provenance of the estate. Marching on, the pheasants were soon lost and scattered, having to criss-cross over the B1105 in search of a promised footpath. It was left to the youngest pheasant’s eyes to spot the blue nylon rope guiding the way back on track (as mentioned in the guidebook once finished!). After navigating the rope descent including some, what can only be described (harshly) as highly illegal, non canonical pheasant techniques, the team were back on course toward the outskirts of Walsingham and the Slipper Chapel.
On arrival at the Chapel, a Catholic open air mass was in full flow and the pheasants were able to avoid stewards and the faithful’s coaches to peer over the garden wall at this religious spectacle.
A whistle-stop tour of the holy relics on offer in the Chapel and a chance for Tom to be blatantly overcharged to the tune of £15 followed as goodies were purchased in the visitor centre. This just left time for the remaining pheasants to revive Tom, demand a refund and purchase a wonderfully hand crafted (yet plastic!), one of a kind new water bottle for Pheasant Mark.
Back on the open road and approaching the outskirts of Walsingham, a short rain shower freshened the trio as they meandered up Blind Dicks Lane to arrive at the door of the overnight pilgrimage accommodation (Elmham House) and the end of the Camino di Pheasant. Due to the short walk this then left most of the afternoon and all evening to kill before bed, so the wanderers decamped to the Black Lion pub and proceeded to consume nearly everything on the menu. The next six hours were spent productively working their way through the beers on tap, while the landlord obliged by putting the football on the telly to help take the chaps’ minds off some very strange looking bar staff.
A short afternoon break was enforced while the pheasants staged a Top Gear parody, performing a relay between Walsingham and Fakenham in order to reunite both cars at the former. Despite some Stig-like rally driving antics from Mark as a bus was narrowly passed, the group failed to find sufficient parking on return and had to improvise. The evening was finished off by a couple of laps around Walsingham, taking in the unique atmosphere of the place along with a couple more shrines plus additional tea and cake. The night finished with the pheasants waddling back to their pilgrimage hostel for the Spain football game before decamping to a single room with three beds to enjoy a restorative sleep.
The morning saw the pheasants tuck into a hearty breakfast, once again enjoying the friendly atmosphere on offer before bidding farewell to Walsingham and heading for home, already planning the next big adventure.
