January 2026 – Great Massingham
January started with a bang as no fewer than ten Pheasants turned up for the first walk of the year, setting a new record.
Similar to the Tudor courts of Elizabeth 1st and their vast travelling entourages, the Pheasants similarly arrived in a magnificent convoy of vehicles and resplendent outfits for the initial walk of the year. For the first time in two years all Pheasants were present and correct for muster, including a new fledgling attending the obligatory “onboarding” session.
Great Massingham delighted the Pheasants with a sterling selection of local amenities. Centred around the village green and ponds, the charming village enabled the travellers to grab a quick coffee and comfort break at the bijou Cartshed Tearoom while enjoying St Mary’s church.
Following on from the previous weekend recce, the team were soon lost in a section just outside the village, leading to various murmurs of discontent. After a small scramble, the flock were soon back on track and shot through the outskirts of Little Massingham before heading for the Peddars Way (a 46-mile trail through Norfolk and Suffolk, following an ancient Roman road). This was a dead straight, slightly uphill section, rubbed in by the presence of motorised quad bikes which the group stoically refused to use. This was followed by an encounter with another walking group coming the other way, and whose average age seemed even higher than the Pheasants!
