When public rights of way were registered and mapped with the County Council in the 1950’s, for some reason the route across Mill Common in Newton by Castle Acre was forgotten about. So this 140 metres of track from the mill to the south end of Restricted Byway 3 has been a gap which bothered nobody for at least 40 years.

Unfortunately a general measure, the CROW Act 2000, which gave legal access on foot to any Common also carried a proviso that those persons on foot should not approach within 20 metres of a building. After 20 years somebody has invoked this rule to prevent legal access to the common from the north and by erecting a barricade across Restricted Byway 3.

The County Council can take action against the blockage on the restricted byway, but the long term solution will be to apply for the track across the common to be a public right of way. The Ramblers have already started to gather evidence of use by people on foot, on horseback, on bicycles or anything else.

If you have used this route by any of these means, please will you print the User Evidence Form for Newton by Castle Acre together with the above map (click on the above image for a larger version of the map). Then fill in the form and sign and date it at the end and somewhere on the map. It can be returned to me: Ian Mitchell, 5 Montcalm Road, Norwich, NR1 4HX.

Local users are most welcome because they are likely to have used the path most often and possibly for the longest time.