Burgh Castle

The fort above the marsh

Three walls of a Roman fort stand at the edge of the village, still close to their original height, flint and brick banded and studded with six pear-shaped bastions. They enclose a field above the marsh. The fourth wall, the western one, is gone: it slid into the reeds long ago, so the fort now faces the water with one side open. Built in the late third century as part of a chain guarding the Saxon Shore, it was in use for little more than a hundred years. The walls are about three metres thick.

From inside them the ground drops away to Breydon Water, where the Waveney and the Yare meet and spread into tidal mudflats and grazing marsh. Berney Arms Mill stands out across the reedbeds. Bearded tits nest in the reeds; in winter marsh and hen harriers work the flats. A circular all-weather path runs round the fort, level enough for wheelchairs, and dogs are welcome on leads. It is also the start of a 1.5-mile loop that takes in the round-tower church before returning along the boardwalk. For a longer day, an 8.5-mile circular follows Breydon Water with no shelter and no facilities anywhere on it, so carry what you need.

The round-tower church and St Fursey

The church, St Peter and St Paul, has a late-eleventh-century round tower. Inside is an octagonal font carved with crouching lions on its stem and, around the bowl, lions alternating with angels holding shields. A lancet window commemorates St Fursey, the Irish missionary who founded a monastery here in 633 on land given by a king; the fort may be the Cnobheresburg that Bede names. The church is Grade II* and in poor repair, which its own parish still calls "a place of utter peace and tranquillity."

Village amenities and the Queen's Head

The village has lost its shop and Post Office, but the Queen's Head remains a place to eat and drink after a walk. It has served villagers for at least 180 years. Diners have praised homemade meat pies, including chicken and mushroom, ham with eggs and mash, jacket potatoes and Sunday roasts; one reviewer singled out the generous portions. Greene King Abbot is a regular ale, with Lacons Encore among the changing beers. Dogs are welcome in the bar, and there is a garden.

Village food and recreation

The Fisherman's Inn is a single-storey riverside pub with a log burner and a decked veranda overlooking the water. Steak pie with chips and beef gravy, cheese-topped cottage pie and the beef-and-chicken Castle Burger feature among its example meals; Adnams Ghost Ship and Timothy Taylor Landlord are regular ales. Patrons can use free 24-hour moorings outside the pub. Family-run Burgh Hall adds a Sunday carvery, indoor play, a seasonal swimming pool and a Wednesday quiz supporting the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Connections and nearby history

Great Yarmouth station is five miles away, with the number 3 and 3B buses running in between. The other way, at Fritton, the Redwings sanctuary keeps close to a hundred horses and donkeys, among them a Shire called Fox.