Exploring Wymondham on a Spy Mission

Charlie had been staying at my Mum's for a couple of days and on his return I was looking for something for us all to do together. I was struggling for ideas until I remembered that their train would pass through Wymondham and I'd been keen to go to Wymondham Abbey.

In the 4 years that we've lived in Norfolk we've only been to Wymondham 3 or 4 times and we'd never ventured near the Abbey (although I didn't realise how close it was to the town!) 

Knowing that suggesting a simple walk would send Charlie into meltdown I downloaded a copy of the Wymondham Spy Mission from Treasure Trails. We've done many of these over the years and they're great at occupying the children while we walk and we always discover something new. They're a bargain at £6.99 and I always print off a copy for each of the children to fill in so that there are no arguments.

Credit: www.treasuretrails.co.uk

Molly, Harry and I parked up in the town and walked to the train station to meet Charlie and Nanny. Wymondham rail station is a really quaint station, almost stuck in time, and it has been used for a number of tv and film recordings.

Harry loved the sight of Thomas the Tank Engine in the garden of the bistro.

These stunning creatures were in the garden of the station cottage.

Waiting patiently.... 

The circular trail started at the library and headed through the town before making its way to the Abbey.

The treasure trails are hugely educational and we end up spotting things that we wouldn't normally see because we're often rushing around, not looking up or taking in our surroundings.

The Abbey is an impressive church with two towers, one built for the parishioners and the other for the Benedictine monks. Apparently there were often arguments between the two groups.

We didn't go inside as we could hear someone was practising on the organ and I didn't think that they would appreciate my noisy gang intruding but a member of the church came out to invite us in anyway. It's no wonder that they have an award as Most Welcoming Church from the Diocese of Norwich. Disappointingly the boys didn't fancy a trip indoors as they were keen to find our next clue but it gives me an excuse to return alone.

After leaving the grounds of the Abbey we walked down Vicar Street (the children loved this name!) and we spotted these unusual fishy door knockers.

We spent quite a while looking at the war memorial as it was part of a clue. There were nine names inscribed that shared the same surname. It made us wonder if they were from the same family. It's a heartbreaking thought. On our recent trip to Wimpole Hall there was a family headstone and their 3 young sons had all died during the First World War, two of them only a couple of months apart. I can't imagine what it could be like to encounter so much loss.

Two names really stuck out for me; Honorable E. Wodehouse and Honorable P. Wodehouse. Straightaway the author PG Wodehouse came into mind as it's not a common surname. I googled it as soon as I got home and it turns out that nearby Kimberley Hall was the Wodehouse ancestral home.

We took our time doing the trail and it was a couple of hours well spent. We couldn't find a couple of the clues but thankfully there's a free text option so that we can solve the mission. We plan to return soon and explore more of the Abbey grounds and the walk along the River Tiffey. 

Have you ever taken part in a Treasure Trail?