Wiggenhall Saint Peter offers two specific starting points for planning a trip: the ruins of the Church of St Peter and the paths along the Great Ouse. The church ruins stand on the river’s east bank and are Grade II* listed. If you would like to include cultural history and walking routes in your trip, both are worth exploring. This gives you a way to understand the area through its historic building, a route through Wiggenhall Saint Peter or the wider course of the river.

Ruins of the Church of St Peter

The church was gradually abandoned after a relief channel for the Great Ouse was built in the 1950s. The tower dates from the 13th century; most of the present-day ruins were built about 200 years later. This approximate chronology distinguishes the older tower from the later parts of the church and reveals several phases of construction.

The ruins are built from brick, carstone, flint and ashlar. On the south side, the last remains of an arcade that once belonged to an aisle have survived. An arcade is a series of arches; here, the surviving remains point to the church’s former layout. The roof of the ruins has disappeared completely, but original wooden roof beams remain in the tower. The remains have been cared for by the Norfolk Historic Churches Trust for many years.

Paths and the river landscape

The Iceni Way passes through Wiggenhall St Peter and approaches the village along the Great Ouse. The route is connected to the Fen Rivers Way. A path by the river leads to the ruins of St Peter’s Church in Wiggenhall. These routes can be considered alongside the river itself: in this section, the Great Ouse is tidal.

The Ouse Valley Way also provides a broader perspective on the river. The path is 150 miles long and roughly follows the course of the Great Ouse from its source at Syresham in Northamptonshire to the sea at King’s Lynn. The Iceni Way and the Ouse Valley Way therefore represent different scales: one passes through Wiggenhall St Peter, while the other describes a long route along the river.

One historical observation adds to this picture: in 2018, a tidal bore travelling upstream on the Great Ouse was observed during a 3.4-mile walk from the church ruins. This is a specific moment from a walk at the time. Nearby, Wiggenhall St Germans is on National Cycle Route 1 and very close to the junction with Cycle Route 11.

Choose your travel focus

If cultural history is your priority, the dated construction phases, materials and surviving features offer different aspects of the same church ruins. For a walking-focused trip, the route of the Iceni Way through the village is a specific starting point. The Ouse Valley Way, by contrast, describes the wider scale of the Great Ouse. When looking for a holiday rental, you can first consider these differences to decide whether the church ruins, paths through the village or the course of the river should be the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Mundesley, Freethorpe, Bradenham, Yelverton, Easton, Barney, Mundford, Heydon

For the wider travel guide: Norfolk.