Anderson's Meadow to Sweetbriar Road
This is a continuation of the walk from Halfords at the Barn Rd roundabout to Anderson's, but you can also start here and walk out to Gunton Road Recreation Ground. (In fact you can continue on to Aylesham, but that's a step too ambitious for us.) This walk takes us through Sweet Briar Marshes a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's) - an indication of how important this area is to wildlife. This area is bounded by Marriotts way on one side and the Riverside walk on the other, and we will be swapping between them as appropriate. 
Directions
There is no car parking for Anderson's Meadow, the start of our walk, but it is possible to park in the side streets around Old Palace St. (There is also a layby in the road that leads to the recycling centre.) From Anderson's Meadow, cross the bridge leading from Old Palace St. to Mile Cross Rd. and enter via a small gate at the Mile Cross end of the bridge. Alternatively, cross under the road along the Marriotts Way path that runs along the top of Anderson's Meadow. Or enter this section via the entrance to Sycamore Wood on Maple Drive, off Waterworks Road.Tour
The first part of the walk along the riverbank should give Banded Demoiselles by the bank, particularly near the bridge. The path soon angles away from the river however as a drainage ditch (sadly fairly eutrophied) intersperses itself. You may catch Southern hawkers hunting the banks here, but butterflies provide the main interest, together with summer wild flowers. When the path meets the path coming down from Marriotts Way there is an opportunity to reach the river bank. This is a good spot for Banded Demoiselles, Large Red, Blue-tailed and Common Blue damselflies and Migrant hawkers.
You have reached the bottom right corner of the Wensum Marshes local nature reserve (boundary shown in green on the small map), but the entrances are on the the three other corners. Continue along the path till you come to the reserve entrance. Continuing along the Riverside walk at this point would lead us to the footbridge which leads to Sycamore Woods. Although the path continues as far as Sweetbriar Road it effectively finishes there, so we will cross the reserve and then continue along Marriotts Way.
The main point of interest for us is the two ponds at the bottom of the reserve. There was originally only one, but after invasive foreign plant species were discovered here, this was filled in and a new pond constructed. The filled in pond now holds a shallow depth of water and is more marsh than pond, though it provides hunting grounds for damselflies. The large pond adjacent however is home to Red-eyed damselfly as well as Common Blue, Blue-tailed, and Large Red. This pond has a resident Emperor and a number of Black-tailed Skimmers.
The reserve also provides a good breeding ground for Common Darters, which can be seen emerging from the ditches around the edges, and Brown and Migrant Hawkers hunt here. Take the left-hand path along the side and upper edge to avoid getting cut off by the dykes (shown in light blue) which bisect the reserve. You can exit by gates at either of the two top corners, but the top right exit is heavily overgrown. Look for green woodpeckers and tree creepers in the trees on the right-hand edge of the reserve, along with Small and Essex Skippers, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Peacock, Tortoishell, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Comma and Ringlet butterflies throughout the area.
There remains a number of species which would be expected at a site like this, but which have not yet been recorded: Ruddy Darter, Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers all look likely candidates, and your records are eagerly sought.
You are now on Marriotts Way. If you head to your right you will find the entrance to Sloughbottom Park (which also has a car park, and provides an alternative point of entry to the walk). We however will head left. The path here has numerous wild flowers which support a number of butterflies. The path will eventually reach Sweetbriar Road and the end of this section.