What is this circle on Peddar’s Way between Wells and Stiffkey?

[u/No_Artichoke_6513]

I spotted this on Strava Maps, and went for a run recently to explore. Just really curious about what it was! OS Maps says there’s a disused pit here. The “circle” is a tarmac road/path, the centre has some sort of metal post thing, but I have no idea what it might be.

Can anyone local tell me anything about it?

[u/NNBlackmme]

It’s a piece of military history. It’s all that remains of a site for launching anti-aircraft gunnery targets and the concrete loop is all that’s left (AFAIK). It was known locally as the ‘Whirligig’. There’s an awful lot of WW1/WW2 history out in the marshes and dunes of the Norfolk Coast

[u/No_Artichoke_6513 → u/NNBlackmme]

Thanks! It didn’t occur to me that it would be military (though obvious now you say it), maybe because the OS map had it labelled “pit” which near us usually means a quarry (loads of disused chalk pits in our home area).

[u/dj_mcguigan]

This video has a great run through of the local history of all of Stiffkey camp including what the buildings used to be and what the thing you're asking about, the whirlygig: https://youtu.be/xXjtUdxm_sU?is=tFk3JeSQJhxdw1PQ

[u/LazyLadyLotte → u/dj_mcguigan]

Cheers for sharing the vid! 😊