Full Description
Sandy
and shingle beaches, lonely marshland, myriad tidal creeks and charming seaside
villages are just a few of the fascinating characteristics of the Suffolk and
Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape - an area of outstanding natural
beauty that stretches from Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft, to Maldon, in Essex.
Expansive skies and far-reaching seascapes lie in wait at Southwold, Dunwich
and West Mersea. Intricate inlets and tidal
islets form the backdrop to the walks at Orford, where there are relics of a
Cold War listening station, and Maldon, site of a fearsome Viking battle. Salt
marsh and peaceful, lazily meandering riversides can be followed at Aldeburgh
and Orford.
Near
Lowestoft, Oulton Broad is the southernmost of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, the walk here
treading the Angles Way
around the wetland nature reserve of Carlton Marshes. At Dunwich, discover the
story of the city that was claimed by the sea and venture across the heathland
common behind the beach. You can stroll in the parkland at Sutton Hoo, site of Britain's richest Anglo-Saxon burial, to fine
views over the River Deben; while in Dedham Vale, the walk visits several of
the Stour Valley sites captured by John Constable
in his most famous paintings. From historic Colchester,
there's a fine station-to-station walk along the River Colne to Wivenhoe.
Contents
Oulton
Broad
This off-road walk takes in both Oulton
Broad's southern shore and the enormous Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve, a mecca
for wading birds and raptors. In summer, the marshes come alive with
dragonflies, while in winter look out for wigeon, snipe and teal. Although only
2 miles long, if the weather turns the route can be made briefer still via a
shortcut. If you're keen to explore the area further, the visitor centre
organises boat trips with knowledgeable wildlife guides.
The
southernmost of the Broads; a wonderful
wetland nature reserve
Southwold
The favourite holiday destination of former
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Southwold is a genteel, pleasingly old- fashioned
resort. Perhaps surprisingly, it was once the home to the godfather of
dystopian fiction, George Orwell. You can enjoy the Orwell mural at the
wonderful pier where this walk begins, before heading along the prom and the
dunes to the mouth of the River Blyth, with its famous rowing-boat ferry.
Skirting a coastal marshland, you'll return through the heart of this beguiling
town.
Pier,
promenade, sandy beach; marsh grazing; town and lighthouse
Dunwich
Though most of Dunwich's
history lies beneath the waves, it remains a fascinating corner of Suffolk. This route leads
you from the beach to one of the final reminders of the former city's medieval
glory, Greyfriars Monastery. While Greyfriars Wood was probably planted in the
early 19th century, the pleasant open farmland you'll be walking through is likely
to be of more ancient origin. There's a visit to a rare Leper Chapel and at the
end a cosy inn - The Ship - awaits.
A city
that fell into the sea; monastery ruins; Leper Chapel; great pub
Aldeburgh
and the River Alde
An important port in the Middle Ages,
Aldeburgh is a resort full of interesting and often quirky buildings. However,
this route does not confine itself to the town but also heads out along the
coast for a circuit of Aldeburgh Marshes, mostly via an embankment alongside
the peaceful River Alde. The route visits Aldeburgh Museum
in the medieval Moot Hall, passes a lookout tower that has become an arts hub,
and descends the resort's historic Town Steps.
Peaceful
River Alde and Aldeburgh
Beach; Moot Hall and Town
Steps
Orford
and the River Ore
In common with Dunwich (page 28), Orford was
a major port that was undone by the action of the sea, although in quite a
different way (page 44). Today it's a picturesque village of winsome cottages
and the multiple- award-winning Pump Street Bakery, and is, understandably,
popular with tourists. This walk takes you out of the hubbub to a peaceful
stretch of gorgeous riverside, with views of Orford Ness and its enormous
transmission towers, ending with a stop at a unique castle built by Henry II.
Charming
village; castle; popular bakery; Cold War relic; lovely river
Sutton
Hoo
Sutton Hoo burst into the limelight in 1939
when archaeologists announced the discovery of a royal Anglo-Saxon ship burial
there. This walk takes advantage of the public footpaths that cross the famous
255-acre estate, which is owned nowadays by the National Trust. The route takes
in views of the marina at Woodbridge
and the River Deben, and looks over Mound 2, the largest of the impressive
tumuli that make up the Royal Burial Ground.
Britain's finest Anglo-Saxon treasure find; parkland; Deben views
Dedham
and Flatford
The village of Dedham
has proved a magnet for painters. John Constable came here to paint the mill
(owned by his father) and the church, 1 . Residents, meanwhile, have
included Royal Academy president Sir Alfred Munnings;
artists Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines; and the notorious art forger Tom
Keating. This gentle walk through Dedham Vale passes some classic Constable
country, taking in Flatford and the River Stour.
Constable
country walk in the Stour valley along the
Suffolk-Essex border
Colchester
to Wivenhoe
This station-to-station walk visits the top
attractions of Roman Britain's first capital: the castle, the priory, the
natural history museum and The Minories art gallery. Passing briskly through
the city's light industrial quarter, it fetches up on the River Colne for a
delightful car-free passage to Wivenhoe, an attractive riverside village. Note
that Colchester has two railway stations, Colchester and Colchester Town,
which are just over a mile apart. This walk starts from the branch-line
terminus Colchester
Town.
Station-to-station
walk; Roman capital; River Colne; Wivenhoe Trail
West Mersea
Fans of pub quizzes would be wise to squirrel
away the following fact: Mersea Island is Britain's most easterly inhabited
isle. It's connected to the mainland by a causeway called The Strood that can
flood at high tide. The vast majority of its population (roughly 7,000) lives
in West Mersea, in the south-west corner. On
this walk, you'll experience the whole length of the town's shoreline, starting
with its seemingly endless beach huts, before heading across the gentle
farmland that surrounds it.
Beach
huts, coast road, field paths; Britain's
most easterly inhabited isle
Maldon
The small attractive Essex town of Maldon was once an
important port and can trace its lineage back to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of
913. This route passes through the town to take in the scene of a momentous
incident that occurred that same century: the Battle of Maldon. Note: if you
would like to lengthen this walk by visiting Northey Island,
the causeway is impassable for approximately three hours either side of high
tide. Contact northeyisland@nationaltrust.org.uk for details.
Byrhtnoth
and Vikings; Promenade
Park; the Maldon Mud Race
