Walks And Walking – Stoke by Nayland Luxury Country Lodges in Suffolk

Walks And Walking – Stoke by Nayland Luxury Country Lodges in Suffolk

After our recent weekend in Constable Country I thought I would write a short article about where we stayed, mainly because it was so amazing! Located on the Suffolk and Essex border the Stoke by Nayland Country Lodges turned out to be the perfect base for some really enjoyable walks.

The first was a 5 mile circular walk to Stoke by Nayland Church and the second was a 7 mile circular walking route to the Arger Fen and Spouse’s Vale Nature Reserve with even more walking routes nearby like Flatford Mill, Dedham and Manningtree.

In addition to the tranquil countryside Stoke by Nayland Country Lodges are right next door to the Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa which has wonderful restaurants and leisure facilities.

Walks And Walking – Stoke by Nayland Luxury Country Lodge – We Had The First Floor

Walks And Walking – Stoke by Nayland Luxury Country Lodge – Open Plan

Walks And Walking – Stoke by Nayland Luxury Country Lodge – Breakfast

The Country Lodges are gorgeous, hand-built eco-friendly buildings with open-plan interiors that are chic and contemporary, and feature an elegant nod towards 1940s style as an homage to the history of the location, which was formerly a Women’s Land Army hostel site.

For more information you can visit their website here or ‘like’ them on facebook here.

Walks And Walking – Summer Walks In Suffolk – Walking Routes

Walks And Walking – Summer Walks In Suffolk – Walking Routes

If you are looking for a good area for walking routes then walking in Suffolk is great for all types of walks. I recently walked around the South Suffolk walking route including Southwold, Walberswick, Dunwich and Aldeburgh.

Walking The Shingle Beach At Dunwich To Walberswick April 2011

Southwold

The history of Southwold dates back to the Doomsday Book as a fishing port and receiving its own town charter from King Henry VII in 1489. Over the centuries a shingle bar engulfed the harbour mouth swept in from the North Sea which prevented the town from becoming a major port.

A fire devastated a large portion of the town in 1659 severely damaging the 12^th Century St Edmunds Church whereby, even today, these spaces have never been built on and give Southwold its unique charm. Gun Hill, the green directly above the sea wall to the far right of the pier, includes the 6 18-pounder cannons to commemorate the Battle of Sole Bay in 1672 with Southwold Museum housing a worthwhile collection.

Here is the walk I completed in Southwold: Summer Walks In Suffolk: Walberswick And Southwold

Walberswick

Walberswick is just the other side of Southwold Harbour and is where we stayed for this holiday. The ruins at the top of the village, the 15^th Century St Andrews Church depict how big the area used to be but, in the main, the area is now a very good and well maintained heath and marshland. It offers a wide and varied habitat for wildlife and birds. In 1953 the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated with its ornate metalwork village sign by the green and since then the area has attracted many famous celebrities.

However, the village is actually more famous for the annual crabbing competition held every August; The British Open Crabbing Championship.

Here is the walk I completed in Walberswick: Summer Walks In Suffolk: Walberswick

Dunwich

Over 1,500 years ago Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia but the harbour and virtually all of the town has been engulfed and reclaimed by the sea due to coastal erosion. In 1286 a sea surge hit the East Anglian Coastline, again in 1328 and 1347, resulting in 400 homes, 8 churches, 5 houses of religious orders, 3 chapels and 2 hospitals destroying its main export industry of wool and grain and ceasing the import of fish, furs and timber from the Icelandic and Baltic region.

Dunwich actually dates back as far as the 7^th Century when St Felix of Burgundy founded the See of East Anglia, referenced again in the Doomsday Book in 1806 and although Dunwich is no more than a village it is still referred to as a town. A popular legend in the area is that at certain tides you can hear the sound of church bells ringing from below the sea waves.

Here is the walk I completed in Dunwich: Summer Walks In Suffolk: Dunwich

Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh is a delightful seaside town located on the River Alde and has been made famous by one man, Benjamin Britten, who founded the Aldeburgh Festival of Arts in 1948.

In medieval times Aldeburgh was a busy fishing port housing the shipbuilding industries of the time. As the harbour silted up and the shingle bars evaded the coastline the area went in to decline but has now been reinvented as a weekend seaside town serving excellent fish and chips, quaint fishing huts and all very child friendly. The surrounding marshes make for interesting walking and the nature reserve offers good sightings of birds and wildlife.

Here is the walk I completed in Aldeburgh: Summer Walks In Suffolk: Aldeburgh

 

Summer Walks In Suffolk – Aldeburgh Walking Route

Suffolk Walking Routes

A Circular Walking Route In Aldeburgh…

It was really windy today and quite chilly despite the gloriously sunny day. Tedi was in his child carrier so I thought I would soon warm up. Wearing walking shorts was an error of judgement and I only had a thin wind proof jacket on so the beginning of the walk was a little cold to start with. Underfoot was quite bumpy across the marshes and my North Face Boots were put to good use.

Aldeburgh Marshes and The River Alde May 2011

Driving in to Aldeburgh from Walberswick we headed straight down through the village to the very end of the road before it becomes gravel to the car park, early in the morning to avoid the crowds. There is plenty of free parking but we decided to pay and display and get a safe spot for the car. It gets very busy in Aldeburgh and people are likely to park so close you’ll need a can opener to get back in to your car!

Aldeburgh Marshes in the wind May 2011

Aldeburgh Marshes May 2011

Walking left out of the car park we walked up the gravel road until we reached the first footpath signpost, just before Slaughden Quay,  taking us right in to Aldeburgh Marshes. We then followed the raised banks alongside the River Alde heading leftbefore bending right about 2 miles later. We pass through a few gates until we reached steps going down to our right that we climbed down to reach the open fields.

Following the obvious track gently bending round to our left we entered the farm land at Hall Farm Shop before walking through the garden centre at the front and on to Saxmundham Road, A1094. Crossing over we turned right to the roundabout taking the second turning down Church Farm Lane to reach the footpath on our left. We continued down the footpath until we found an entrance to the caravan park on our right.

We continued straight up to the permissive path and continued walking up this lane until we reached a sign for the North Warren Nature Reserve on our right.Walking across the reserve we could see the coastline in front of us. There were plenty of walkers and twitchers in Aldeburgh by this time so plenty of “Hellos” and “Good Mornings” were exchanged. Reaching the tarmac path we turned left by the shingle beach where we saw the Scallop Sculpture Memorial which was erected in 2003 to celebrate the life of Aldeburgh resident English composer Benjamin Britten.

Timber Framed Moot Hall May 2011

Passing the timber framed Moot Hall, the lifeboat station and then back to the car park our walk was complete at just under 6 miles and 2 hours. The rest of our day was spent enjoying Adnams beer and a hearty crab sandwich at the Cross Keys pub.