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