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Strolling or striding … Suffolk’s countryside has walks for all




Suffolk is falling in love with walking. That is the verdict of the man in charge of the county’s annual festival that celebrates the joy of getting out in the countryside for anything from a gentle stroll to a strenuous hike.

Tickets for the 2023 Suffolk Walking Festival have sold like hot cakes, leaving even the organisers astonished.

Three weeks before the start of the event, which begins on May 13, almost three quarters of the 71 walks were sold out and 90 per cent of the total tickets had been snapped up.

Challenge walkers in an earlier walking festival on St Edmund's Way near Sicklesmere
Challenge walkers in an earlier walking festival on St Edmund's Way near Sicklesmere

“It’s way ahead of previous years. We’ve been bowled over,” says David Falk, who is Suffolk County Council’s green access manager.

“We know people really like it, and they tell others about it. But, this year, we have really focused on social media and I think that’s helped. The other thing we’ve done is build our database of followers for our newsletter.”

Now the message he really wants to put across is that our beautiful Suffolk landscapes are there 52 weeks of the year and the benefits of walking are not confined to the festival fortnight.

Suffolk Walking Festival participants in Nowton Park near Bury St Edmunds. Picture: David Falk
Suffolk Walking Festival participants in Nowton Park near Bury St Edmunds. Picture: David Falk

Meandering through woodland, or striding up some of the county’s more demanding slopes to revel in views stretching for miles … there are walks for everyone to enjoy.

You could take in the scenery that inspired John Constable, head for the coastal mudflats and heathlands, or explore some of the county’s historic wool towns.

But that is just a fraction of what Suffolk has to offer. Public footpaths and quiet lanes criss-cross the countryside whether you want to walk on your own, with family or friends, or with an organised group.

They offer the chance to step out of our busy lives and get some vital exercise while watching the colours of the seasons change around us in cornfields and forests.

All the festival routes are guided by a leader, and they range from short strolls to the challenge walk, which this year is the new Wool Towns trail – 50 miles spread over four days.

But, at other times, not knowing exactly where you should be walking can put people off trying routes they do not know.

That is especially true if the paths are not waymarked, or cross fields where they have been ploughed over and planted and not reinstated.

Gina Geremia who guides forest bathing walks
Gina Geremia who guides forest bathing walks

But plenty of group walks are on offer throughout the year, run by organisations like the ramblers and U3A.

And the county council is harnessing the power of technology to help people explore with its Discover Suffolk app, which has more than 100 routes for walking, cycling and riding.

David says where they would once have urged us all to get off our mobile phones and look around at nature, they are now using the technology to help people get out and about.

Walkers in a previous festival pass Nowton church
Walkers in a previous festival pass Nowton church

“We want to give them the confidence to head off into the countryside to explore and discover places on their own,” he said. “We add new routes to it all the time.

“The app, which is free, guides you round, gives you directions, and will tell you if you’ve left the route. You can download it from our Discover Suffolk website, or go to your app store and search.

“The next part of the project is putting up QR codes to create interactive trails. As you go around, you will be able to zap the code and hear someone talking about what you could be seeing.

Walkers in a previous festival pass Nowton church
Walkers in a previous festival pass Nowton church

“It’s a boom time for walking now. People have also caught on to the value of walking with groups and socialising.”

And, as is now increasingly recognised, the health benefits can be tremendous.

“With the festival, we get feedback from people who have had issues in their lives, who say that it has really helped them. There are some really powerful stories,” he says.

Mixing walking with other activities, like foraging or simply ending up in a cafe for a coffee, has proved popular.

This year, wellbeing practitioner Gina Geremia is leading two forest bathing walks in Great Cornard Country Park. She also runs sessions all year round.

Forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku in Japan, where it was already popular in the 1980s, means immersing yourself in the sights, sounds and atmosphere of woodland.

“I want people to understand what it is and how it can help – I do think it’s a little life-changing,” says Gina, who lives in Leavenheath. “People can expect to have their sense of time suspended.”

She has just been given a permit to guide forest bathing in Rendlesham Forest, and already does sessions in north Essex.

Gina, who was raised in Vermont, USA, is passionate about the access we all have to the Suffolk countryside with its wonderful landscapes “in our own backyard”. “The network of footpaths we have just a few steps away is amazing,” she says.

Suffolk has dozens of walking groups, like the ramblers, which has branches in towns like Bury, Sudbury, Newmarket and Stowmarket.

Keith Brown, chairman of Sudbury Ramblers, says guests are welcome to join a few of their walks before committing to joining the national association, which would also entitle them to walk with all ramblers groups.

“We have about 160 members, and usually 20 to 50 people go on each walk,” said Keith. “They tend to be quite local, but sometimes we go further afield, like the north Norfolk coast.

“The psychological side effects of walking in a group are there as well, coming out and talking to people, and enjoying the company and countryside.”

Clare Walkers, founded eight years ago, came up with the idea of including the Wool Towns trail in this year’s walking festival.

Sudbury Ramblers then took on responsibility for looking after the circular walk that takes in Clare, Lavenham, Long Melford, Sudbury and Hadleigh, passing through open country and villages on the way.

The Clare group has developed 10 self-guided routes, which are available on leaflets or via its website, heading out of the town into glorious countryside on both sides of the Stour Valley.

It also organises group and guided walks and aims to have something for everyone, from a wheelchair walk in the park to more challenging terrain and distances.

Its latest publication, a 68-page book containing 15 walks starting in Clare, is on sale at the country park visitor centre and on its website.

“We have also signed up to the Walkers are Welcome scheme, which covers 100-plus towns,” said chairman Derek Blake. “We passed their tests in 2018.”

Other groups based in Suffolk include Hadleigh Walkers and Eye Outdoors Group. Often, branches of the u3a – open to anyone no longer in full-time work – have walking groups.

OneLife Suffolk offers a huge range of free wellbeing walks throughout the county, while Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves have great opportunities for strolling or striding in nature, from woodland to marshland, fens and heaths.

National Trust sites, from the stunning parkland of Ickworth near Bury to the atmospheric history-steeped river views of Sutton Hoo, are another brilliant source.

Meanwhile, the organisers of Suffolk Walking Festival are already planning for next year.

“The University of East Anglia has been doing a research project on how to develop the festival for 2024,”” said David. “We never rest on our laurels.

“Signing up for our newsletter gives you the first chance to book for walks in the next festival. You can do that through Discover Suffolk or the Suffolk Walking Festival websites.”

To report a problem with a public footpath, search online for “Suffolk County Council report a public right of way issue”.