Needham Market Circle

A walk following Suffolk's River Gipping between Needham Market and Ipswich.

A riverside walk tracing the route of the River Gipping as it heads through Suffolk to join the tidal waters of the Orwell at Ipswich. A gentle ambling route that twists and turns through the countryside which presents a perfect summers walk.
This is a good walk for summer when the sun is shining and the gentle Gipping River trickles its way through the Suffolk countryside. There are old mills, there are little bridges and old locks which are no more than weirs these days presenting an interesting journey. It is a stereotypical English rural landscape. Admittedly the main A14 is never too far away so there is always the distant moan of traffic but it is easy to forget about this, even more so, I would guess, if one is a townie and used to such noises.

An easy walk following Suffolk's River Gipping between Stowmarket and Needham Market.
The river Gipping forms the source to the mighty Orwell River. At Stowmarket it is no more than a babbling stream that winds its way through the Suffolk countryside. The path keeps to the riverside throughout with no difficult obstacles other than styles, making a pleasant stroll between these two places. With some fantastic pubs at either end it makes a good little pub crawl.

On the ‘Wherstead Woodlands’ walk, you can see more ancient woodland, the Stalls Valley, farmland and the villages of Wherstead and Freston.

The historic villages of Wherstead and Freston are great for exploring the unique farmed and estuary landscapes of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB. The walks take in Freston Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Short circular walk around heaths and woodlands of Foxhall, Ipswich. A pleasant stroll around the heaths and woodlands around Foxhall, to the east of Ipswich. The walk is short but nonetheless a pleasant way to while a way an hour or two. Natural woodland, babbling stream and if you look very carefully you may even see what remains of Foxhalls All Saints Church

A walk across heathland from Martlesham to Rushmere Heath on the eastern fringes of Ipswich
Like most modern towns, Ipswich is suffering from a seemingly endless amount of urban sprawl that envelops the traditional villages that once surrounded it. However, this walk follows heathland that is hidden behind the housing estates all the way from Martlesham through to Rushmere Heath and Ipswich Hospital.

A walk around the Suffolk villages of Eye and Hoxne.
Hoxne is said to be where St Edmund was Martyred by the Viking invaders in the 9th century. The village is full of reminders of the gruesome event including the cross which marks the place of the oak tree his assailants tied him to, beat him, fired arrows at and eventually beheaded and the bridge he reputedly hid trying to escape his captors.

This circular walk through the countryside of Suffolk includes a section alongside the River Orwell. The route takes you inland passing Erwarton Hall and the fine church at Church End to the banks of the Orwell from where you can see Felixstowe Docks. The walk then heads north along the Orwell following the Stout and Orwell Walk.