Down the Blyth Valley in Pursuit of Black Shuck

Start : Car park opposite Town Park, on Saxon Way, Halesworth (IP19 8RT) Grid ref. TM 387 775

(S) Take the path East then South through the park on Saxon Way, opposite the car park. The path will follow the river New Reach out into the countryside.

(1) When the track meets the railway, ignore the first path that goes under the railway and carry on following the signs for the East Suffolk Line Walks to the next bridge. This is a small tall arched bridge that is only as wide as the path. Keep to the river on the left across the first field until you reach a small footbridge, across it.

(2) From here on keep following the river (South-East) all the way through to Mells. Here the East Suffolk Line Walk departs up the road into Mells, but another path will continue on along the river bank all the way through to Blyford Bridge.

(3) Here turn right and head South into Wenhaston. After the initial few houses another path on the left leads across the fields to a little lane with houses on its left. This will lead back down to the river, however recent erosion of the defences will make it impassable so ignore these signs and continue up past Low Farm. The footpath is supposed to lead straight across the next field but you will find that you need to navigate along its bottom border. This leads onto a farm track to Laurel Farm.

(4) Keep to the footpath as it passes briefly into the marshes then across a field and up to the road.

(5) Turn left and follow the road through to the main A12. Turn left and after 20 yards a footpath on the left will lead through to Church Lane and onto the church.

(6) From the church take Priory Lane back down to the A12 and cross over to the White Hart pub. The path continues along the banks of the estuary. This can either be reached through the pub garden or by walking up to the river bridge on the road.

Follow this path through to Walberswick Nature Reserve where it follows the course of the old Halesworth to Southwold railway track. Don't follow the footpaths marked on the OS map but keep to the nature reserve track. This will eventually lead out onto the Walberswick road.

(7) Just before you reach the buildings on the left cross the road and follow the track with the Sandlings waymarker which points virtually back the way you came. This leads up to the Sallow Walks Covert and follows these through to a road.

(8) Turn right on the road and follow this all the way through. It turns into a sandy track that is quite potholed and liable to large puddles in wet weather. This comes out at Five Finger Post junction on the Westleton to Blythburgh road.

(9) Cross the road and follow the road round to the left. Keep on this until the road bears round to the right at Poplar Farm. Here a footpath leads straight ahead. Take this and keep following in a straight line over a road and where the path bears round to the left, there is another path on the right that leads down the edge of the field and into Westleton.

(10) Just before the Crown pub a lane leads off on the left. Take this and keep on the road until it meets two footpath signs on the right. Follow the sign which leads straight on. This little footpath leads across heathland and down into the woods eventually joining a track and coming out on the Eastbridge road. Continue straight on and up into Eastbridge.

(11) Half a mile past Eastbridge take the track on the left with a Sandlings waymarker. Keep to this until it meets the Sizewell road. Continue straight ahead and down into the dip where a footpath on the right leads down into Leiston. (E)

Start & Parking: Car park opposite Town Park, on Saxon Way, Halesworth (IP19 8RT) Grid ref. TM 387 775

Transport:
Leiston to Halesworth 521 service operated by Border Bus
Anglian Bus service from Southwold to Halesworth and Norwich

Refreshments :
The White Hart, Blythburgh
The Crown, Westleton

Alternative : This walk is in two sections, the first section follows the River Blyth along the Waveney Way to Blythburgh with the option to continue on to Southwold. The Waveney Way is a Ramblers Association walk and does not have waymarkers along the route. An optional second section cuts across to Westleton and onto Leiston. Both Southwold and Leiston have public transport links to Halesworth making the walk achievable as a linear route without the requirement of assistance of a taxi.
The path follows the River Blyth through to Wenhaston where, due to erosion of the river defences, navigation is across fields to Blythburgh. Here it rejoins the river alongside the estuary and leads into Walberswick Nature Reserve. Once this trail reaches the road there is the choice of following the Sandlings Path through to Southwold, or taking the Sandlings Path in the opposite direction and with a mixture of Sandlings and other footpaths the route winds its way through Westleton, Eastbridge and finally Leiston

Find more information and walks at Griffmonsters Great Walks here.

• Blythburgh
• Blythburgh Church and the Legend of Black Shuck
• The Tale of Black Toby
• Westwood Lodge, Blythburgh