Stephen Run

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

This walk gives fantastic views over Alton Water Park. The longer walk leads you to Holbrook Creek and passes through the pretty village of Stutton. A shorter walk visits a nature reserve and the Tattingstone Clifton Wonder, a building designed to deceive!

This walk gives fantastic views over Alton Water Park. The longer walk leads you to Holbrook Creek and passes through the pretty village of Stutton. A shorter walk visits a nature reserve and the Tattingstone Clifton Wonder, a building designed to deceive!

Located on the Shotley peninsular, the Alton Water Reservoir provides an easy walk around its water. A self contained circular route that needs little in the way of maps. Just keep the water on your right and keep walking! The mixed variety of landscapes of open meadow, woods and even the hills on the northern side of the reservoir provide a constant changing scenery throughout the walk. In all this is a great walk with some pleasing panoramas and ever changing views of the reservoir.