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Start: Junction between Victory Street and Haylings Road, Leiston. Grid ref. TM 443 624
The East Suffolk Line Walks use existing footpaths to connect stations along the East Suffolk Railway Line. The walks are well marked out with the distinctive waymarkers. This walk joins the official East Suffolk Line Walk at Gromford.
(S) From Leiston walk South out along Haylings Road (B1069) for 2.3 Km to Coldfair Green and Knodishall. Continue through village until the Sandlings Path is met just to the south of the last buildings.
(1) Take the right hand side towards Friston along a farm track. As Friston is approached there is a footpath on the left with diagonally crosses a field. Cross the style at the end, turn right until it meets the road then left down into the village.
(2) Cross the road by the old Chequers pub and continue along the road opposite up the old windmill where the Sandlings path goes through a gap between the houses on the right up to Friston Hall. Keep in front of the buildings of Friston Hall, and keep to the main track, ignoring the Sandlings sign that departs to the left towards Snape. The track leads down to the main road, where it crosses and heads down to Croft Farm.
(3) Walk through the farm yard then turn right in front of the cottages. Keep to the footpath, crossing the road and bearing round to the left until it meets the next road. Follow the road down the hill until there is a footpath on the right through some woodland.
(4) Take this and follow it out across the fields and up the side of Botany Wood to the railway crossing. Keep to the track until it meets a road and continue directly across and down a footpath to the next road. Turn left until there is a track on the right alongside the woods known as Burnters Covert.
(5) Keep to this track alongside the fields until there is a footpath on the left down the hill to Whin Covert. The path heads into the woodland and then comes to a clearing with a chicken coop to the left. The footpath continues straight ahead through a gate which can be masked by ferns and bracken. The footpath here can be overgrown but it is only a short length until it emerges onto pasture land down to the footbridge across a drainage ditch.
(6) The path then cuts diagonally across the next field and follows the River Alde around to a crossing next to a ford. Continue on the track up the hill to the road and go straight across at the junction where it emerges. A track on the left, a few hundred yards up the road, leads down to Beversham Mill. This turns into a footpath that crosses the railway and heads up towards Blaxhall.
(7) When the path meets a track, turn right, and keep to the right at the next meeting of tracks. Follow the track, turning left as it junctions with a track down to Blaxhall Hall. This emerges onto the road adjacent to Stone Farm where the legendary Blaxhall Stones rests.
(8) Turn left then take the public right of way on the right through the farmyard. Continue along the track, diagonally crossing a field. The footpath continues straight ahead over the track it meets. This is a little masked. Do not walk along the track. The footpath now crosses a field and runs down the edge of a wood.
(9) At the end of the wood turn right and follow the path through to the road. Turn left and as the road turns round the sharp bend continue straight ahead onto farmland. This soon meets a track, turn right and keep to the track through to the road.
(10) Turn right and take the footpath on the left which follows around the two edges of the woodland until it meets a track on the third boundary of woodland. Turn right until it meets a road, go directly over and follow the footpath in a straight line ignoring other paths. Cross the railway, turn right and follow the footpath along the side of the railway and right along Mill Lane to walk into Campsea Ashe.
You can take the train back to the start from here or carry on and take the bus back from Wickham Market.
(11) Return along the road out of Campsea Ashe, taking the road that you walked in on. Keep to this until it junctions with another road and go straight over down to Quill Farm.
(12) Before the track meets the farm, take a footpath on the left, through the woodland until it drops down a series of steps. Turn right and follow the path across the River Deben. Keep to this path which leads under the main A12 and then right up to Chapel Lane into Wickham Market. (E)
Walker
Easy 
Moderate 
