Published on: Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
The East Suffolk Lines Community RailPartnership are to host a special guided walk from Halesworth to Southwold onAugust 27, with the ten mile route set to retrace parts of the former SouthwoldRailway as it takes in the scenic beauty of the Blyth Valley.
Participating in the walk is free of chargeand open to the public with the ramble set to follow country footpaths, bridlewaysand tracks. Starting from Halesworth station at 10.10 following the arrival of AbellioGreater Anglia train services which leave Ipswich at 9.17 and Lowestoft at9.07.
Woodbridge based walk leader MaureenColledge said: “We will discover the peaceful and historic countryside of theBlyth valley, taking in Blythburgh village and its magnificent church. Parts ofthe walk will trace the track bed of the former narrow gauge Southwold Railway,which last ran in 1929. After reaching the coast there will be time for walkersto refresh themselves at any of the resort’s many amenities before returning toHalesworth station using the local bus service.” There is no need to book inadvance for the walk and further information is available online at www.eastsuffolkline.co.uk.
In May the East Suffolk Lines Community RailPartnership published a fourth edition of East Suffolk Line Walks, containing popularexisting and new walking routes and local information connecting two railwaylines in the east of the county with a host of towns, villages and areas ofspecial interest. Featuring over seventy miles of walks linking Suffolk railwaystations with the county’s coast, countryside, industrial heritage, rivers andbroads featured, the latest edition of which several thousand have already beensnapped up has proved extremely popular with the Community Rail Partnership nowconsidering a reprint.
Devised and written by Ipswich author RogerWolfe, the guide was first published over 12 years ago and has since become anessential tool for walkers across the east with many from further afield also benefitingfrom its valuable information when visiting the area.
The newly revised edition features severalnew walks in addition to existing way-marked routes between Ipswich andLowestoft. Descriptions of rambles to Aldeburgh, Bungay, Framlingham andSouthwold, all connecting with railway stations, have been added along withwalks linking with the railway between Ipswich and Felixstowe. For the moreambitious walker, individual routes can also be connected together creating along distance trail of over 70 miles.
At the time of the launch, Author RogerWolfe revealed that the initial concept of publishing detailed walking routesconnected with the railway was inspired by a guide published in the 1930s bythe London and North Eastern Railway and as a life-long member of the RamblersAssociation he wondered how well the idea might work in the more modern Suffolklandscape. Roger said, “I was delighted to find that stations connected verywell with the network of local public rights of way and provided excellentstarting points for some of the most enjoyable country rambles in Suffolk. Ascheme that promoted the use of a valued, rural transport link as well as encouraginguse of the footpath network seemed obvious and the first publication initially featuringroutes between Ipswich and Lowestoft followed in 2004”
Walks explored in the new version include ajourney from the Broads National Park to Britain’s most Easterly point via theindustrial and seafaring heritage of Lowestoft, a gentle stroll of under two miles along theshores of the River Deben between Melton and Woodbridge and the authors’favourite route in the series, a trek of over ten miles through isolatedcountry between Campsea Ash, Wickham Market and Saxmundham. Dedicated longdistance walkers can easily combine the shorter walks to suit their ability.
The first edition was produced inconjunction with the East Suffolk Travellers Association (ESTA), a campaign grouporiginally formed in the 1960s which successfully fought to save the Ipswich toLowestoft railway from closure as recommended in the notorious Beeching Report.With the walks becoming increasingly popular, subsequent editions, each in extendedform, have been funded and published by the East Suffolk Lines Community RailPartnership, an independent organisation which seeks to both promote andimprove rail services in the county.
Over the past few years rail journeys haveincreased 99% on the line between Ipswich & Lowestoft following theintroduction of the Monday to Saturday hourly service. Additional services havealso been added on Sunday’s making the planning of walks much easier. Train operatorAbellio Greater Anglia has a special Group Save ticket offering substantialdiscounts for parties of three or more travelling on both the Lowestoft –Ipswich & Felixstowe - Ipswich routes. Roger added; “The benefits of acountry walk dissipate very quickly if returning home requires driving alongthe A12 or A14, much better to relax on the train and watch the countryside goby, perhaps looking out for some of the paths walked earlier in the day.”
The latest edition of East Suffolk Line Walksruns to over 60 pages and although a few copies are still available free ofcharge from many outlets across the east of the county, a downloadable version hasalso been made available online at eastsuffolklinewalks.co.uk. While stockslast copies can be obtained by sending an A5 size stamped addressed envelopewith a minimum £1.50 (UK mainland) postage, to East Suffolk Line Walks, EastSuffolk Lines CRP, C/O Lowestoft Central Station, Denmark Road, Lowestoft,Suffolk, NR32 2EG.