Debenham Walk

Debenham is a very pretty and relaxing historic county town in mid Suffolk full of character and charm. It is very close to the source of the River Deben which flows through to Woodbridge and appears to derive its name from Old English words meaning the village in a deep valley.

Details of Walk

• Date of Walk: 28/09/2014

• Distance: 6.35 Miles

• History:

• Car Park: Cross Green (Free) or High Street IP14 6RW

• Refreshments: Vanilla Bake House, Clio Coffee Shop, Neaves Tea Room and two pubs in the High Street the Woolpack and The Angel Inn

• Photos Taken on Walk

When we got to the car park there was a Tearoom/Butchers so we thought we would have a cup of coffee before we started the walk.We had our walking companions with us Michael and the two dogs Honey and Rudy. This walk has a level one for gradients and level two for difficulty as compared to the walks in Essex the Suffolk walks tend to have more hills.After we had finished our coffee we started the walk leaving the High street behind us going past the butchers and then forking right at Priory Lane to cross the river Deben. Reaching another road we turned right and after 100 yards we turned left at a way-mark walking up a sloping cross-field path until we reached a hedge which we passed through and continued along the field edge until we turned left onto a country lane.

At a junction of bridleways we ignored the circular walk signs and kept straight ahead on a oak lined drive leading up to Cross hall which gets it name from the Debenham family crest. Some of the old oak trees were missing and young ones had been planted in there place. When reaching the hall we followed the way-marks round the right of the farm, after passing a bungalow by a hedge we turned left onto a field-edge-path. We stayed on the path until we reached the end of the field where we turned left and stayed on this path until we crossed over a footbridge which was on the right going round the Great Wood. Then after another 250 yards we turned left over a field to reach a wide track which was a bridle way we then turned right along a lane passing large farm buildings of Grove farm and Crowborough farm, Grove farm had made a sign out of horseshoes. After leaving the farms we turned left on to a grassy path and we stayed on the path for about half a mile where should have passed a wind pump and a pair of water towers which we did not find and also the the cottage and wooden barns where we should have turned left onto Waddlegoose Lane we must have gone wrong but somehow we did find the lane which have been further down the Lane.

Waddlegoose Lane is a wide green lane and where we joined it we had to walk approximately one and a half miles and we let the dogs off their leads along here. When the track obviously bends to the right at a house we carried on straight ahead on a field-edge-path next to a hedge the at a junction we turned right and here to the next junction the path is enclosed by tall hedges obscuring our view of the fields. At the next junction we turned right along a farm track till you get to a main road passing a converted barn and a brick farmhouse. We turned left on to the main road for about 400 yards then we turned right which should have been a bridal path and signposted circular walk. Well here we had made a big mistake and had taken the wrong path by a house which was selling apples so we bought one each and they were really good. But trying to get on the right route was hard and we ended up walking round fields with very deep ditches just trying to get on to the right track but it was not going to be . So we carried on from here till we came to a road where we headed left to bring us into Debenham. Quite often we have gone wrong but we always get back on route. Walking through the High Street there is a lot of old buildings to see, there was a women sitting on the grass sketching so I had to go over and speak to her, She was Sketching one of the buildings and she showed me her book with all her sketching s in it and I must say they were good. Once back at the tea room we could not leave without having a couple of tea.