Southwold Walk

Southwold is a old fashioned holiday resort with a pier and rows of brightly painted beach huts, on a Island but you would not realize it when driving there but is surrounded by a river, creek and sea and this walk takes you right the way round the island. We parked the car in a nearby street near to the pier with no problem but I expect in the high season it might a bit harder.

Details of Walk

• Date of Walk: 01/09/2013

• Distance: 4.04 Miles

• Car Park: Beach car park or side roads nearby IP18 6BN

• Refreshments: Plenty of places but we had afternoon tea near the pier

• Photos Taken on Walk

We had company on this walk Michael and it started after a cup of coffee from the pier which was built in 1900, and, at 247 metres was long enough to accommodate the Belle steamers which carried trippers along the coast. We Had two choices walk along the promenade with all the beach huts or walking along the clifftop path we decided on the the promenade. When you get to the end you head up to St James Green where two cannons stand either side of a mast and a bit further along the cliff top path you come to Gun Hill where there are six more cannons captured at the Battle of Culloden near Inverness in 1746.

We the reached the mouth of the River Bylth and there is only one way to go and that is alongside the river going past the Southwold to Walberswick ferry which is just a rowing boat and on the other side of the river there was children with lines hanging down into the water crabbing. The walk then took us past the fishing huts where you can buy fresh fish on and then past the Harbour Inn till we came to the Iron bridge on the site of the old Southwold to Halesworth railway line. It did not quite make its 50th anniversary as it opened on September 24th 1879 and closed on April 11th 1929, it is a shame that a lot of lines closed and it makes you wonder what it would be like now if they had not. From here you could see a abandon windmill along side the river and a little bit further the path started to bend  to the right alongside Buss Creek which would eventually make a complete circuit of the Island. Here looking over the common where you quite often see horses and cows grazing  towards Southwold two things stand out the lighthouse and the tower of St Edmund's church.

Now it is a matter of just following the creek crossing a road on a bridge which is the only way on and off the Island and finally we got back to the Pier where we had afternoon tea in the tearoom by the by the boating lake. Well worth another visit in the the summer, I almost forgot to mentioned that we met Mark who used to drive a Taxi on our circuit years ago in the car park he had a motor home that he had converted himself, after having a catch up he seems to be getting on okay and enjoying life. The day did not finish here on our way back we we stopped of at Thorpness where we had gone on Christine 50th birthday as it has a wonderful boating lake, we sat on the bench for awhile watching the swans and other fowl then I believe we had a Ice cream from the cafe come shop right by the lake. We then drove through Aldeburgh and showed Michael the small house in the middle of the car park and the house in the clouds.