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Central England Central England 06/02/2015 12:57 07 Caldon Canal, Staffordshire 08 Aldeburgh, Suffolk l Distance 8km/5 miles l Time 2hrs l Type Canal and wood l Distance 12km/7 miles l Time 3½hrs l Type Country NAvIGATION LEvEL FITNESS LEvEL NAvIGATION LEvEL FITNESS LEvEL walk magazine spring 2015 walk magazine spring 2015 plan your walk plan your walk
Buxton l Macclesfield l l Cromer LEEK
STAFFORDSHIRE ALDEBuRGH
l SuFFOLK l Stoke-on-Trent Cambridge l
l Chelmsford Stafford
Where: Circular walk along Where: Linear walk the Caldon Canal, near Leek. from Aldeburgh to Snape PhotograPhy: PaUL MILES PaUL PhotograPhy: Start/end: Hollybush Inn, Maltings. FIoNa BarLtroP PhotograPhy: Denford (SJ955535). Start: Fort Green car park, In the late 18th century, the Caldon Aqueduct. Ascend the gentle slope This walk follows an attractive converted into a concert hall – one terrain: Mostly level Aldeburgh (TM465560). Canal – a branch arm of the Trent of the towpath, with its three route known as the Sailors’ Path, of the main sites of the festival. towpath, with gentle ascents end: Snape Maltings – bus & Mersey – was busy with horse- locks, and at lock 10 (where there’s which runs from Aldeburgh on the Today, shops, galleries and and descents on unsurfaced stop opposite Plough & Sail drawn narrow boats carrying a pretty lock-keeper’s cottage), coast inland to Snape Maltings. restaurants are also housed in the footpaths and some pub (TM392575). limestone from Froghall. A new turn L over the bridge and L along The path is so named because former granaries and malthouses pavement. There are stiles, terrain: Initial urban intersection of this canal with the the other side of the canal. At a sailors used to walk it. Though not beside the River Alde. Allow time a cattle grid and an A-road section along seafront road Leek branch in the 19th century sharp bend of the canal, go over a long walk, there is much of for a wander round at the end to cross. and then paved path resulted in what some call the bridge three and turn L along the interest and the scenery is varied. before taking the bus back. MapS: OS Explorer OL24; between road and beach; ‘Spaghetti Junction’ of the canal towpath over an aqueduct. This area lies within the Suffolk Landranger 118. thereafter farmland, world, with one canal snaking Coast and Heaths AONB, which 1. START From the car park at Fort GettinG there: Bus nos 18 woodland, heath and around to cross the other (and a 2. At bridge six, having passed takes in most of the county’s Green (TM465560), walk towards and 118 both stop on the marshes. Well-signed paths railway line) over a brick aqueduct. some lovely back gardens on the coastline and its immediate the coast and turn L along the A53, which makes up a small and tracks. One short It’s a picturesque stretch of opposite side of the canal, cross a hinterland. The Sailors’ Path forms seafront road, Crag Path. Before part of this route, on their stretch on path alongside waterway to visit when holiday stile and exit onto a minor road. part of the Suffolk Coast Path long you’ll reach the Aldeburgh journeys between Hanley bus main road. boats are on the move, but equally Turn L and then R onto Wood (which heads inland between Beach South Lookout. The lookout station and Leek/Buxton. MapS: OS Explorer 212; so in winter, when all is still and Road. Follow this lane between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness in tower, overlooking the shingle Buses to Hanley bus station Landranger 156. there’s a skim of ice on the canal. large houses until you get to one order to get round the Alde-Ore beach, was built in c.1830 to watch leave from outside Stoke- GettinG there: Mainline An optional short extension to this called Fern Glen, with a white estuary). In the 16th century, out for ships in trouble. Today, it is on-Trent train station trains go to Saxmundham walk takes you to a fascinating fence. Follow the fence to the start Aldeburgh was a major port and used as an artists’ retreat. Continue (✆ 0871 200 2233, on the East Suffolk Line, flint mill on the River Churnet, of a footpath through woodland. shipbuilding centre. But after the along the paved path, which runs www.travelinemidlands.co. from where the 64A bus which once ground flint from Keep on this until it becomes a River Alde silted up, it went into between the road and the beach. uk). There is car parking connects with Aldeburgh; southern England for use in the track and then a road. At the decline until becoming popular as The next point of interest is the at the Hollybush Inn. the 65 bus returns you local pottery industry. A-road, cross over to the pavement a seaside resort in the 19th century. timber-framed 16th-century Moot eatinG & drinkinG: from Snape Maltings to and turn L, uphill, for about 150m. It is known for its music: the late Hall, built as a town hall and Hollybush Inn, Denford Aldeburgh (✆ 0871 200 1. START From the Hollybush Inn composer Benjamin Britten lived meeting place and still used as the
(✆ 01538 371 819, www. 2233, www.traveline.info). (SJ955535), turn R on the towpath 3. Turn R onto a small road, and worked here, and founded former today, as well as housing
hollybushinn-denford.co.uk) eatinG & drinkinG: Good in front of the pub, passing a row incongruously named City the annual Aldeburgh Festival. In the local museum (open April to
selection of pubs, ▲
at the start/end of the route; ▲ ▼
Lane. After 50m, turn R by a 1967, the Maltings at Snape was October). Continue along the ▼ of cottages and under Hazelhurst 61-62 WALK46 RR CENTRAL.indd 1 61-62 WALK46 RRCENTRA.Lrev1.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright2015Survey. Media019/15 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright2015Survey. Media019/15 Continued...
restaurants and cafés in Aldeburgh (www.visit- aldeburgh.co.uk/eating-out). 4 At Snape Maltings: Café 1885 and Granary Tea Shop (✆ 01728 688303, www. snapemaltings.co.uk/eat); 3 Plough & Sail pub 5 (✆ 01728 688413, www. 3 theploughandsailsnape.com). 4 Sleeping: Good choice of 2 hotels and B&Bs in Aldeburgh FINISH and Snape (see www. visit-aldeburgh.co.uk/ accommodation). Wide 2 selection of self-catering 1 accommodation nearby, START including Iken Barns near Snape (✆ 01728 688899, 1 START FINISH Map not to scale. www.ikenbarns.com). Representation of ViSitor information: OS Landranger Map not to scale. MAP 118 1:50,000 Aldeburgh TIC, 48 High Street Representation of www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk (✆ 01728 453637, www. OS Landranger MAP 156 1:50,000 thesuffolkcoast.co.uk). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk guidebookS: Suffolk Coast and Heaths Walks by Laurence Continued... To download this route and hundreds of others, Mitchell (£12.95, Cicerone, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes ISBN 978 1852846541); or the Black Lion pub Pathfinder Guides: Suffolk To download this route and hundreds of others, (✆ 01538 360620) in After crossing the stile, you’ll have and an aqueduct that once carried Walks by Deborah King visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes Cheddleton, a two-mile great views across to the Roaches the canal across the River Churnet. (£11.99, Crimson, ISBN 978 detour from the start. rocky ridge and Leek town. 1854586773). Sleeping: Hollybush Cottage Continue along the path over 4. Cross over the stile, turn R and loCal ramblerS group: 3. Near the end of the paved of years ago with the help of is a self-catering, canal-side another stile and into mixed turn R again to follow the Red Alde Valley Ramblers walkway, turn L by a wooden post Suffolk Secrets, the holiday property near the Hollybush deciduous woodland, with a Walk signs once more and what (www.aldevalleyramblers. with a Suffolk Coast Path waymark accommodation agency. It’s very Inn (✆ 0844 847 1356, www. curving gravel path downhill. remains of the Leek branch of the onesuffolk.net). (yellow arrow on a blue well signed (with a distinctive hoseasons.co.uk/cottages/ Go through a gate to a meadow canal back to bridge six. (When background) on it. Cross the road sailing-boat waymark) from here. hollybush-cottage-e2800). and cross over a gentle hill you get to the tunnel, you will and enter the North Warren Initially, the path runs alongside ViSitor information: towards a white industrial have to walk over the top as esplanade past the fishermen’s Nature Reserve. From the path the main road, then bears L, Leek TIC, Nicholson Institute, building. Turn L in a small dip of there’s no towpath through it.) huts, selling fresh fish, and looking north towards Thorpeness, passing the Hazelwood Marshes Stockwell Street the meadow, heading towards a At bridge six, exit onto the road colourful fishing boats on you can see above the trees the Nature Reserve. The route goes (✆ 01538 483741, wood. Go through a gate, again, but turn R this time and the beach. famous House in the Clouds, built through woodland and along www.enjoystaffordshire.com) following the blue Meadow Walk follow the road over an as a water tower and now holiday boardwalks across marshy areas, guidebook: Four Counties & marker. Cross a little footbridge abandoned railway bridge (there’s 2. Just beyond the northern limit accommodation. The path leads and continues through Black the Welsh Canals over a stream and turn R to talk of reinstating a train service of the town, you’ll reach another via a residential road to the B1122. Heath Wood to Snape Warren (£14.99, Nicholson, follow this pretty, fern-edged from Stoke to Leek). Turn L onto car park. About halfway along on Cross and follow the waymarked Nature Reserve. ISBN 978 0007488582). waterway, which is actually a the Froghall branch of the canal the beach opposite is the Scallop route across the golf course, loCal ramblerS group: feeder canal, taking water from and then turn R onto the towpath, shell sculpture by Maggi Hambling. bearing R along an access road 5. At a road junction, turn L for Leek Ramblers Rudyard Lake to the Caldon under bridge 39. (Alternatively, It was made specifically for this that passes Red House, the former the final section via Snape Marshes (✆ 01538 373239, Canal. Keep following it until you turn L for a two-mile extension of site, which inspired so much of home of Britten and singer Peter Nature Reserve (with atmospheric www.leekramblers.org.uk). reach an A-road, then cross over the walk to the interesting Britten’s music. The words pierced Pears. Continue to the A1094. views across the River Alde and its through the sculpture – ‘I hear mudflats) to Snape Maltings. and go across a cattle grid. 50m Cheddleton Flint Mill and Black house to follow a footpath sign along the tarmac track, turn L Lion pub and back.) The Hollybush those voices that will not be 4. Turn R along the pavement to Route devised by Fiona Barltrop and a sign to a house called into a field, following the Red Inn is just a few hundred metres drowned’ – are taken from reach the entrance to the golf Brooklyn. After 50m, turn L to Walk marker and feeder canal further along the towpath. Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, club. Cross the road to find a
10/02/2015 11:35 follow the path between a wall once more. Keep following this Route devised by Paul Miles which was based on a work by Sailors’ Path information board. and a hedge behind a new house. until you reach the Caldon Canal Aldeburgh poet George Crabbe. The route was renovated a couple