Wrabness Explorer Guide-AONB
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Suffolk Coast & Heaths Explorer Guide The Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB The Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of Britain’s finest landscapes. It extends from the Stour Estuary in the south to the eastern fringe of Ipswich and then north to Kessingland. The AONB covers 403 square kilometres, including wildlife rich wetlands, ancient heaths, windswept shingle beaches and historic towns and villages. Wrabness Lowestoft Key to Map Visiting Wrabness Beccles AONB area Explorer Guide Kessingland Ordnance Survey Explorer Map No. 197 Additional project area Towns and villages A145 (Ipswich, Felixstowe and Harwich) A12 Woodland Lowestoft Car: access via the B1352 from the A137. Heathland Key to Map Halesworth Parking can be limited on very busy days. Main roads Beccles Southwold AONB area Railways/stations KessingRiverland Parking at Stour Wood by donation in RSPB Additional project area Blyth Suffolk Coast Path/Stour Blythburgh Walberswick honesty box/RSPB members free. Cycle Towns and villages A145A144 and Orwell Walk A12 Woodland racks are available in the reserve car park. Sandlings Walk Heathland Halesworth Dunwich Trains from Manningtree to Harwich stop MainSailo roadsrs’ Path A1120 Southwold Railways/stationsYou are here River Blyth at Wrabness. For Train information check Suffolk Coast Path/Stour Blythburgh WalberswickMinsmere and Orwell Walk A144 online at www.nationalrail.co.uk Sandlings Walk Framlingham SaxmundhamDunwich or call 08457 484950 Sailors’ Path A1120 You are here Leiston Buses stop at the RSPB reserve car park by Minsmere request. Nearest bus stop is on the B1352 Framlingham SaxmundhamSnape at the south-west corner of Stour Wood. Wickham Leiston Aldeburgh Market River For Public transport information: Alde Rendlesham A12 Snape www.traveline.info or call 0870 6082608 Wickham Aldeburgh Market River River Alde Orford Ore Rendlesham A12 Orford Ness Woodbridge River Sutton Orford Ore Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB Hoo Woodbridge Orford Ness 01394 384948 Sutton Ipswich Hoo North www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org River A14 Ipswich Deben NorthSea River A14 Deben Bawdsey Sea A14 Bawdsey A14 Trimley St Mary/ OS Licence info. © Crown River Orwell A12 TrimleySt Marti St Mary/n copyright and database A12 River Orwell St Martin Alton Water rights 2012 Ordnance Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB is a Alton Water Survey 100023395. A137 A137 partner of the BALANCE project, ShotleyShotley FelixstoweFelixstowe part-financed by the European River Stour ManningtreeRiver Stour Manningtree Union through the Interreg IV A Harwich Mistley Harwich Mistley 2 Seas Cross-border Programme. Delight in two easy walks. Start from Stour Wood or Wrabness Railway Station. Both walks feature superb views of the River Stour. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Research, text and some images by Simon Peachey. Printed on Recycled, Carbon FSC, ECF, Balanced paper. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Welcome to Wrabness, a quiet village on the Essex shore of the River Stour. Wrabness is in the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) wider Wrabness project area. The parish includes miles of attractive countryside stretching down to the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Explorer Guide estuary and Stour Wood, an ancient woodland with many fine trees. All Saints Church, Wrabness Highlights of Wrabness dates from the Norman period, but has been much altered since. In the late 1 Stour Wood is part of the RSPB’s Stour 17th century, the bell tower collapsed, Estuary Reserve and is an ancient woodland. so a ‘temporary’ bell cage was built in The sweet chestnut trees in the wood have the churchyard. The bell and bell cage been ‘coppiced’ for many centuries. Coppicing remain to this day. The church is partly is a way of managing woodland by cutting built of septaria, a local stone found trees and shrubs almost to ground in clay. The septaria used to build the level to encourage many church may have come from the shore small stems. This practice is A at Wrabness. maintained to manage the woodland today. Other trees in the wood include The River Stour abounds with wildlife, particularly oak, small-leaved lime and birds. The salt marshes and mudflats are home to the rare wild service tree. avocet, ringed plover and redshank. Migrating birds, On the woodland floor including Brent geese, grey plover and greenshank are many interesting can be seen in the Spring, late Summer and plants, including wood Autumn as they stop to rest and feed. Huge flocks spurge, yellow archangel of birds arrive for the winter and can been seen on and bluebells. In early April, the the mudlflats. The river was once an important trade woodland is carpeted with the white route, carrying goods to and from the port of Mistley. flowers of the wood anemone. Small ships and pleasure craft still ply the river today. Stour Wood is home to around 40 species of breeding birds, including treecreeper and 4 Copperas Bay is so named because it was wren. In spring and early summer you may once dredged for copperas, or iron sulphate. even hear the song of the nightingale. In Iron sulphate was a vital ingredient in cloth the autumn, redwing and fieldfare visit to production as it was used to fix dye. The copperas feed on berries. Insects thrive here, including was dredged from the mud and used in the butterflies like the white admiral and the manufacture of dyes, inks and sulphuric acid. It speckled wood. was used to produce indigo ink. Images: Front cover – Lane to the foreshore. A. Wood Anemones – carpet the woodland floor each spring. B. Wood Anemone Flower. C. Speckled Wood Butterfly (Justus du Cuveland FLPA). D. All Saints Church and Bell Cage – a 300 year old temporary structure! E. Ringed Plover (Imagebroker/FLPA). F. Copperas Bay – once the source of an important mineral. These two walks take in woodland, farmland, quiet meadows and the River Stour where saltmarsh and mudflats provide habitats for wildlife. Why not travel by train Wrabness and start and end your walk at Wrabness Station? If you are starting from Wrabness Suffolk Coast & Heaths Explorer Guide Station, you will join the ‘Woodland and River Ramble’ walk in paragraph 2. © Crown copyright and database rights 2012 Ordnance Survey 100023395. 3 River Stour 2 West Grove Copperas Bay 4 Alternative Start Copperas Wood Stour Wood Brakey Grove Wrabness 1 Woodland and River Ramble 1 ‘Highlights’ Location B1352 Stour Wood Stroll All Saints Church Start B Road Parking B1352 C Road Urban Settlements N 1000ft Railway Line and Train Station Wooded Areas 200m These routes are open to the ‘Woodland and public for quiet Distance recreation. Enjoy River Ramble’ 4.2 miles (6.7 km) your visit. Time: 2 hours 30 mins Keep on path until railway bridge. Terrain: Paths and tracks, which can Cross bridge and turn sharp right be muddy after rain. Some sections on along permissive path. Follow path minor roads. Take care crossing railway. parallel with railway back into The path along the river wall is exposed. woodland. Ignore first left, but take second left, indicated by white arrow. No cycling permitted on RSPB land. Follow white arrows back to car park. E Leave Stour Wood car park via the path to left of wooden shelter. Follow a Distance 2.2 miles (3.6 km) wide path through wood and bear right ‘Stour Wood Stroll’ when path divides. At the T junction, At cross paths, turn left. go straight and Time: 1 hour then follow track to right. Pass cottage and turn left. Follow path through Terrain: Paths and tracks can be woodland and between fields. At T muddy after rain. Because of grazing junction with track, turn right and cross A animals and ground nesting birds, bridge over railway. please keep dogs on leads. The route Follow lane down hill to river, follows Public Rights of Way and Turn left on the far side of bridge passing caravan park on left. permissive routes. and follow path parallel At bottom of hill, turn right with railway. At T F just before wooden buildings. Leave Stour Wood car park via junction with lane, At this point you can c ontinue the path to left of wooden shelter. Images: A. Woodland Path – beautiful turn left. Follow throughout the year. B. Bluebell – one of our along the path or walk down Follow a wide path through wood lane back over finest spring wildflowers. C. Country Track to the beach. and bear right when path divides. – draws you towards the river. D. Boats on railway and then Wrabness Beach. E. Views from the Essex At the T-junction, turn left. At Way. F. Permissive Path – the RSPB has to right. Walk cross paths, go straight and then opened up routes for you to enjoy. straight ahead D follow track to right. Pass cottage along Station and turn left. Follow path through Road. At junction woodland and between fields. At with Church T-junction with track, turn right Road, turn right, and cross bridge over railway. crossing the railway and follow the path again. Follow lane Turn right along edge of a field to river. past entrance to Shore Follow path parallel with When you reach a path running Countryside Farm and around a gentle river, along river wall, parallel to the river, turn right. Go Code bend to the left. Take the through woodland and beside The area has a network of footpaths and through tall kissing gate and along bridleways. We have shown suggested next footpath fields. Ignore all right turns. on your right down Stone edge of garden. Continue along routes on this map. Here are a few simple You may wish to take a detour at Go through tall kissing gate suggestions to help you enjoy the area Lane. edge of fields, keeping river to left.