Walking and Wildlife Activities Design oddities & Ancient structures There are beautiful churches too... The Blyth Valley Calendar the High points of the Blyth Valley year include: Church Trail: Highlights East to West, include:- April Bluebell Walks, Henham Walking the myriad paths and Cycling - The Blyth Valley is The Balancing Barn 14 - tracks is the optimum way to dissected by National Cycle May High Tide Festival of new theatre Blyth An extraordinary example of Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh - writing (nationally acclaimed) explore this timeless landscape. Route 1 (see map). Moreover contemporary architecture 'The Cathedral of the Marshes'. Beer Festival, Laxfield Follow criss-crossing trails the mesh of winding single- tucked away in Thorington Perhaps Suffolk's most iconic church Wings & Wheels, Henham across Halesworth’s Millennium track country lanes is just opposite the church. It is the with its fine location, stunning Valley Green (the largest in England) or perfect for leisurely bike brain-child of Living proportions and famed painted June Suffolk Open Studios pick up one of the charming rides – for example, the Architecture, a charity dedicated to promoting world-class angels decorating the ceiling. July The Halesworth Food and Craft Fair circular walks between circular Halesworth Wheel examples of modern architecture in settings where the Latitude Festival, Henham Experience Halesworth and the villages of can be joined at any of public can get up close (and even hire for holidays!). Heveningham Hall Country Fair Holton, Chediston or Wenhaston. several points (see map). RIBA Award winner. www.living-architecture.co.uk St Peter's Church, Wenhaston - July - Sept The Cratfield Concerts where the journey is the destination Linear walkways shadow the A unique medieval Doom painting. August Gig in the Park, family-friendly rock festival! Blyth Navigation and radiate from Halesworth via the Golf - Golf at the Halesworth Golf Club 6 The Angel Hotel, Halesworth - a handsome 16th century Halesworth Antiques Street Market East Coast Line to Darsham Station near Yoxford (the pay as you play, www.halesworthgc.co.uk coaching inn with an airy covered atrium. St Peter's Church, Thorington- Cockfield Way) or Brampton Station (the Wolfpack Way). www.angel-halesworth.co.uk Grade 1 listed Norman round tower. September Waveney & Blyth Valleys Celebration Laxfield too has a well marked circular rural walk. Angling - Course fishing Henham Steam Rally at Halesworth Lakes 7 The King's Head ('The Low House'), Bramfield Church- 14th century thatched Halesworth Scarecrow Festival Whether you are walking or riding, www.quietspotfishing.com Laxfield - a picture-perfect 16th century with rare detached round tower. Suffolk Historic Churches Cycle Ride you will see an abundance of wildlife: Valley Farm Fishery, Walpole 8 pub. Unique because of its Tap Room October Halesworth Arts Festival on the marshes, look out for marsh www.valleyfarmfishery.co.uk (ie no bar!), it has intimate communal Walpole Old Chapel -Reputedly the November Heveningham Fireworks harriers, kingfishers, reedbirds & drinking rooms and open fires in winter. oldest non-conformist chapel in the country, otters; nearby heathlands host Trout fishing at Willow Lakes www.laxfieldkingshead.co.uk with boxed pews and central raised pulpit. December Halesworth Winter Fair and many other Christmas events badgers, foxes and hares. Walk in Trout Fishery, Cheddiston 9 Seasonal openings - see www.walpoleoldchapel.co.uk the woods for sightings of tawny www.willowlakessuffolk.co.uk The Queen's Head, Bramfield - a fine and barn owls, nightingales and 16th century beamed pub open to the St Mary's Church, Huntingfield - NORWICH woodlarks. Superb nature sites such rafters with huge inglenook fireplace. A grade 1 listed medieval church as that at Church Farm, Thorington Horse Riding - Horse Riding / www.queensheadbramfield.co.uk with a sensational ceiling painted LOWESTOFT can be found under the auspices of Hacking at Mells10 and Bramfield 11 by a 19th century vicar's wife. the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. or, at the Oasis Camel Centre12 , The Bay Tree Bistro, family fun with camel, donkey & Halesworth - with a 14th Church of All Saints, Laxfield - llama walking expeditions and pets' century carving over the door A grade 1 listed medieval church with the Blyth Valley SOUTHWOLD barn, outdoor and indoor play areas, and beamed interior. a rare example of boxed pews and an bouncy castle and land-train rides. www.baytreebistro.co.uk ancient carved font. It was also the BURY ST. EDMUNDS April to September. parish church of the infamous ALDEBURGH www.oasiscamelcentre.co.uk The Queen’s Head, Blyford - The Blyth provided the route iconoclast William Dowsing during the for smuggling cargoes and Blyford made a convenient English Civil War. WOODBRIDGE IPSWICH ...Or alpacas - at Moo Play Barn, stopping-off point. Contraband was - allegedly - stored in the Brampton13 - indoor and outdoor Church and carried by secret tunnel to a recess above the pub adventure play as well as petting fireplace. www.queensheadbramfield.co.uk Getting around and grooming ponies, pigs Regular bus links exist between and goats. www.mooplayfarm.co.uk Dragon House15 - this award Halesworth and major towns. winning private house with fantastical embellishments (which can be viewed Especially useful is the 520, www.blythvalleyexperience.com from the road) has associated holiday the hourly bus from Southwold. lets. www.belle-grove.com the BRAMPTON STATION A few years ago, a national newspaper Other places to go, Useful websites bestowed Halesworth with the epithet www.blythweb.co.uk Blyth Valley things to do and “the town of content” on account of its www.halesworth.net unhurried feel, friendly inhabitants and W sights to see... www.suffolkchurches.co.uk Experience pedestrianized Thoroughfare with its 13 small independent shops and eateries. www.mapmyride.com Brampton where the journey is the destination Rumburgh Halesworth’s ‘Town Trail’ has been Laxfield Museum 2 - Imaginatively presented in a www.ukhorseriderguide.com devised as a gentle walk taking in the various places of historic magnificent medieval guildhall tracing the history, society www.cycle-route.com 15 Inland from the popular seaside interest, past buildings of note and down little lanes. The trail and ecology of the village through inventive tableau and www.eastsuffolklinewalks.co.uk A144 resorts of Southwold, Walberswick notes (available in the town) add intriguing titbits of gossip associated stories and images. Spring/ Summer openings www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves Spexhall Westhall and Dunwich, the timeless Blyth about the various celebrities and criminals associated with the and Bank Hols only. www.laxfieldmuseum.onesuffolk.net www.anglianbus.co.uk Uggeshall Valley is something of a secret. town. Halesworth is also the HQ of the international 3 www.discoversuffolk.org.uk Country lanes and footpaths weave conservation charity World Land Trust - footage from the Valley Farm Vineyards Wisset B1124 through the gentle landscape leading tropical rainforest is streamed live via a webcam in their (Wissett Wines) 3 - www.suffolktouristguide.com to gemlike churches, the remains of offices, viewable from the pavement. www.worldlandtrust.org An impressive vineyard www.visitsuffolk.com wartime airfields, fabulous old pubs, 12 making a fine selection of www.suffolkopenstudios.co.uk Chediston 1 ft quirky museums and fascinating Sotherton Halesworth is fast becoming a centre for the Arts, hosting the English wines (white, rose, 9 Holton sto www.henhampark.com B1123 e buildings, wildlife a-plenty and a rich nationally - acclaimed High Tide Festival of Drama in the Spring red and sparkling). Linstead B1123 A145 diversity of artists and craft studios. www.waveneyandblytharts.com Blyford and the town's excellent Arts Festival in the Autumn, not to Open daily with produce TO www.visit-sunrisecoast.co.uk Halesworth SOUTHWOLD mention the music and art of all genres offered at various shop as well as wines. 12 to Low It is a landscape where the journey A venues and commercial galleries. www.valleyfarmvineyards.com 10 itself is the destination - an evocation of history and 7 6 Mells 4 culture; a haven for creative activities of all kinds. RIVER BLYTH The Cut Arts Centre - An important arts-centre forged from Woottens Nursery Cookley Wenhaston one of the old Maltings for which the town was famous in its 520 BUS ROU The area, with Halesworth as (specialist plants) 4 - Woottens of Cratfield TO beer-brewing days. As well as art galleries, dance studio and A144 SOUTHWO its centre, punches well above Wenhaston has established itself as cafè/restaurant, the theatre showcases a wide spectrum of Blythburgh its weight with award winning one of the country's most acclaimed 14 TE performing and fine art events throughout the year. Huntingfield Walpole LD produce, farm shops and nurseries, specialising in the B1117 8 www.newcut.org market, bakeries, restaurants, growing of Auriculas, Hemerocallis, Thorington coffee shops, cafes & delis. Irises and Pelargoniums. Bramfield ich Halesworth Art Gallery - A première art gallery 11 An extensive database of local Open all week throughout the year. located on the 1st floor of fine old almshouses. to Ipsw food producers can be found at www.woottensplants.com A12 The gallery has built up an impressive roll call of www.blythvalleyexperience.com Laxfield exhibiting artists over the years drawn from 2 Heveningham or www.halesworth.net 5 Key to map local, regional and nationally recognised talents. 5 Heveningham Hall - Heveningham Hall (1780) ....... Halesworth Wheel Halesworth itself is a natural hub from which to May to September. www.halesworthgallery.co.uk is an impressively grand Georgian manor house. Cycle Route explore the valley because it is easily reached by car, The grounds are being restored by the present owner to train and bus. Once upon a time it could be reached by Halesworth Museum - Local history and artefacts carefully the original Capability Brown ....... National Cycle 12 wherry along the River Blyth, but alas, the mouth silted displayed in part of the Victorian station buildings.