Suffolk Rivers Explorer – King’s Coast Path

You’ll want those binoculars to hand from the get go as you start the walk from the top of the Orwell estuary in the shadow of the impressive Orwell Bridge. It’s a short taxi ride from your hotel (included in tour price), but starts the day as it means to go on – with stunning views and all sorts of interest! Pop in to the Suffolk Food Hall perhaps for some tempting local picnic treats and valley-top views, before following your rural route beyond Freston’s folly tower towards the marina at Woolverstone.

The mudflats of the Orwell are a magnet for wading birds, geese and all sorts of waterfowl, whilst the wide river is gently busy with sailboats and craft of all sizes. This is Arthur Ransome country, where the popular author of Swallows & Amazons both lived and loved to sail. Stop off at the historic pub on the quay and little green at Pin Mill to watch the world go by – it’s where Ransome based his classic children’s adventure We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea.

Beyond the magical Pin Mill Woods and their colourful heathland, the river-hugging path opens up to reveal a vibrantly different world on the approach to the confluence of the River Stour and Orwell. Shotley Gate delivers a unique perspective of the busy ports of Felixstowe and Harwich and the vast container ships that dock there, and an overview of the military significance of this estuary for centuries. Known for its one-time navy training establishment, HMS Ganges, Shotley has some poignant wartime reminders to share at St Mary’s hilltop church and Naval cemetery, and the HMS Ganges museum by the marina. The short foot-ferry ride across the River Orwell to Felixstowe (payable locally) gives 360 degree vistas of the ‘Harwich Haven’ and its military fortifications on both sides of the estuary.

A stroll past Landguard Fort and through Landguard Coastal Nature Reserve alongside the vast cranes and containers of the Port of Felixstowe leads to the seaside promenade, pier and fine villas of the historic resort of Felixstowe.

Overnight: Felixstowe.

Mileage: Min 12 Max 12
Ferry: Shotley to Landguard Felixstowe (journey time – approx. 27 mins)

Heading up the coast path alongside the Edwardian seafront, weave up to the clifftop where beach huts look out across ‘The Dip’ – the spot where St Felix is said to have landed in the 600s. Look out for seaweed-covered traces of the long-lost Roman site of Walton Castle in the waters at low tide. Up the coastline, two Martello towers beckon towards the fishing hamlet of ‘Felixstowe Ferry’ where, as the name suggests, you’ll find the departure point for the ultra-quaint foot ferry to cross the mouth of the River Deben. If the boat is not at the landing stage, simply wave to the ferryman to indicate that you need to cross! While you’re waiting/ crossing, there are great views of red brick neo-Jacobean Bawdsey Manor and the busy yacht harbours.

Landing on the Deben Peninsula at Bawdsey Quay, a touching memorial recalls the unique role this remote patch of Suffolk played in wartime conflicts. Bawdsey Radar interactive museum located in a bunker nearby is a great way to learn its fascinating stories. Heading inland, walk alongside wildlife-rich wetlands and river beaches to Ramsholt with its valley-top round-towered church, and tempting riverside pub which featured in Danny Boyle’s 2019 romantic comedy ‘Yesterday’. Red crag river-cliffs with fossil shells, sandy soils and heathlands are the order of the day as the path leads towards the historic market town of Woodbridge. The landscape has an ancient feel – and no more so than at Sutton Hoo, site of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial – the richest royal burial ever discovered in Britain. It’s definitely worth the short detour to view the mounds and fascinating exhibitions which tell its story. The ship-grave is thought to be that of Raedwald, one of the earliest known English kings, who died c. 624 AD. But just how did they get the huge boat all the way up from the River Deben?

You’ll probably still be pondering along the last few river-hugging miles towards Woodbridge’s iconic white tide mill and marina, as you look across to the steep valley sides and river cliffs up to the burial mounds. Even on the outskirts of town, the River Deben doesn’t disappoint – it’s brilliant for birdwatching and listen out for nightingales in summer too!

Overnight: Woodbridge.

Mileage: Min 15.8 Max 15.8
(Option to stop at Sutton Hoo with taxi (payable locally) to Woodbridge, reduces walk by 2.8 miles)
Ferry: Felixstowe Ferry to Bawdsey (journey time – approx. 10 mins)

Enjoy exploring Woodbridge, one of Suffolk’s quintessential riverside market towns, before you head back down towards the River Deben. At the top of the town, don’t miss medieval St Mary’s Church and its unusual churchyard, the 1575 Dutch-gabled Shire Hall and the impressive Seckford Alms Houses. The Thoroughfare bustles with independent shops, and picturesque little lanes lead down to the waterfront, where Whisstocks Place is a must to pop in to Woodbridge Museum and see a full size reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo ship being built at The Longshed.

Rejoin the coastal path close to the Tide Mill living museum to follow a route which hugs the banks of the Deben – a well-defined track around hauntingly beautiful Martlesham Creek. It’s a wonderful haven for wading birds at low tide – a place to spot redshank, curlew and oystercatcher. The charming riverside village of Waldringfield with its colourful boatyard and tempting pub is all part of the meandering walk towards Falkenham Creek, Felixstowe Marshes and Kings Fleet – the historic ‘Goseford’ area of the Deben estuary where rich and powerful merchants amassed ships in medieval times in readiness to serve their king. The day finishes with a seafront and cliff top walk south into the historic resort of Felixstowe.

Overnight: Felixstowe.

Mileage: Min 15.6 Max 15.6

The early part of the final stage of your King Charles III Coast Path encounter leads around the busy Port of Felixstowe, before emerging once more into the tranquillity of the Orwell estuary.

Setting out along the prom, take in Felixstowe’s beautiful range of historic seafront gardens and look out for South Beach Mansion where Augusta Viktoria, Empress of Germany and Queen of Prussia stayed in 1891 and put the resort on the fashionable map! Beyond the pier, urban and port side-paths eventually open out into the oasis of Trimley Marshes nature reserve. Combining grassland and woodland with waterside habitats alongside the River Orwell, the Reserve attracts a wide variety of bird species. From here the river-hugging path leads to Levington with its bustling marina and on to the peaceful stretch known as Nacton Shores, where the mighty Orwell Bridge starts to dominant the up-river views. You’ll definitely want your binoculars to hand when as paths guide you through the array of habitats of Orwell Country Park and lead up the valley side. Keep a beady eye out for Golden Plover and even Peregrine Falcon, and listen up for skylarks ascending!

Finally it’s time to view the river from the highest point of the King Charles III Coast Path in the East of England – from the top of the 45 metre high Orwell Bridge. The walkway alongside the dual carriage way gives sweeping views across the landscapes you have discovered, and the yachts and ships in the channel below. Taxi transfer to your hotel.

Overnight: Ipswich

Mileage: Min 14.6 Max 14.6

Depart after breakfast, or what about one last wander along the Waterfront or through Christchurch Park? Take in an exhibition at The Hold archive centre perhaps, or seek out the old trolley bus depot packed full of trams, buses and awesome engineering, at the Ipswich Transport Museum just outside the town centre.

Extra nights can be booked to allow more time to explore Ipswich at your leisure.