River Deben Explorer – King’s Coast Path

Be sure to have the binoculars to hand from the get-go as you join the King Charles III Coast Path close to the Woodbridge Tide Mill and meander with the River Deben towards hauntingly beautiful Martlesham Creek. It’s all a wonderful haven for wading birds at low tide, a place to hear the cries of curlew and spot redshank, cormorants and oystercatcher. It’s here that the Deben starts to widen and adopt a straighter course, but you still might not be able to spot the redbrick tower of hilltop Waldringfield All Saints on the horizon. Tucked away amongst the trees, the church is well worth a visit for its fine 15th century font and attractive stained glass, if you can resist the pull of Waldringfield’s picturesque pub down by the bobbing boats!

River and walk lead on down the Felixstowe peninsula along the meanders of Falkenham Creek and Felixstowe Marshes, to the area nearing the estuary known as ‘Kingsfleet’. The sheltered river mouth – once served by a deeper channel – was a safe haven for rich and powerful medieval merchants to amass vessels, in readiness for trade voyages or provide ships or fleets to serve their king. Then known as ‘Goseford’, it was on a par with the great ports of Lynn and Yarmouth in Norfolk, and was more important than Ipswich when it came to supplying fighting ships to Edward III in 1338. The quiet backwater we see today was once a real hub of activity and show of wealth – these days all that is left to the natural world.

Meeting the coast at Felixstowe Ferry, it’s time to leave the river and head south past Martello Towers, beach huts and villas, modern and historic, to the historic resort of Felixstowe. What about an evening stroll along the prom to admire the beautiful terraced seafront gardens perhaps?

Overnight: Felixstowe.

Mileage: Min 15.6 Max 15.6

Time to see River Deben world from a different perspective as you spot from afar the paths through the landscapes you encountered yesterday! Heading back to Woodbridge via the northern bank of the River Deben, the King Charles III Coast Path will lead through the Suffolk Sandlings to Sutton Hoo, site of the richest royal burial ever discovered in Britain.

Heading north and retracing your steps to Felixstowe Ferry shares the opportunity to see a different lie of the land – including potentially some which has disappeared under the sea! Beyond 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. If it is low tide, look out for seaweed-covered traces of the long-lost Roman site of Walton Castle in the waters. Up the coastline, two Martello towers beckon you back towards the fishing hamlet of ‘Felixstowe Ferry’ but today, you’ll be flagging down the ultra-quaint foot ferry to cross the mouth of the River Deben – if the ferry is not at the landing stage, simply wave to the ferryman to indicate that you need to cross! Whether waiting by the Deben or crossing it, there’s usually plenty to enjoy watching, from yachts and fishing boats to the impressive neo-Jacobean stately pile, Bawdsey Manor, across the water.

On Bawdsey Quay, there’s a touching memorial to a unique set of individuals who played a very special role in wartime conflicts in this remote patch of Suffolk. Find out all about them and their valuable work at the Bawdsey Radar interactive museum located in a bunker nearby. The deben-side path leads alongside river-beaches and wildlife-rich wetlands to Ramsholt with its popular riverside pub (featured in Danny Boyle’s 2019 romantic comedy, ‘Yesterday’). Don’t miss the valley-top, fundamentally Norman, round-towered church here too – All Saints is a bit of a (relative) climb, but a gem too!

Red crag river-cliffs with fossil shells, sandy soils and heathlands – this area of Suffolk ‘Sandlings’ landscape has a truly ancient feel. Keep your eyes peeled on the river beaches and you may even find a prehistoric sharks tooth or two! Millions of years ago, sands were deposited here in shallow seas where whales and sharks swam. Nowhere is the landscape more haunting than Sutton Hoo, the royally rich site of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial. It’s a short-but-worth-it detour to view the mysterious mounds and explore the exhibitions which tell their story. Thought to be the ship-grave of the 7th century King Raedwald, perhaps the biggest mystery is just how the huge boat was brought up all the way up from the River Deben?

The last few miles towards Woodbridge’s iconic white tide mill and marina hug the river, with a chance to look over towards the lofty burial mounds at Sutton Hoo. It’s a time to reflect and spend some more quality time with the binoculars – even here, on the outskirts of town, the mud banks and river beaches of the Deben don’t disappoint. As well as spotting cormorants, egrets and waders, listen out for sweet nightingale song 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)

Depart after breakfast, or what about a last wander along the Throughfare or down Angel Lane from Market Hill to discover a secret Woodbridge world where half-timbered cottages rub shoulders with some impressive Regency buildings?

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