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29/02/2024
Newsletter 2
Tickets on sale – Friday 1st March!
Tickets for this year’s Suffolk Walking Festival go on sale on Friday 1st March.
With 57 walks to choose from, spread over 2 weeks between Saturday 11th and Sunday 26th May, there is something for everyone!
Thornham Walks Launch Jaunts
The festival launch returns to Thornham Walks, in the very heart of Suffolk, on Saturday 11th May.
Enjoy the culinary delights of The Forge Tearoom before 3 very different and fascinating walks.
‘Drovers, Frescoes and Follies’ wanders along 600-year old Cowpasture Lane with tales of cattle driven from the highlands of Scotland to the markets of London, fantastic follies and a wonderful walled garden, and fabulous frescoes in an historic, thatched church.
‘Past, Present and Future’ delves into the history of the Thornham Estate and how it’s adapted throughout the ages.
‘Plant, Power, Material, Medicines and Meals’ celebrates our cultural relationship with plants learning about their past uses, folklore, and myths (with an occasional wild nibble!)
57 walks in 16 days!
Over 2-weeks the festival explores every corner of Suffolk. Many favourites return with many new, fascinating walks to experience this year.
Stride out for an 8-mile walk around Alton Water and discover the area’s rich heritage on ‘Alton Water Adventure’. Or set your alarm early for an early morning stroll through North Cove reserve with the Broads National Park on ‘Sunrise and Dawn Chorus’.
Immerse yourself in the footsteps of John Constable seeing his masterpieces come to life through the magic of virtual reality with experts from The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge on ‘Walking With Constable’. And discover the 17th century Japanese art of Haiku writing with local authors in the Blyth Valley on ‘Haiku Gingko in Halesworth’.
Join 2 fantastic accessible walks for wheelchair users and all in 2 very different locations. ‘Walberswick Wander’ starts from Southwold Harbour and ends in picturesque Walberswick. ‘Broxted Estate
Accessible Walk’ takes in the fascinating estate in the west of Suffolk on a circular walk.
Join African Ambling Women, a new walking group from Ipswich, as they guide a relaxing walk from Snape Maltings along the famous Sailor’s Path beside the gently flowing River Alde on ‘Ambling Africans @Snape Maltings’.
And celebrate the magic and wisdom of trees as you wend your way through an ancient oak woodland on ‘The Magic and Wisdom of Trees – A Forest Bathing Experience’.
Full programme online now!
Visit the ticket shop for your sneak preview of this year’s full programme.
Every year we ask you for your thoughts about the festival. And we read every single one of your comments. Thank you!
This year’s programme is very much based on your comments. And you’ve told us you prefer slightly shorter, more experiential walks, which is why we’re writing poetry, nibbling wild foods, taking boat trips, meditating in woods and getting up at the crack of dawn to hear the birds!
Where’s the Challenge? We know many walkers love taking part in the annual Challenge Walk, the long distance, multi-day walk that follows one of Suffolk’s long distance trails. The Challenge is taking a well-deserved rest! But we hope to see it return in full strength in 2025.