Walks in East Anglia by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations in East Anglia and plan your next day of green.
Cambridge Circular via Grantchester (Cambridgeshire)
Beginner-friendly: A straightforward walk along the River Cam with many lunch options in Granchester. Within Cambridge itself, feel free to wander about randomly rather than following the route — there’s plenty to appreciate.
Time: 3h30–6h30
4 lunch spots: Grantchester (1h30–3h in) — the Orchard Tea Garden, Grantchester, the Red Lion, the Rupert Brooke, or the Blue Ball Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the Panton Arms
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Waterbeach to Ely (Cambridgeshire)
9 minutes direct from Cambridge.
Highly recommended
Waterway: two thirds beside rivers and canals.
Ely Cathedral: the 'ship of the fens', a great Norman cathedral visible for miles across the flat fenland.
Time: 5h30–11h30
2 lunch spots: the Five Miles Inn (2h–4h in), or Wren Cafe (3h–6h in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Cutter Inn, the Drayman's Son, the Kings Arms, the Minster Tavern, or the Prince Albert
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Salhouse Circular via Salhouse Broad (Norfolk)
1 hour 30 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Quiet country lanes and field-edge paths through Broads farmland and reed beds; three-quarters surfaced with cycle barriers, slight gradients in places.
1 end-of-walk reward: the Bell Inn
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
Hoveton and Wroxham Circular via Coltishall (Norfolk)
1 hour 30 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Field paths and a former-railway trail through Broads countryside to a riverside village; mostly unsurfaced with kissing gates, stiles, gates and steps, slight with one steep hill.
Coltishall
Lunch: Riverside pubs at Coltishall.
End-of-walk reward: Pubs and cafés in Wroxham.
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
Melton Circular via Sutton Hoo (Suffolk)
1 hour 45 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Tidal marshes, oak woodland and sandy heaths leading to the National Trust's Sutton Hoo estate above the Deben — the archaeological site of outstanding international importance where the great Anglo-Saxon ship burial was found.
Time: 2h30
Lunch: Pubs on the main road between Melton station and the Bromeswell turning, plus pubs and a shop in Melton village; café and shop at Sutton Hoo.
Warnings: The reed-bed boardwalk is impassable at very high tide (a roadside alternative is provided); cross the road junction with extreme care; beware golf activity crossing Woodbridge Golf Club.
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Worstead Circular via St Mary's Church (Norfolk)
1 hour 45 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Field paths and quiet lanes around a historic weaving village; half surfaced with some steps, slight gradient.
1 lunch spot: the New Inn
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
North Walsham Circular via Felmingham Cutting Local Nature Reserve (Norfolk)
1 hour 45 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Field paths, woodland and a former-railway nature reserve; mostly unsurfaced with steps, slight gradient.
Stump Cross
End-of-walk reward: Pubs and cafés in North Walsham.
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
Cromer Circular via Felbrigg Hall (Norfolk)
2 hours from Cambridge, with one change.
Field and woodland paths out to a parkland estate and back; three-quarters surfaced with kissing gates and steps, moderate gradient.
1 lunch spot: Felbrigg Hall Tea Rooms
End-of-walk reward: Cafés and pubs in Cromer.
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
West Runton Circular via Roman Camp (Norfolk)
2 hours 15 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Coastal hills, commons and heath with sweeping sea views; half surfaced with kissing gates, steps and gates, moderate with occasional steep slopes.
Roman Camp
End-of-walk reward: Pubs and cafés in West Runton and Cromer.
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
Sheringham Circular via Sheringham Park (Norfolk)
2 hours 15 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
Coastal hills, commons, woodland and parkland with long flights of steps; mostly unsurfaced, moderate with some steep slopes.
Beeston Regis Priory
End-of-walk reward: Pubs and cafés in Sheringham.
Walk details: Bittern Line (PDF).
Shelford to Cambridge (Cambridgeshire)
7 minutes direct from Cambridge.
Flat walk through traditional villages and along the River Cam, finishing through Grantchester Meadows into Cambridge city centre.
Great Shelford: Traditional village with thatched cottages and a striking parish church.
Little Shelford: Village with period architecture.
Hauxton Mill: Historic watermill on the River Cam.
Trumpington Meadows: Open meadow nature reserve on the edge of Cambridge.
Byron's Pool: Wild-swimming spot on the Cam named after the poet Lord Byron.
The Old Vicarage (Rupert Brooke's House): Former home of poet Rupert Brooke, with sculptures in the grounds.
Grantchester Meadows: Open riverside meadows along the Cam between Cambridge and Grantchester.
King's College: World-famous University of Cambridge college with its renowned chapel.
The Orchard Tea Garden
Time: 3h30–7h30
2 lunch spots: the Red Lion, or the Orchard Tea Garden
Warnings: Busy A10 road crossing; shared cyclist path before the M11 bridge.
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Westerfield to Woodbridge (Suffolk)
1 hour 30 minutes from Cambridge, with one change.
The Fynn Valley Walk through some of the most picturesque countryside in East Anglia, with the outstanding view from the National Trust's Kyson Hill near the riverside finish at Woodbridge.
Lunch: Pubs along the route at Westerfield, Tuddenham, Martlesham and Woodbridge.
Warnings: At high tide the path along Martlesham Creek may flood at Kyson Point (an alternative via Broom Hill avoids this); beware traffic where the road passes under the railway arch.
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).