Walks from Bury St Edmunds

A walk of outstanding historical and architectural interest on field paths and quiet lanes, passing Rougham and Rushbrooke churches and following a road of Roman origin at Eastlow Hill, with a memorable approach to the historic town of Bury St Edmunds across No Man's Meadows.

Rougham Church: a lofty medieval church with East Anglian flint flushwork and a magnificent timber roof.

Rushbrooke Estate: the little church and parkland surviving from a Tudor mansion demolished in 1961.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral: its Millennium gothic tower, completed in 2005, dominates the approach across No Man's Meadows.

Bury St Edmunds

Time: 4h

Walk details: Mid Anglia Rail Passengers Association (PDF).

A long and rewarding cross-country walk, presented in two stages with a break point at Barrow village for those who prefer shorter rambles. From high ground near Desning there are long views towards the Fens, the route threading fields and pastures past the earthworks of ancient Denham Castle; the second half traverses the National Trust's Ickworth estate, with its rotunda house and Capability Brown parkland.

Denham Castle: the surviving earthworks of a medieval motte-and-bailey castle.

Ickworth Estate: a National Trust estate of 1,800 acres with a striking rotunda house and parkland partly laid out by Capability Brown.

Bury St Edmunds

Time: 9h

Lunch: Shops and pubs at Barrow, roughly the half-way point (buses from Barrow are infrequent, so check times and stops).

Walk details: Mid Anglia Rail Passengers Association (PDF).

Spectacular views. A long, direct route mixing waymarked footpaths, pavements and quiet country roads with no pavement. Narrow and uneven in places, especially crossing fields, with around ten stiles, a flight of steps and gates and several footbridges concentrated on the Drinkstone-to-Rougham stretch. Best broken at Woolpit, roughly the mid-point, which has shops and amenities. Not suitable for cyclists (use National Cycle Route 51).

Time: 6h30–12h30

Lunch: Woolpit has a Co-op, two pubs, a fish and chip shop and a bakery; Rougham has a convenience store en route.

Warnings: There is a fair amount of road walking on minor roads which can have more traffic on weekdays; numerous stiles and uneven field paths make it unsuitable for those with reduced mobility.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A walk through forest and farmland that turns difficult in the final third, with a road section on the A134, field paths that are hard to find, a dismantled railway with no crossing and a dual carriageway with no central-barrier gap.

Time: 6h30–13h

Warnings: The A134 near Ingham has no footpath for about 300m, forcing you to walk in the road. A field footpath is blocked by a dismantled railway with no way across, and you must cross a dual carriageway and clamber over its central barrier, which is not safe.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A long route mostly on footpaths and bridleways with some short sections on small roads, passing through several small villages. It leaves Newmarket with a fairly long stretch of road walking on a verge said to be wide, flat and reliably mown. Near Horringer it crosses the National Trust Ickworth Estate and using the estate's tracks and including Open Access Land. Passes through the villages of Ashley, Dalham and Horringer where you can stop, eat, shop or stay overnight, and crosses the National Trust Ickworth Estate (Open Access Land).

Ickworth Estate: a National Trust estate of 1,800 acres with a striking rotunda house and parkland partly laid out by Capability Brown.

Time: 8h–16h

Lunch: A National Trust cafe in Ickworth Park.

Warnings: A fairly long stretch of road walking leaving Newmarket, using a wide mown verge.

Source: An alternative variant of Newbur two – Slow Ways.