Walks near Ipswich by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Ipswich and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Ipswich.
Waterbeach to Ely (Cambridgeshire)
1 hour direct from Ipswich.
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).
Melton Circular via Sutton Hoo (Suffolk)
15 minutes direct from Ipswich.
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).
Ely Circular (Cambridgeshire)
1 hour direct from Ipswich.
Open fenland, flat drained farmland, long straight tree-lined farm tracks, hedge-lined meadows, river banks, dykes and catchwater drains, quayside and historic city.
Ely Cathedral: the 'ship of the fens', a great Norman cathedral visible for miles across the flat fenland.
Time: 4h
Warnings: Exposed river banks.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Salhouse Circular via Salhouse Broad (Norfolk)
1 hour from Ipswich, 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 from Ipswich, 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).
Westerfield to Woodbridge (Suffolk)
6 minutes direct from Ipswich.
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).
Melton to Woodbridge (Suffolk)
15 minutes direct from Ipswich.
Lowland heathland, river marshes, estuary walls, reedbeds, poplar rows, quiet lanes, heathland golf course and compact riverside town.
Time: 4h30
Warnings: Café in ticketed area.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Melton to Wickham Market (Suffolk)
15 minutes direct from Ipswich.
An all-weather route above the Deben flood plain through the picturesque village of Ufford, whose flint-and-stone flushwork church holds finely carved bench ends and a famous telescopic font cover reaching to the roof.
St Mary's Church, Ufford
Ufford
Lunch: Village shop at Campsea Ashe; Station House café at Wickham Market station (note the town and its station are a long way apart).
1 end-of-walk reward: the Dog and Duck
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Bures to Sudbury (Essex)
45 minutes from Ipswich, with one change.
Gently rolling farmland, river meadows, woodland, open fields, historic market town and pastoral common lands.
Time: 4h30–9h
1 lunch spot: the Bulmer Fox (3h–5h30 in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Angel, the White Horse, or Ree's
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership.
Westerfield Circular via Witnesham (Suffolk)
6 minutes direct from Ipswich.
The outer route through the gentle, well-timbered slopes of the River Fynn valley and picturesque Suffolk villages, with oak-lined hedgerows along the way, looping via Witnesham Thicks.
Time: 4h
Lunch: Pubs in Westerfield, Witnesham and Tuddenham.
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Manningtree Circular via Parish Church of Stratford St Mary (Essex)
9 minutes direct from Ipswich.
River valley, water meadows, arable fields, light woodland, estuary embankment, quaint villages and Constable-painted landscapes.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Can flood after rain.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Trimley Circular via Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve (Suffolk)
15 minutes direct from Ipswich.
Field paths and riverbank along the bird-rich tidal Orwell, taking in the Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Trimley Marshes reserve of lagoons, reed beds and grazing meadows, with panoramic estuary views from Sleighton Hill.
Lunch: Pubs, shops and cafés in the Trimley villages near the station.
Warnings: Remote countryside with no facilities en route — carry food and drink, especially water.
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).