Walks near Lowestoft by train

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).

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).

From an isolated rural station, extensive views across quiet, unspoiled working countryside contrast with intimate scenes such as the diminutive parish church at Redisham, evocatively described in Adrian Bell's 'Apple Acre' when decked for the harvest festival.

Redisham Church

Redisham

Time: 3h30

1 lunch spot: the Shadingfield Fox

Warnings: Livestock graze parts of the route — keep dogs under close control; one road section has no footway, so beware traffic.

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

Part of the Angles Way along the River Waveney from the lovely country town of Beccles, with panoramas across the Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Castle Marshes and Carlton Marshes reserves to the open water of Oulton Broad.

St Michael's Church, Beccles

Beccles

Lunch: The Waveney Inn (reached via foot ferry) and the Ivy House Country Hotel; plenty of choice at Beccles and Oulton Broad.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Ivy House Country Hotel

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

Through the green parklands surrounding Redisham Hall — country of the East Anglian writer Adrian Bell, who farmed nearby in the 1940s — a delightful interlude in a predominantly arable landscape, with a riverside finish on the Waveney at Beccles.

Redisham

Beccles

Lunch: No pubs or shops directly on the route (the Horseshoes Inn at Ringsfield Corner is about ¼ mile off route) — carry food and drink.

1 end-of-walk reward: Beccles Station Café

Warnings: Cattle often graze the Redisham Hall meadows — keep dogs under close control; cross the busy B1062 with care.

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

A walk of contrasts between ancient and modern Suffolk — a 'Fantastical' modern house topped by a metal dragon set against traditional farmsteads — following part of the former perimeter track of the WW2 airfield that was home to the US fighter group famed as 'Zemke's Wolfpack', whose memorials and museum stand among ancient hedgerows.

Halesworth (Holton) Airfield Memorial Museum

Time: 2h30

End-of-walk reward: No pubs or shops on the route; plenty of choice in Halesworth (seasonal teas at Sunnyside Farm, Westhall, on Thursdays and Fridays in August).

Warnings: Brampton station serves an isolated community with no amenities — the walk is best done north to south, ending at Halesworth.

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

Broad valley views above the little River Yox, through the village of Bramfield — whose thatched church has a detached round tower and the best rood screen in Suffolk, with a fine crinkle-crankle wall opposite — then riverside meadows along the Blyth to Halesworth.

St Andrew's Church, Bramfield

Bramfield

Lunch: Darsham Nurseries café near the level crossing at the start.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Cut Arts Centre Café

Warnings: The route crosses a golf course — follow the white marker stakes.

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

Field and park paths to the picturesque village of Yoxford — known as 'The Garden of Suffolk' — approached across the pastures of Rookery Park along a line of ancient oaks; the village was once a staging point on the London-to-Yarmouth turnpike.

Yoxford

Lunch: Village shop and the Griffin and King's Head pubs in Yoxford.

1 end-of-walk reward: Darsham Nurseries Café

Warnings: Cross the main roads with extreme caution.

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

The longest and most rewarding walk in the series, through isolated, remote countryside, woodland, lush meadows and the light terrain of the Suffolk Sandlings; this option detours to the world-famous Snape Maltings, where the route meets the Sandlings Walk and the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Path.

Snape Maltings

Time: 7h

Lunch: Crown and Golden Key pubs in Snape village.

Warnings: Cross the busy A12 with caution; the valley bottom and one section near the cottage can be waterlogged or flooded in winter.

Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).

A mostly flat route that leaves Norwich over Mousehold Heath, where flint-stone paths are steep and uneven underfoot, before settling into quiet country lanes and field paths and a wide farm track. Some sections can be muddy after rain; pavements are generally wide. Several shops and supermarkets in Sprowston for supplies early on; little in the way of facilities for the final five miles after Spixworth. Frequent trains and buses run back to Norwich from Hoveton.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Lunch: Shops, supermarkets and takeaways in Sprowston, plus a cafe at Spixworth village hall around two-thirds of the way.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Kings Head

Warnings: The route crosses the busy B1150 North Walsham Road twice, including a 50mph section, with no pedestrian crossing; take great care. The flint paths over Mousehold Heath are steep and uneven.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A mix of field paths, pavements and quiet lanes, mostly on small lanes. Field sections can be muddy and harder to navigate in wet weather and with road-based alternatives in places; some parts have become overgrown. Passes Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, well worth visiting. Heads through the Broads.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Lunch: A pub, shop and cafe by Malthouse Broad at Ranworth, part-way along.

Warnings: There are short sections of fast 60mph road where stepping onto the bank is the only option when traffic comes.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Sweeping views. Riverside path and flat and easy-going. Good for bird-watching.

Waterway: almost all beside rivers and canals.

Time: 2h30–4h30

Warnings: Berney Arms is an isolated request stop with only a few trains a day, which you must signal to board.

Walk details: Railwalks.