Walks
Have you got a favourite walk? Or do you want to walk with
a group? Try the message board. Message
board
Somerleyton, near Lowestoft, Suffolk
A gentle stroll or a 6-mile stride
FactFile
How to get there:
From Norwich, take the A146 to Gillingham and then the A143 for St Olaves
and follow signs to Somerleyton. From Ipswich, take the A12 to Blythburgh,
turning on to the A145 for Beccles, then the A146 for Gillingham and A143,
for St Olaves.
Go by train on either the Norwich to Lowestoft, or Ipswich to Lowestoft
lines. From Ipswich change trains at Oulton Broad North or Lowestoft.
Check timetables for connections.
Parking:
Cars may be left at The Duke’s Head if patronising the pub.
There is on-street parking in the village, while parking is provided for
those visiting the gardens at Somerleyton Hall.
Toilets:
At the Duke’s Head or at Somerleyton Hall
Refreshments:
At the pub (01502 730281), or at the hall’s Loggia Tea Rooms.
SPECIAL NOTE:
From April 1st to July 1st, Somerleyton Hall and Gardens are only open
on Thursdays and Sundays, and Bank Holidays, from 10am to 5pm.Not open
at all on Saturdays.Tel: 01502 732950, or email enquiries@somerleyton.co.uk.
Weblink:
www.somerleyton.co.uk
The beauty of the Somerleyton walk is that you can do as little or as
much as you like. Stroll in the gardens of Somerleyton Hall, which during
May are ablaze with rhododendrons and azaleas, explore the village, saunter
down to the River Waveney, or stride around the estate.
A map of the area is advisable. Footpaths are clearly marked, but they
don’t always go where you expect.
Sensible
walking shoes for the gardens and the village. Waterproof boots for footpaths
and estate tracks, which can be rough and quite boggy in places.
There are a few field styles, but these can be bypassed.
DIRECTIONS
- If going straight to the gardens, there is a 12-point trail to follow,
although visitors are welcome to explore as they wish.
- If parking in the village, from the post office and general store, head
north, past the village green and follow the Somerleyton Park wall around
to the right.
- At the end of the wall turn right down the back drive towards the hall,
looking out for the footpath sign on the left after about a quarter mile.
- Turn left here and right at the end of the field on to the track for Kitty’s
Farm. The path is well-worn and ends up on Green Lane.
- Turn right on to the lane, which brings walkers down to the B1074 Blundeston
Road.
- At the junction, turn left and then right after a couple of hundred yards
on to the field path. Alternatively, turn right at the junction, pass the
main gates to Somerleyton Hall, and left on to the marked footbath, just
before the church.
- Both lead to Waddling Lane. Turn right on to this farm track and head
back to the village. This walk should take between two and two-and-a-half
hours.
Points of interest
The gardens at Somerleyton Hall cover about 12 acres and include many magnificent
trees, shrubs and plants. In May they are ablaze with rhododendrons and
azaleas.
Originally
a Jacobean manor, the hall was re-modelled in 1844, in the Anglo-Italian
style, by railway magnate Sir Morton Peto, who went spectacularly bust.
In 1863 it was bought by carpet manufacturer Sir Francis Crossley, the great
grandfather of the present Lord Somerleyton, who has now handed it over
to his son Sir Hugh Crossley.
The
village, which is splendidly eccentric in its high-Victorian way, was built
by Sir Morton, with steeply sloping roofs, many of them thatched and with
mock-Tudor timbering.
Elsewhere there are many enviable period village houses. A new estate of
modern homes takes its inspiration from Sir Morton’s original village
designs.
From
the village, it is a short walk down to the River Waveney, where you can
watch the boats pootle by.
For
those striding out, the walk circles Somerleyton Park, with tantalising
glimpses of the hall and its exotic roofline.
The
estate is an on-going farming enterprise. There are also many areas of woodland,
with some wonderful mature trees, ponds and plentiful wildlife.
In
Green Lane, look out for historic Park Farm, with its ancient stepped gable,
while on the opposite side of the road from Green Farm stand a massive pair
of extraordinary, goblet-shaped, multi-trunked beech trees. Look and wonder.
Somerleyton Church, on the B1074 Blundeston Road, is worth the detour, if
only for its gleaming tiled floors and churchyard alive with plastic flowers.
If
you do nothing else, walk at least part of Waddling Lane, approached from
the village by following signs to the railway station. At the gateway to
Waveney Grange Farm, instead of following the road around to the right,
walk straight ahead down Waddling Lane.
An
intimate farm track, this lane runs along the bank above Somerleyton Marshes,
which border the River Waveney, passing through some beautiful country including
wetlands and woodlands, in which rhododendrons grow. Indeed, rhodos grow
in many of the woods around Somerleyton
Binoculars
are a must, as birdlife abounds.
This walk is taken from the Pathfinder Guide to Suffolk Walks,
published by Jarrold of Norwich. The Ordnance Survey maps that include Somerleyton
are the Landranger 134 (Norwich & The Broads, Great Yarmouth) or Outdoor
Leisure 40 (The Broads).