A144

A145

A14

A12

A1120

A14

A12

A137

A12

Felixstowe

Ipswich

oodbridge

Harwich

Aldeburgh

HalesworthSouthwold

Lowestoft

Beccles

Walberswick

Dunwich

Thorpeness

Saxmundham

Blythburgh

Wickham Market

Rendlesham

Orfor

Snape

Bawdsey

Shotley

Manningtree

North Sea

Orfordness

Sutton Hoo

RendleshamForest

Minsmer

River

River Orwell

River Stour

ater

RiverAlde

River

Blyth

Kessingland

Mistley

oxfor

Hollesley

Darsham

estleton

aldringfield

ChelmondistonHolbrook

Wrentham

enhaston

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d

Trimley St Mary/St Martin

e

Deben

Alton W

Ore

River

Y dW

W

Nacton

W

Leiston

Discover two wonderful walks in the heartof the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB

Suffolk Coast & Heaths seriesSuffolk Coast & Heaths series

Thorpeness The Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONBThe Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is one of Britain's finestlandscapes. It extends from the Stour estuary in the south to the eastern fringe of Ipswichand, in the north, to Kessingland. It covers 403 square kilometres, including wildlife-richwetlands, ancient heaths, windswept shingle beaches and historic towns and villages.

A partnership of 26 organisations cares for the Suffolk Coast andHeaths, coordinated by the AONB Unit. The Unit acts as a championfor the AONB, working to conserve the area’s natural beauty andencouraging sympathetic, sustainable use. AONBs are part of theUK’s ‘family’ of protected areas that includes our National Parksand Heritage Coasts. All receive special protection because oftheir quality and importance.

Visiting ThorpenessOrdnance Survey Explorer Map No 212The village of Thorpeness isapproximately 3km north of Aldeburgh.The village itself is served by the 164bus service, while Aldeburgh isaccessible via the 164/165 bus services.For travel information seewww.suffolkonboard.com or Tel 0845 606 6171

Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB

Additional project area

Towns and villages

Main roads

Railways/stations

Suffolk Coast Path/Stour and Orwell Walk

Sandlings

Essex Way

Walk

Designed by Suffolk Design & Print Tel: 01473 260600

Maps: Crown copyright. All rights reserved. © Suffolk County Council. License LA100023395

Thorpeness Explorer has beenproduced with the generoussupport of Thorpeness andAldeburgh Hotels Ltd.

Tony Pick www.coastalimages.co.uk

Picture credits

Cover: Tony Pick www.coastalimages.co.uk1 Do Van Dijck/FN/Minden/FLPA 2,3,4,7 Malcolm Farrow5 Yossi Eshbol/FLPA 6 Winfried Wisniewski/FLPABeach Image: Rolando Ugolini.

For more Explorer Walks please contact usSuffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Tel: 01394 384948www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org

Part-financed by the EuropeanRegional Development Fund

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Thorpeness walks The popular coastal village of Thorpeness is a great place to visit in its own right,but it is also an excellent location from which to explore the landscape and wildlife of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The low-lying countryside around the villageis a varied mixture of marshland, heath,wood and shingle beach, very typical of thisnationally important landscape. OurThorpeness Explorer leaflet includes twoeasy circular walks, designed to give you aperfect introduction to the area.

Thorpeness was little more than a tinyfishing hamlet until the end of the 19thcentury. However, in 1910, Glencairn StuartOgilvie, a Scottish barrister, bought a largearea extending from north of Aldeburgh toMinsmere, and inland as far as Aldringhamand Leiston. Much of this land was used forfarming but Ogilvie had big plans forThorpeness, which he gradually developedinto a private fantasy holiday village – one ofthe first purpose-built holiday developmentsin the world. He built the pretty mock Tudorand Jacobean houses and also created awater tower disguised as a house, thefamous House in the Clouds (now a holiday

let). Ogilvie also moved a windmill fromAldringham to Thorpeness to pump water,there being no mains water until the 1960s.The famous Meare, inspired by the Peter Panstory of J M Barry, was also created in the1910s. The Ogilvie family are stilllandowners in the area but most ofThorpeness village was sold off in the 1970s.Today, Thorpeness retains the character ofthe original holiday village development, butis now a thriving community. The village is asenjoyable to visit now as it was whenoriginally conceived, boasting an excellentrange of facilities for visitors that are openthroughout the year.

At the height of its popularity, Thorpenesswas served by a railway, a short branch ofthe East Suffolk Line that terminated atAldeburgh. The line opened in 1859 and astation for Thorpeness was added in 1914 toserve the holiday village. Sadly, the lineclosed to passengers in 1966 and today onlyserves Sizewell Nuclear Power Station. Partof our route follows its former course.

Highlights of the Thorpeness Walks

Much of the landscape between Aldeburghand Thorpeness is part of North Warren andthe Haven Nature Reserves, an area ownedand managed by the Royal Society for theProtection of Birds (RSPB). North Warren isone of the oldest RSPB reserves. The RSPBfirst bought land here in 1938, and todayowns more than 220 hectares. The southernThorpeness Explorer walk takes in part of thisexcellent reserve.

The grazing marshes to the south of thevillage are a wonderful example of a type of managed landscape that is nowincreasingly rare. The farming of livestock onwet grassland has been an important featureof the coast and river valleys in Suffolk, butmany of these areas have now beenconverted to arable. Where traditionalmanagement continues, it is an importantfeature of the AONB and very beneficial for wildlife.

Away from the coast, the grassland givesway to areas of fen and wet woodland, butas the land gradually rises, so it also

becomes much drier. This is the edge of thehistoric Sandlings, a narrow strip of light,sandy acidic soil that occurs betweenIpswich and Southwold. This landscape wastraditionally grazed with sheep, resulting inthe patchwork of parched grassland andheather heath that is so characteristic of theAONB. Traditional grazing has beenreintroduced by conservationists as a way ofmanaging this landscape. The ‘sheep walks’to the north of Thorpeness provide a flavourof a man-made landscape that has existedalmost unchanged for hundreds of years.

Images: Front cover - Thorpeness Meare1 Bitterns are among North Warren’s wildlife ‘stars’ 2 The beach immediately south of Thorpeness hosts rareshingle plants such as Sea Pea3 In early summer Hairy Dragonflies breed in the grazingmarsh dykes4 The House In The Clouds

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Thorpeness

For the South walk turn left and follow theroute of the old railway line. Continue forapproximately 1.5km until you reach anobvious path crossing your route . Turn leftand follow this footpath through the grazingmarshes until you reach the coast road .Cross the road and turn left, walking alongthe beach back towards Thorpeness, keepingthe houses on your left.

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North walk

Contact: Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Tel: 01394 384948www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org

Images:5 In spring, Little Terns sometimes nest on the beach,but are vulnerable to disturbance. Look out for any fencedarea that are used to prevent disturbance to the birds6 White-fronted Geese can often be seen on thegrazing marshes during the winter.7 Thorpeness Meare

A

Suffolk Coast & Heaths series

South walk B

Thorpeness walksNorth walk (longer): inc beach 6.8km/4.2 miles

North walk (shorter): 5km/3.1 miles

South walk: 5km/3.1 miles

B1353B1353

THORPENESS

DowerHouse

ThorpenessCommon

NorthWarren

The HavenLocal Nature

Reserve

Dis

mantl

ed

rail

way

Margaret Wood

AlexanderWood

PartablesFarm

ShellpitsCottages

The Meare

Golf Course

Windmill

AldringhamWalks

Fen

Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club

House InThe Clouds

TTTHOROORRHOHHORTTTHTTTTT OOOHHHHTHTHTHHHHHOO

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Church FarmMarshes

Suffolk Coast pathThorpeness Walk AThorpeness Walk B

B Road

C Road

Footpath/Bridleway

Public House

Car Park/Layby

Woods

Path/other road or track

Nature Reserve

Crown copyright. All rights reserved. © Suffolk County Council. License LA100023395.

Thorpeness Explorer includes two trails. The southern route takes inthe grazing marshes and fen of North Warren RSPB reserve, while thenorthern route visits Aldringham Walks, part of the historic Sandlingsheaths, before returning along the Suffolk Coast Path.

Countryside Code

The area has an excellent network of footpaths and bridleways and we have marked two suggestedwalks on this map. We also have a few simple suggestions to help you enjoy the area safely and assistour work to care for it – follow the Countryside Code www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk:

• Be safe - plan ahead and follow any signs

• Leave things as you find them

• Protect plants and animals, prevent fires and take your litter home

• Dogs are very welcome – but please keep them under control

For the North walk, turn right and follow thefootpath until you reach the B1353. Cross theroad and follow the bridleway to the right ofthe house. The bridleway takes a sharp rightturn after a short distance and thencontinues across Aldringham Walks. You thenhave two options .

For the longer walk, remain on the bridlewayfor approximately 2km until you reach a minorroad . Turn right onto a footpath that leadspast the Dower House and continue to thebeach. Turn right and follow the SuffolkCoast Path along the beach back toThorpeness. Due to coastal erosion the beachis constantly changing and the route at thispoint may be impassable at high tide,particularly during the spring and autumn.

For a shorter walk, turn right onto thefootpath, then right again to follow thebyway across Thorpeness Common to thevillage. Continue through the village back tothe car park.

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Both walks

Terrain: Both routes are mainly flat on ruralfootpaths, bridleways and permissive paths.There is some walking on shingle beachesand the section of path between ThorpenessHotel and Golf Club and the disused railwaycan be muddy after wet weather. Please notethat the northern beach route may beimpassable at high tide – if using this routeplease check the tide times before you set off.

Both walks start at the Suffolk CountyCouncil Car Park in Thorpeness, just south ofthe Meare. From the car park, turn right andwalk past the Meare. After another 50m, turnleft and follow the footpath on theunmade private road which leads past thewindmill and House in the Clouds. When youreach Thorpeness Hotel and Golf Club,continue straight on, keeping the clubbuildings and Meare on your left until youreach a junction where our path meets theold railway line . Here, our routes separate,but it’s worth pausing for a moment to enjoythe excellent view across North Warren’s fen.

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