The Sandlings Walk - Ipswich to Melton

The start of the Sandlings can be found in several points in Ipswich but we chose Rushmere Heath opposite Ipswich hospital. One thing about Ipswich is that it always reminds you that it is there despite the peacefulness of the Heath. There is constant background noise of sirens, traffic, distant motorbikes.Once past Martlesham you are then in the serenity of the countryside with all the delights of the river Deben and Martlesham Creek.

NOTE - this walk page has been superseded by a Walk summary located at Rushmere to Melton Walk Summary
 
Date: 2010-04-25

Start point: Rushmere Heath, Ipswich

End Point: Melton

Start Time: 11:00

End time: 16:00

Distance: 11 miles

Weather conditions: Cool with showers

Walkers: Griffmonster and Kat

Path taken: Joined the Sandling on Heath Road, opposite the hospital, then followed the Sandlings long distance path indicated by the sandlings waymarkers

Difficulty: Easy

Pubs:

• Black Tiles, Martlesham a large family oriented pub, but good soup and a nice pint of Adnams Explorer after getting wet from a passing shower
• The Red Lion, Woodbridge town centre pub, friendly enough but lacking ale other than Adnams Bitter

Walk Highlights

• Dobbs Graves two unknown graves fenced off in the wood at the start of Martlesham Heath. The incumbants are unknown but they may be a shepherd boy named Dobbs who committed suicide. The area is purported to be haunted some saying it to be the ghost of Brainy Dobbs, an airman from Martlesham Heath airfield. We saw no ghosts
• Martlesham Heath Control Tower Museum - museum dedicated to the history and stories of RAF Martlesham Heath
• Martlesham Creek I have passed by Martlesham Creek on the train on numerous occassions and never really taken any notice. This delightful creek from the River Deben is the home to a private boatyard set amid a forest. Apparantly, this creek was used in days of old as a waterway to transport small boat-loads of contraband
• Tide Mill renovated tide mill on the banks of the Deben at Woodbridge
  
• River Deben some fantastic views can be had of the Deben as the sun goes down and the tide is out to expose the skeletal remains of old boats and dead trees that stand beyond the breached river defences
  

Notes:  Despite the gloomy start and light rain the days walk was good. As well as the rain we managed to get a soaking from a crop sprayer (in)conveniently placed across the footpath near Martlesham creek - to some this may have been a hinderance but to us it was more a sense of adventure having to time our run to get past it in an attempt to stay dry. By the end of the day the sun shone as it started to go down giving some fantastic views down the river Deben as we walked between Woodbridge and Melton

Equipment: 40L rucksack with fleecey, maps, first aid kit, pen knife and olympus camera

Public transport: First Group service, Melton station to Ipswich which drops off on the junction with Heath Road and Foxhall Road

Route:
View Ipswich to Melton in a larger map

Last Updated: 2014-01-02Z