Peasenhall Circular Walk
Sunday, 6 February 2022
|
No comments
|
A 5 mile walk around the countryside that surrounds the east Suffolk village of Peasenhall
The village of Peasenhall is located on the A1120, some 3 miles from Yoxford and the A12. Surrounded by the glorious Suffolk countryside which this walk navigates through, landmarks include the medieval church of St Michael. Refreshments can be obtained at the Sibton White Horse pub.
Walk Statistics
- Start location: Peasenhall
- Distance: miles ( km)
- Total Gain: ft ( metre)
- Total Descent: ft ( metre)
- Min Height: ft ( metre)
- Max Height: ft ( metre)
- Est. Walk Time:
- Walk type: Circular
- Walk Grade: Easy
- Terrain: Footpath, Country Lane
Maps
The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.
- Ordnance Survey Explorer Map
- OS Explorer 231 - Southwold & Bungay
- GPX Route File
Walk Notes
The walk begins in the centre of Peasenhall, a pretty yet unassuming village. Although bus services are limited to this small village, there is plenty of parking alongside the main road through its centre. A brook trickles alongside this road and the houses are offset beyond the brook making the street a broad and expansive view. The village has some notable history in the fact that it was where the 19th century the wheelwright, James Smyth, invented the seed drill. The village is probably less notable for a still unsolved murder that took place in 1902, the setting of the deed being a country house during a thunderstorm some time around midnight making it sound like a piece of horror fiction. The victim was a servant girl by the name of Rose Harsent and she was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of a flight of stairs that led to her attic room. Her throat had been cut with gashes on her shoulder and additional stab wounds. The nightdress she was wearing was charred and although unmarried she was found to be pregnant. The chief suspect was William Gardiner who was a Methodist lay preacher and although he was arrested and twice tried by jury no verdict could be reached. A wander through the village soon leads to the square towered 12th century church of St Michael. It is well worth the visit and the walkway to the porch is lined with cherry trees which provide a bouquet of blossom during the spring time. The porch is decorated with carvings of woodwose, the term for a wild man of the woods, plus dragons which nestle in the triangular corners of the arch, commonly known as spandrels. The interior is basic with white washed walls and a simple stained glass window at the eastern end depicting the crucifixion. This was a later addition when the church was renovated during the mid 19th century and the work is attributed to Londoner Thomas Willement who was proclaimed as the the Father of Victorian Stained Glass. The centrepiece of the interior is without a doubt the Norman font. A notice below it states that it dates from the XIth century which must have been from an earlier building. The walk continues, taking a footpath down to the main road then across and continuing down to the valley in which a tributary stream to the River Yox flows. This is some fine Suffolk countryside and given a spring day with plenty of sunshine it is a treat to ramble through such a landscape. The walk then meets the road and the Sibton White Horse, a traditional old village pub
The route begins with passing through some urbanized outskirts of Ipswich, not the best of walk highlights but this is soon to the back of us. Once one gets to the roundabout with the Wherstead road, the path turns to the shores of the estuary with the massive Orwell bridge dominating the view. This concrete structure is some 1,287 metres in length, that is 0.8 miles in old money, and was constructed at the start of the 1980s. As well as the traffic it also allows those who are walking the Orwell and Stour walk to pass over the estuary for those who do not want to progress into Ipswich.
The path passes under the bridge and then follows the riverside road before taking an excursion away from the river. The route leads up the slow hill away from the water, taking in woodland and open fields around the villages of Freston and Woolverstone. This diversion is required in order to avoid Freston Park, a private riverside site of ancient woodland with no public access. Nevertheless the inland ramble passes the churches of Freston and Woolverstone to provide a little historic interest. A church of St Peter at Freston was recorded in the Domesday Book but the building one sees today is a Victorian restoration with little of the original structure surviving and even the stained glass windows only date from the 1920s. St Michaels at Woolverstone shares a similar history of being recorded in the Domesday Book and a Victorian restoration, however the building does have a surviving 15th century tower.
There is an interesting piece of folklore about the name of the village of Woolverstone. It is said that the church stands on a large glacial stone, held sacred by the old Saxon inhabitants. During these historic times, East Anglia was frequently the subject of Viking raids and it was one of these, led by the chieftain named Wulf, that came up the Orwell estuary to plunder the towns and villages. During this invasion it is said that Wulf himself sacrificed a maiden upon this sacred stone. Sometimes this is a maiden, sometimes a poor local depending upon the telling of the tale. Whatever version is related, this act is said to have been where the name Woolverstone originated, quite simply Wulfs Stone. Academic sources beg to disagree, and would interpret the name as old English from Wulfhere's farm or settlement.
From Woolverstone the path navigates back down to the shores of the estuary at Pin Mill where the Butt and Oyster pub provides a place to take some rest and refreshment in this charming hostelry whose walls are lapped by the waters of the Orwell. The present building dates from the 17th century but there are records from 1456 when court hearings were held upon the premises which suggests a building preceded the present structure. The pub name is derived from the barrels that were used to transport oysters, a butt being an English measure of liquid volume, equivalent to 108 gallons, or two hogsheads or 12 firkins, the present day volume for most beer deliveries.
The pub is currently owned by Deben Inns and offers a selection of Adnams ales and a varied food menu. The pub is very popular but it is a place not to miss, and the only place of refreshment until the end of the walk.
The second half of this walks starts with a ramble through the Cliff Plantation, an area of woodland along the cliffside of the estuary. This is followed by a lengthy hike along the riverside marshes and defence banks. This provides great views across the estuary where the eye is caught by the regular passing of river craft. The riverside marsh is full mud bank formations which entice the birdlife to scavenge on the revealed mud as the tide ebbs. There is always something to see, something to catch ones eye. As the course of the river turns, Felixstowe docks comes fully into full view, dominating the horizon with its huge cranes and container ships, dwarfing the nature below. Then as the path draws level with this 20th century monument to global trade, Shotley Marina reveals itself, full of luxury yachts, their tall masts standing and clattering in the breezes.
Finally, a, wander around the head of the peninsular brings one to Shotley Gate, the name of the hamlet that resides here, although almost lost in the boating community structures. Beyond is the sea, with Felixstowe the dominant scene to the left and in the distance on the right is Harwich and the county of Essex. The 600ft long Shotley pier stretches out into the water. Constructed in 1894 and constructed by the Marquis of Bristol in 1894, it was used to transport Mail to the ferry bound for Harwich. It looks in a sorry state these days although the Shotley Hritage Community have plans to revive it to its former glory.
A ferry service connects Felixstowe, Harwich and Shotley Gate. For those needing to connect to Felixstowe, the crossing is via Harwich, with a total journey time of just under half an hour.
We end the walk with a deserved pint of beer at The Shipwreck, a modern bar and restaurant that is part of the marina complex, that looks out across the seafront.
Ipswich Buses run a service that links Shotley Gate and Ipswich and the bus stop is just around the corner of the road that leads up to Shotley village, opposite the Bristol Arms pub.
Route Validation Cards
Validation Date - 13/04/2019
- Time of Walk: 10:30 to 14:00
- Validators: griff, kat
- Weather Conditions: cool, but bright
- Notes: Initial route undertaken
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2026-03-30
- 2010-08-01 : Initial Publication - now archived
- 2021-03-17 : Update website improvements and removal of ViewRanger reliance
- 2021-05-04 : Rewrite and update to be consistent with the rest of the site formatting
- 2021-12-01 : Removal of ViewRanger links due to its imminent demise
- 2026-01-12 : Major website update with all walks recast to the new format
0 comments:
Post a Comment