Harwich to Ipswich via ferry to Shotley Gate (11.5 miles ++)

The greensward at Shotley Gate

Having been thwarted on my first attempt by the ferry being cancelled, I returned to Harwich for another go. Fortunately, this time the wind was light, the ferry was running and I made the 15 minute crossing to Shotley Gate, at the tip of the Shotley Peninsula, where the Orwell flowing down from Ipswich meets the Stour from Manningtree. This will be my first proper walk in Suffolk, having completed a good sample of the coastal path in Essex. By starting at Harwich and finishing at Ipswich, you can make this into a rail ramble bookended by the respective stations.

I had an excellent but probably very unhealthy fry-up brunch at the Shipwreck Inn. I then walked a short way West along the Stour shore, before setting off on my walk-proper, to follow the England Coast Path (ECP) all the way up the Orwell to Ipswich.

Shotley Gate has a well manicured waterfront, with a marina, apartments, an upmarket inn (the aforementioned Shipwreck), and a well tended greensward, with great views over to the massive container ships at Felixstowe Docks. The bright sun, blue sky, blue water and unseasonable warmth raised the spirits: I wonder if I would have been so impressed on a cold, cloudy day?

The ECP follows the flood banks upstream. The Docks slowly recede and shift to 'end-on', but are still impressive. To the left is mainly pasture, backed by low hills. Atop one of these, Shotley Church is said to be worth visiting for the views, although I must say it seemed largely enclosed by tall trees. The other bank was mainly low wooded hills punctuated by the forest of masts which is the Suffolk Yacht Harbour.

The path goes through the NT Pin Mill Cliffs Woods: probably the hilliest coastal walk I have done since leaving Margate. I arrived in the early afternoon at Pin Mill itself, a cluster of a few houses, and a boatyard. I stopped for a drink and a rest at the Butt and Oyster pub, with bow windows overlooking the water. It was almost exactly high tide, and the waterside route was flooded, necessitating a short diversion inland.

Another loop through woods brought me to Wolverstone Marina and the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. Now followed another inland excursion to get around the private riverside grounds of - I presume - Wolverstone private school, although you are allowed to walk over their sports ground. It's a shame that no shoreside access was negotiated for the ECP.

It is not directly on the path, but I made the excursion down to Freston Tower, a red-brick folly said to date from the sixteenth century. You can walk past the tower and down to the riverside, from which, at last you get an unobstructed view of the impressive Orwell bridge which carries the busy A14. One of the frustrations of this walk is that there aren't many places where you get a clear view of the bridge until you're almost in front of it. You can stay in the Tower, courtesy of the Landmark Trust.

There was a positively dangerous crossing of the busy B1456, the pavement of which is then followed to the bottom of the hill where a footpath cuts straight as a dye across to the bridge embankment.

The ECP climbs up the embankment of, then crosses, the bridge, but I will have to save this for another time. I was tempted to stop for another break at the impressive looking Suffolk Food Hall complex in the shadow of the bridge, but instead I carried on under the bridge and along the riverside to Fox's Marina (I lost count of how many marinas etc there are on this walk). Here it had clouded over and it was getting dark, and I was absolutely tuckered out. Rather than walk right to the station (which you could do, in part at least, along the river) I got the 97 bus for the final 2 miles to the station.

So the stats are:

Harwich Station to the ferry jetty at Ha'penny Pier: 0.5 miles
Shotley Stour waterfront: 1.5 miles
Shotley Gate along the ECP to Fox's Marina, Ipswich: 11.5 miles (including 1 mile excursion to Freston Tower)
Walk to Ipswich Station: 2 miles (I took the 97 bus)

As well as the ECP, the route is signed as the Stour and Orwell Walk, and the Arthur Ransome trail. Ransome moved to the area from the Lake District in 1935, following the success of Swallows and Amazons. Two of his 'sequel' books were based around here, especially Pin Mill.

For my walks on the Essex Coast, see here.

Here are some photos. It was a beautiful sunny day until about 3pm (around Pin Mill), then progressively clouded over.