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The Suffolk Walking Festival
Thank you to everyone who made this year’s festival so very, very special
Another May over, another Suffolk Walking Festival completed!
Thank you to everyone involved in this year’s event. From the team behind the scenes who manage and deliver the festival, to the many walk leaders who create such an amazing range of walks across Suffolk, to our District Councils who support the festival every year, and especially to our Patron, Lesley Dolphin. Thank you all.
Created in 2007 the Suffolk Walking Festival has grown into one of the largest and longest running (and we think one of the best!) walking festivals anywhere in the country.
The festival started life as the Heart of Suffolk Walking Festival with just 30 walks in the central part of the county. In 2010 it gained support across Suffolk to become the Suffolk Walking Festival. In 2012 a long-distance multi-day walk named The Challenge Walk was launched, and in 2018 a Fringe Festival, with activities that got you close to nature in the very heart of the countryside, was introduced. Each year the festival evolves and develops to match feedback from customers and partners, meaning we never stand still and are always changing!
This year’s festival launched on Saturday 11th May and we were delighted to be hosted once again at the beautiful Thornham Estate with a discovery tour of the estate’s natural history; a tasty stroll exploring the estate’s woodlands; and a step back in time meeting the “Cowboys of Cowpasture Lane” on a 900-year old Drove Road.
Over the following 2-weeks we explored every corner of Suffolk. We re-visited Orford Ness – an island full of secrets! enjoyed more mindfulness moments in an ancient wood, and relaxed again on a river trip before a gentle amble. New for 2024 we ventured into the vast Broads National Park, turned our hand to creative writing on a Haiku walk, and joined Ambling African Women, a new walking group based in Ipswich, for a guided walk along the Sailors Path at Snape.
Thank you to everyone who took part and we look forward to walking with you again!
