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The Suffolk Walking Festival
Join us every May as we celebrate Suffolk
Welcome to the Suffolk Walking Festival. Created in 2007 the festival is one of the largest and longest running (and we think one of the best!) walking festivals in the country.
The festival takes place every May and celebrates Suffolk’s natural landscapes and built heritage with guided walks in every corner of the county.
The festival is a great way to discover parts of Suffolk you perhaps never knew existed, learn about the county’s fascinating and ancient history, and make new friends whilst walking and talking! There is something for everyone, from short walks to long walks, family walks to history walks, even night walks.
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 the Fringe Festival, an opportunity to get close to nature in the very heart of the countryside, was introduced.
The 2023 festival launched on Saturday 13th May and spanned 2 weeks with over 70 walks. Launch day was held in the beautiful Thornham Estate with a discovery tour of the estate’s natural history; a tasty stroll foraging the estate’s woodlands; a step back in time along a 900-year old Drove Road; and a night exploration of hoots, heavens and things that glow!
The 2-week festival programme offered walks in every corner of Suffolk: seeking out otters in the Blyth Valley; joining archaeologists on a journey into Suffolk’s very own Valley of the Kings; and learning the ancient tradition of ‘Beating the Bounds’. There were walks about Suffolk poets, artists and writers; we celebrated Rogation Day in Bury St Edmunds; and experienced the Japanese practice of Forest Bathing!