route finding

• Follow the route diagrams, preferably in conjunction with the relevant Ordnance Survey Explorer sheets.
• Numbered ‘key points’ on maps give additional help where the way may be less obvious, but do not provide step by step instructions for the route.
• Look for the distinctive East Suffolk Line Walks Waymarkers. These have been used at the start and finish of each named walk, and at points where there is a choice of route. They are generally not used where an existing named walk is already marked with that name, e.g Fonnereau Way, Fynn Valley Walk and Angles Way. They have not been used to mark the circular routes from Brampton and Westerfield stations. If you don’t find a marker post where you might expect to do so it may be hiding behind hedge growth or resting in a ditch! Similarly, some stiles marked on the route diagrams may have been replaced by kissing gates, etc.

direction of walks

The walks may be enjoyed in either direction, but there are two important reasons why it is usually better to start at Ipswich and head towards Lowestoft i.e. generally south to north:

• This allows one to walk ‘up’ the route diagrams and with no problems of having to reverse east and west, or holding the OS map upside down!
• If the sun is shining, it will be from behind - several hours squinting into a low winter sun can be very irksome.

To this may be added a psychological preference for walking towards the sea, especially as the route ends at the most easterly point in Britain. However, an exception to the above suggestion must be made for The Wolfpack Walk (no 9) because it is better for walks to end at locations with amenities such as pubs, cafés, shops and toilets, none of which is found at wayside Brampton station, but which are plentiful at Halesworth.

the walk route diagrams

The route diagrams were compiled from surveys made ‘on site’. Where the route is obvious, e.g. along surfaced roads or well-used farm tracks, little or no detail is given, but at places where the route is less clear on the ground more detail is shown and the scale may be enlarged. It is strongly recommended that the relevant OS Explorer maps are used in conjunction with the diagrams, not only as the best possible aid to route finding, but also as a means of understanding the topography and history of the surrounding countryside.