Sandlings Walk
A 55-mile long-distance path in Suffolk beginning in Southwold and ending in Ipswich. The route stays close to the coast but ventures inland to explore the Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape. With map, statistics, and GPX route file.
Statistics and Files
Grid Ref: TM 506 758
Distance: 55 miles (89 km)
Time: 22–28 hours
Duration: 4–6 days
Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000):
197 Ipswich, Felixstowe and Harwich
212 Woodbridge and Saxmundham
231 Southwold, Bungay Halesworth and Kessingland
Summary
Sandlings Walk is a long-distance route in the county of Suffolk, Eastern England, that explores flatland and fen habitats using riverside, forest, and heathland paths. It is a specialist walk that integrates local flora and fauna and features 11 thought-provoking sculptures to be enjoyed at regular intervals along the route.
The walk runs through the Suffolk Sandlings, an area that used to stretch from the outskirts of Ipswich to Southwold, representing an area of lowland heath (one of Britain’s rarest wildlife habitats) and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Starting in Southwold, the route goes via the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve, Dunwich Forest, Dunwich Heath, Minsmere, Sizewell, Thorpeness, North Warren, Friston, Tunstall Forest, Butley Corner, Rendlesham Forest, Sutton Heath, and Rushmere Common to finish on the outskirts of Ipswich.