An early and frosty start for my brother and I for our tour of Suffolk’s many heathland trails (with free parking in the side streets close to the starting point).
From the start the route heads north through Rushmere Heath and golf course before joining pleasant single-track trails through Kesgrave and then on to Martlesham. The early morning frost combined with foggy conditions as we joined Martlesham Creek which started to lift as the water and trail flowed on to the River Deben and alongside the town of Woodbridge and then Melton.
Despite the size of the towns and villages up until this point, the route neatly cleaves through any built up areas so you feel far from the madding crowds. The solitary nature of the run increases as you leave Woodbridge behind and head into the heathlands around Bromeswell and then into the forests of Tunstall and Rendlesham.
After stopping to fill up with water at the campsite in Rendlesham, we continued on towards the Snape Maltings. At around marathon point in the run, we stopped at the centre for coffee before diverting from the Sandlings Walk signage to join the Sailor’s path that leads towards Aldeburgh.
The Sailor’s path section of the run was very pleasant, up until the route combines with the main road into the town. From here, it’s a short slog to the seafront where the brisk North Sea air put a string back into our steps for a run along the seafront and then over the pebbles to complete the run at the famous shell sculpture on the shingle beach.
A great run with hares, deer, birds of prey (including red kites) and very few other hikers or runners on the route. I would thoroughly recommend this route for anyway wanting a run that is far from the madding crowd and that is predominantly on trail.