A Lavenham circuit

Explore the rolling countryside around one of Suffolk's prettiest towns.

NEAREST LOCATION

Lavenham

RECOMMENDED BY
DISTANCE

5.5 miles (8.8kms)

ASCENT
197ft (60m)
TIME
2hrs 30min
GRADIENT
DIFFICULTY
Medium
STARTING POINT
TL914489

About the walk

Lavenham is possibly the best-preserved medieval town in England. During the 15th and 16th centuries it grew rich on the wool trade, exporting cloth to Europe, Africa and Asia. At one time its people paid more in taxes than those of Lincoln and York. Merchants and clothiers built the half-timbered houses that still attract visitors today. At times, when tourist coaches clog the High Street, Lavenham is just too pretty for its own good.

Lavenham is an open-air museum of medieval architecture. When the wool trade declined, nothing took its place, with the result that the town centre retains its medieval street plan, a network of lanes fanning out from the market square with its 16th-century cross. Entire streets, such as Water Street, are lined with crooked, half-timbered houses, delicately colour washed in ochre, mustard and Suffolk pink. Look out, too, for the pargeting such as the Tudor rose and fleur-de-lis on the facade of the Swan Inn.

Famous inhabitants

The artist John Constable went to school here, at the Old Grammar School in Barn Street. One of his friends was Jane Taylor, who wrote the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (1806) at nearby Shilling Grange. But the biggest name in Lavenham's history has been that of the de Vere family. Aubrey de Vere was granted the manor by his brother-in-law William the Conqueror. Four centuries later, John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, led Henry VII's victorious army at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. This was the final battle of the Wars of the Roses and it was in thanks for his safe return that local merchants built the parish church of St Peter and St Paul. One of the largest parish churches in England, its 141ft (43m) flint tower dominates the skyline. With its rich Gothic tracery, coffered roof, graceful arches, columns and aisles, it is also one of the finest examples of the Perpendicular style.

This walk combines a visit to Lavenham with a gentle country stroll. To give yourself time to explore the town, follow the main walk out into the fields on either side of a broad river valley before ending up at the market square where you can visit the Guildhall and wander the medieval lanes. For a longer walk, you could press on to visit the two delightful villages of Kettlebaston and Preston St Mary to the northeast - and still be back at Lavenham in time for tea.

Walk directions

Turn right out of the car park and go down the hill into town. At the first junction, turn right along Bears Lane. Continue on this road for 0.25 mile (400m) until the last house, then take the footpath to the right across fields. After another field boundary in 0.25 mile (400m), turn left in the next field and follow a ditch to rejoin the road.

Turn right and walk past Weaner's Farm. Turn left at a footpath sign just before a converted barn. Stay on this path as it swings around Bear's Lane Farm, then turn left on to a track beside a hedge. Walk along this track as it bears right to the valley bottom. When the track bends right towards Abbot's Hall, keep straight ahead and fork to the right on a grassy path beside a stream.

Emerging from a poplar grove, you arrive at a concrete drive where you must turn right and immediately left. The path swings round to the right to reach a road, Cock Lane. Turn left and stay on this road as it climbs and then descends to a crossroads.

Cross the A1141 into Brent Eleigh. When the road bends, with the village hall and half-timbered Corner Farm to your right, keep straight ahead to climb to St Mary's Church. Look into the church to see the late 13th-century wall paintings and 17th-century box pews. Continue up the same road.

When the road swings sharply to the right, look for a path on the left. Stay on this path for about 1.25 miles (2km) as it winds between tall hedges with occasional glimpses of open countryside. Emerging into the daylight, there is a wonderful view of the church tower at Lavenham standing proudly above the town. Walk past Clayhill Farm and descend into the valley, crossing a white-painted bridge.

Turn left at the junction and walk into Lavenham along Water Street, with its fine timber-framed houses. Just after Lavenham Priory on your left, turn right up Lady Street, passing the tourist office on the way to the market place. Turn left down narrow Market Lane to arrive at the High Street opposite the picturesque Crooked House. Turn briefly left and then right along Hall Road. Before the road bends, look for a footpath on the left, then walk through an avenue of limes to reach Lavenham church. The car park is across the road.

Additional information

Field-edge paths and tracks, some stretches of road

Rolling farmland and attractive town

Farmland - keep dogs under control

OS Explorers 196 Sudbury, Hadleigh & Dedham Vale;

Church Street car park (free), Lavenham

At car park

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WALKING IN SAFETY

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Find out more

About the area

Discover Suffolk

Suffolk is Constable country, where the county’s crumbling, time-ravaged coastline spreads itself under wide skies to convey a wonderful sense of remoteness and solitude. Highly evocative and atmospheric, this is where rivers wind lazily to the sea and notorious 18th-century smugglers hid from the excise men. John Constable immortalised these expansive flatlands in his paintings in the 18th century, and his artwork raises the region’s profile to this day.

Walking is one of Suffolk’s most popular recreational activities. It may be flat but the county has much to discover on foot – not least the isolated Heritage Coast, which can be accessed via the Suffolk Coast Path. Southwold, with its distinctive, white-walled lighthouse standing sentinel above the town and its colourful beach huts and attractive pier features on many a promotional brochure. Much of Suffolk’s coastal heathland is protected as a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and shelters several rare creatures including the adder, the heath butterfly and the nightjar. In addition to walking, there is a good choice of cycling routes but for something less demanding, visit some of Suffolk’s charming old towns, with streets of handsome, period buildings and picturesque, timber-framed houses.

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