Around Statley Stowlangtoft

This gentle loop takes you through typical Suffolk countryside to reach the tranquil village of Stowlangtoft, home of one of the largest and loveliest churches in the county. Make sure you take enough time to look inside fascinating St George’s Church (the noticeboard outside gives details of local keyholders) and admire the many medieval features, the magnificent carved benches in the nave and, outside, the deeply moving memorial to the art critic Peter Fuller and his unborn son by the sculptor Glynn Williams.

A typical unspoilt Suffolk village, Stowlangtoft appears to have changed very little over the years and is all quiet lanes pulsating with  birdsong. This is a great standalone short walk, for those wanting a quick taste of rural Suffolk alongside a visit to a historic church, or alternatively it can be joined at Point 5 of Walk 30, Ixworth and Pakenham, at the tiny hamlet of Grimstone End. This option allows you to leave your car at Ixworth.

Start the walk where Fen Road swings round to the left, but turn right instead. Almost immediately the road bends left over a bridge, but you keep ahead on a field-edge path, with The Black Bourn just visible behind a hedge, left. Stay on this path as it crosses to the other side of the hedge and runs across the top of a meadow with The Black Bourn hidden beside a covert at the far side of the field. 

Pass a stile as you leave the meadow, and you soon reach open countryside, with arable fields ahead and a reservoir behind an embankment on your right. The path runs straight across the field, with a single large tree ahead, then enters a small meadow with stiles at either end before turning left around a field. Soon you reach a minor road opposite the entrance to Beaumont’s Hall farm.

Turn left, cross a bridge and keep straight ahead at the junction with the A1088. Stay on this road as it climbs gently into Stowlangtoft.

When you reach St George’s Church, leave the road to walk through the churchyard. This brings you out on to Church View. Turn left and look for a grassy path between the houses to the right. At the end of this path, cross a stile and bear right across a meadow, passing through a kissing gate to emerge beside a pumping station. Turn left here and you will soon see Stowlangtoft Hall, a Victorian mansion now used as a nursing home, through the trees to your right. Pass the entrance to the hall and stay on this lane as it ascends the hill.

At Kiln Farm, turn left on to a footpath that passes a barn, enters a plantation and crosses a meadow before reaching a wide open stretch with views across the fields to St George’s Church. When you reach the A1088, turn right and walk along this road for about 200yds (183m), taking care as there is no pavement, only a narrow grass verge. Cross the road and turn left on to Sandy Lane. Stay on this lane as it bends round to the left, crossing Baileypool Bridge to return to the start of the walk.