More images

More (2)

Rowley, Poley, Hartest and Boxted

Recommended by

Our view

"Discover a link with a well-known nursery rhyme on the rooftop of Suffolk."

Walk directions

Turn left out of the village hall car park and cross the road to reach the village sign. Continue along the south side of the green, passing the Crown Inn and All Saints Church. Keep on this road as it bends to the right, leaving the village behind to climb Hartest Hill. Along the way you pass a peaceful burial ground.

When you reach a public footpath leading off to the right, pause at the summit of Hartest Hill to admire the extensive views over High Suffolk and Hartest nestling in its own little valley. Stay on this road for a further 0.75 miles (1.2km). Turn right when you get to the junction to reach Gifford's Hall and continue ahead until you reach the next bend in the road.

View all directions

Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Quiet country roads, footpaths and bridleways

Landscape - Views over Suffolk from high farmland

Dog friendliness - Keep dogs on lead

Parking - Hartest village hall

Toilets en route - None on route

Walks in Suffolk Dog-friendly walks in Suffolk

About the walk

In the Poley chapel at Holy Trinity Church, Boxted, stands a life-size alabaster sculpture of Sir John Poley (1558-1638), wearing a golden frog in his ear. Historians have puzzled over the meaning of this frog, but the answer almost certainly lies in a nursery rhyme. You probably remember the rhyme... from your childhood: 'A frog he would a-wooing go, Heigh-ho, says Rowley, A frog he would a-wooing go, Whether his mother would let him or no, With a Rowley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says Anthony Rowley' Sing-song names The Rowleys and the Poleys were old East Anglian families whose singsong names were too good to resist. Gammon and Spinach evolved out of the names of two other families, Bacon and Green. And the frog? This just could be a reference to Sir John Poley, who was killed in battle while fighting in France. According to legend, his horse swam back across the English Channel and made its way to Boxted Hall. The Poleys and Weller-Poleys have lived in Boxted for more than 600 years. Many of them are buried in the family chapel, where their names are recorded on a marble scroll. The chancel of the church contains a pair of oak effigies of William Poley (died 1587), dressed in armour, his head resting on a helmet, and his wife Alice in prayer. Near by, above the altar, a stained-glass window commemorates Hugh Weller-Poley, a more recent member of the family, who was killed in action at the age of 20 in 1942. Holy Trinity is set high among the trees overlooking the moated, half-timbered Boxted Hall. This must be one of the most delightful small churches in Suffolk. The chancel has a rare 17th-century hammerbeam roof, while the north aisle is divided into separate pews, one for the Poley family, one for their servants (the latter now houses the organ). When the church was threatened with closure in the 1990s, the villagers got together to restore it. Although fewer than 100 people live in the parish, they managed to raise more than £20,000. Glacial erratic Hartest, where the walk begins, has shared a priest with Boxted since 1224. This is a picture-book village set around a triangular green with thatched cottages and a fine avenue of chestnut trees. The most unusual sight is the Hartest Stone, a large glacial stone found in the neighbouring village of Somerton and dragged here on a sledge drawn by 45 horses to celebrate the Treaty of Utrecht, which awarded Gibraltar and Menorca to Britain in 1713. The nearby village sign, erected in 1990 to mark Hartest's millennium, features the stone and also a stag or hart, the original name for the village being 'hart's wood'.

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

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

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

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

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

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.

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Route details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

5 miles (8kms)

Ascent:

394ft (120m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

Find more walks in Suffolk

Rowley, Poley, Hartest and Boxted

Recommended by

Our view

"Discover a link with a well-known nursery rhyme on the rooftop of Suffolk."

Walk details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

5 miles (8kms)

Ascent:

394ft (120m)

Walk directions

1 of 6

2 of 6

When the road swings left at Dales Farm, keep straight ahead on a bridleway, which clings to hedges and field-edges as it descends towards Boxted. When you reach a road, turn right to walk into the village itself.

3 of 6

Turn left when you see a sign to Boxted church. Cross the bridge over the River Glem and stay on this road as it climbs out of the village. About 0.5 miles (800m) after leaving Boxted, you reach the church, hidden among the trees, with views over Boxted Hall from the churchyard. Retrace your steps into Boxted (for a short cut, you could leave this section out, but you would be missing one of the high points of the walk). Returning to the start of Point 4, turn left, pass the electricity sub station and keep left towards Hawkedon when the road divides.

4 of 6

Approaching the first house on the left, look for a public footpath, half-hidden between tall hedges to your right. This path is known as Roger's Lane. At times it can become very muddy and overgrown, in which case a simpler alternative is to go back to the junction and return to Hartest by road. Otherwise, keep on this path as it ascends the hill.

5 of 6

When you get to the top of Roger's Lane, turn right along the road to descend into Hartest village, with more wonderful views. The road ends at the village hall, which was erected by Thomas Weller-Poley in 1888.

6 of 6

Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Quiet country roads, footpaths and bridleways

Landscape - Views over Suffolk from high farmland

Dog friendliness - Keep dogs on lead

Parking - Hartest village hall

Toilets en route - None on route

Walks in Suffolk Dog-friendly walks in Suffolk

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

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

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

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

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Suffolk

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Rowley, Poley, Hartest and Boxted

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Sign up to our travel newsletter

Get the latest insider tips and recommendations to make the most of your next trip

Rowley, Poley, Hartest and Boxted

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Sign up to our newsletter

Join over 4,000+ travelers who are getting the most out of their trips