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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 22 May 2019

Wednesday Walk Wakes Colne to Bures to Sudbury - along the Colne and Stour Valleys between Essex and Suffolk

Main walk: Book 1 Walk 46 - Wakes Colne to Bures

Length: 17.7 km (11 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10

Option to Go Long today by adding Book 1 Walk 8 - Bures to Sudbury
Additional length (via short cut from Great Henny) 12.6 km (7.8 miles)

London Liverpool Street: 10-02 hrs  Ipswich service
Arrive Marks Tey: 10-57 hrs   Change trains
Leave Marks Tey: 11-01 hrs   Sudbury service
Arrive Chappel and Wakes Colne: 11-07 hrs

Senior Railcard holders may prefer a more relaxed train change at Marks Tey by taking the 09-38 hrs Colchester Town service from Liverpool Street, arriving Marks Tey 10-33 hrs, leaving time for a coffee before you take the 11-01 hrs Sudbury service.

Return: Bures to Liverpool Street via Marks Tey: 15-33, 16-39 and 17-39 hrs
             Sudbury to Liverpool Street via Marks Tey: 17-32, 18-37, 19-38 and 20-32 hrs

Rail ticket: depending on your destination: either a day return to Bures, or a day return to Sudbury Suffolk

Although the Bures to Sudbury walk has already had two outings this year (on Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday) it makes a perfect "add-on" to our lovely Wakes Colne to Bures walk for those who enjoy a long walk - and today there should be buttercups in the water meadow below the Mill Hotel in Sudbury.

But the Wakes Colne to Bures walk is perfectly satisfying and enjoyable as a walk on its own, and long enough for many SWC mid-week walkers. The walk takes you along the Colne Valley through villages all called Colne something-or-other. Lunch can be taken in the village of Colne Engaine at the usually excellent Five Bells pub. After lunch you walk through varied countryside, woods and farmland all the way to the village of Bures which straddles the Essex-Suffolk border. Those ending their walk in Bures can take tea on the Essex side of the county border at the Eight Bells pub, or you can cross the county bridge into Suffolk for refreshments at the Three Horseshoes pub. When returning up the road to Bures station, please remember: Bures is now a request stop - so stick your arm out to hail the train !

For those going long today, I suggest you defer your drinks break in Bures until you reach the recently re-opened Lamarsh Lion pub in Lamarsh, before you continue along and up the Stour Valley, through Gainsborough country, all the way to Subury. If you have time before embarking on your journey home, your suggested final refreshment break today is at the wonderful Mill Hotel.

This double header seldom disappoints.
T=1.46
Main Walk Directions are here: L=1.46
Bures to Sudbury add-on is here
     

1 comment:

Marcus said...


3 of us on the early train, 4 on the posted train, making n=7 for today's outing, in w=warm-sunny-weather, perfect for Spring walking along the Colne Valley.
Whilst we maintained a steady pace all day, we left time to enjoy the lush, green countryside adorned in Spring flowers and omni-present cow parsley. We arrived at the Five Bells pub just before 1 pm where five of us dined at a table on the pub's front patio with umbrella shading. Our meals arrived promptly - and excellent, too. This pub wins my vote for a top five place of hostelries in the entire SWC portfolio - I have dined here on many an occasion, and never been disappointed.
Post prandial, we set out with our two sandwichers (both walking wounded, each nursing a broken wrist - they managed the walk very well) as we made our way to Bures, the weather clouding over a little, but still a pleasantly warm 21 degrees. On reaching the town, five walked down the road past the station to one of the local pubs for post walk refreshments before returning to Bures station to catch the 16-39 hrs service back to Marks Tey and London. Two of us decided against continuing the walk to Sudbury and instead opted for the leisurely option which involved taking the 16-13 hrs service from Bures to Sudbury where we walked along the disused railway line to the Mill Hotel, walking over the meadows now covered in buttercups: quite lovely. An excellent shared cream tea and cuppa at this hotel (note: whilst the Five Bells pub makes my top five lunch pubs, the Mill Hotel is No 1 for tea stops - no argument !). The 18-37 hrs train from Sudbury whisked the two of us back to London.
The best of mid-week days out - a lovely walk, fine weather, excellent company, good travel.
Being Thursday morning as I write this twaddle, I now head for my local polling station to vote in those damn silly Euro elections.............