Some of the Best Suffolk Walks to Beat the Christmas Bulge

'Tis the season to be merry and stuffed like a Turkey. December brings a seemingly endless barrage of office parties, gatherings and get-togethers, with every social engagement managing to dispel any ideas of food shortages whilst mincemeat bosses gleefully gaze at their annual flurry in sales. 

We know at this time of year, that the ever expanding waistline falls away into our subconscious until efforts to shrink it quickly makes it to the top of the list come the New Year. In a bid to offset the panic of New Year diets and resolutions, we thought we would try and get a few tricks up our sleeve nice and early and play our cunning card… We’re going to kick start our gym routine and walk away (some of) the mince pies and stuffing balls, with three fantastic walking routes around the Suffolk Countryside, perfect for a Christmas day yomp.

Dunwich - Walberswick: 6.1 miles, 2 hours

This circular walk takes you through Suffolk’s Coast and Heath AONB and along Walberswick’s rugged and magnificently bleak shingle shore. 

This easy to follow route takes you from the village green in Walberswick, walk towards the village hall and take the footpath on your left, just before the Anchor pub... The instructions get a little confusing after this point, so we’ll guide you to this handy PDF and guidance… The aim is to join the Suffolk Coast Path, once you’re on this it's a nice straightforward route.

The Sailor's Path - (funded by Cottage Holiday visitors to Suffolk): 6 miles, 3-4 hours (allowing time for return bus journey)

Follow in the footsteps of bygone sailors along a stunning coastal path between Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh. Some fantastic highlights of the walk include Snape Maltings, home to Aldeburgh music and a cornucopia of independent shops, Alde estuary expanding around wide and wild marshes, Snape marshes and Nature Reserve and the stylishly understated town of Aldeburgh. A fantastic guide to this walk has been put together here and you can walk this trail and keep in mind that your holiday with Cottage Holidays has helped support and fund its upkeep and maintenance.

Nowton Park, Nr. Bury St. Edmunds

This delightful 200 acre park just on the East side of Bury St. Edmunds is a must for your Christmassy stroll if you’re staying around Lavenham, Bury St. Edmunds or Long Melford.  The expanding park land with a stunning lime avenue which stretches nearly the whole length of the park always a huge hit with the kids, who love playing in the leaves in autumn or gawping at the beauty of the yellow carpet of daffodils in spring. With fantastic pathways throughout the vast area, it is a park for all the year round and an ideal place to fill your lungs with fresh air and try to burn off a mince pie or two on Christmas day. Meander through patches of woodland, home to over 100 different tree species, and open wildflower meadows. Under the frosty touch of winter the frozen grasses sparkle with ice and snow, fringing the frozen lake, perfectly framing the magical view of an old manor house. This park has elements of the Jane Austen about it and one can quite imagine a Mr. Darcy coming out of the lake (if perhaps mildly suffering from hypothermia) under the haze of the winter sun. If you don’t believe us, take a closer look here. 

All these walks are great for all the family and other animals, offering a mixture of fantastically English scenes. So pop your wellies on and try and fight back the bulge of Christmas indulgence… you know you’ll feel better for it.