This ride takes you between two of Suffolk’s nicest seaside resorts and has a round-trip distance of about 5.5 miles, depending on your start and finish points. It takes you from sea front to sea front and through some lovely open heathland along the way. The majority of the ride is also on quieter roads and tracks, so is great for family rides.
The route
The route is as follows:
- There are a number of places that you can start this ride. We are going to start at the Walberswick common parking, which is a short walk from the beach and next to the River Blyth. An alternate place to start from is the Cliff Field Car Park. It is worth noting that during the summer months the car parks and the main road through Walberswick can get busy so you may want to park away from the sea front and then cycle in.
- From the Walberswick common car park, cycle back through Walberswick. As you leave the car park you should have the sea on your left and the River Blyth behind you. As you cycle through the village you will pass The Tea Shed (tea room and restaurant) and the Anchor at Walberswick, both offer a place to park your bike and stop for a drink or something to eat.
- As you continue up The Street you will pass the Co-Op on your right, and shortly afterwards you will come to a junction where The Street continues around to the right and Lodge Road goes straight on. Bear right on The Street, and just after this junction turn right onto Palmer’s Lane.
- You continue along Palmer’s Lane for about 3/4 of a mile (1.3km) until you come to the foot bridge over the River Blyth. Palmer’s Lane takes you out of Walberswick and through some open heathland. The lane transitions from a tarmac road, to a concrete track and then to a gravel path – but is easy to cycle along.
- When you get to the opposite side of the footbridge you go straight ahead and continue to follow Palmer’s Lane, which becomes Blyth Road and will eventually bring you out at the northern end of Southwold High Street. When you reach the High Street you simply turn right and cycle through Southwold to the sea front.
- To get back to Walberswick, you can cycle back the way you came, but there are some alternative options.
The Walberswick Ferry, from the Southwold Harbour side
Alternate routes
While the above route is the most straightforward, there are few variations that you might want to consider.
- Take the Walberswick to Southwold ferry. There is an on demand ferry service that operates between April and October and for a small fee will take you across the River Blyth, a distance of just 50m from bank to bank. On the Walberswick side the Ferry is near to, and sign-posted from the Walberswick Common Car. On the Southwold side the Ferry drops you off on Harbour Road, and in the middle of the harbour. Here you will find a number of fish merchants, selling the days catch. To get to Southwold from the harbour, turn right as you get off the Ferry, then follow Southwold Harbour Road (which starts as more of a track) towards the sea, turning left onto Ferry Road which will take you up into Southwold itself.
- Another variation to the main route (above) is to get to Step 5 but to turn right as you come of the footbridge over the River Blyth. There is a cycle track that follows the river and at the end you can either turn left and follow York Road up to the Southwold Water Tower and on in to the centre of Southwold, or you can turn right which takes you to the Harbour, and past the Southwold boarding point for the Ferry.
More information
For more information on things to see and do in Southwold, check out our guide to the town, here.