Aldeburgh Marshes

The day looked promising. Brought to our attention by two sets of friends we would make a start by skirting the mudflats, pass the sewerage works, walk up through the marshes and end up at the clay pit. What more could a family of two dogs and two humans wish for on a warm weekend walk. What really surprised was that this festival of smells was promised by a visit to Aldeburgh, respected and respectable Suffolk coastal town. Walking out from the White Hart at the southern end of the town, the roads quickly turn into dusty gravel paths that are so common on the seacoast. Here the day-trippers park in great numbers and this is where the public loos, and doggie poo bin, the Mr Whippy ice cream and all the other paraphernalia of the seaside can be found. However stretching away inland lies a comparative wilderness, ringed by the river Alde on which the sailing boats and yachts glide silently by. Aldeburgh Marshes are in fact a very accessible wilderness. Across its square mile (approx.) a multitude of pathways crisscross the reclaimed low lying land which today, as in years gone by, are used for livestock grazing and arable farming. A sanctuary for wildlife and wild fowl the marshes are riddled with dykes and pools, embankments and cart tracks all of which are a testament to man’s ingenuity and his efforts to reap the rewards of the East Anglian landscape. The marshes offer a full circular walk of approximately two to three miles with plenty of space for dogs to wander and play safely off the lead. Returning into town by the sea wall we met two Labradors just setting off for their trip. Our dogs played and scooted about as we nodded and mumbled greetings common to dog walkers. We had a good day and were full of that gentle wish for others to enjoy the same. Aldeburgh marshes are a super little get-away from it all, right where you did not expect to find it. Go find it.

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