Lower Ufford

A village on the Deben, gave its name to the family of Robert de Ufford, who fought at Poitiers in 1356 and was made Earl of Suffolk.

Driving into the village over the narrow bridge which crosses the river and water meadows you might imagine that you were travelling back in time. Cattle and Suffolk Punch ~ a rare breed of enormous working horses, originally bred in Ufford ~ graze the marsh grass by the river bank, children fish the shallows of the Deben river, while the traditional and well kept village houses and village church are a joy to behold. Suffolk Cottage Holidays

Bawdsey Quay

Woodbridge 10 miles. Standing sentinel over the coast and the entrance to the Deben Estuary, Bawdsey Quay is nothing more than a row of cottages and a big house, Bawdsey Manor, a Victorian 'pile' created by Sir Cuthbert Quilter and later taken over by the government as the centre for radar development. Here you can join the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Path which takes you to Lowestoft in the north, Felixstowe and the Essex border in the south, by way of the foot ferry which runs across the mouth of the Deben estuary throughout the summer and at weekends in spring and autumn.

Bawdsey Quay has a lovely little sandy beach, a cafe and spectacular views up and down the estuary and out to sea.

There is a car park about 200 yards from the Quay. Stay in Bawdsey Quay with href="//www.suffolkcottageholidays.com" target=_blank">Suffolk Cottage Holidays " target=_blank">Suffolk Cottage Holidays

Alderton

Alderton is really little more than a street of traditional cottages set in the coastal strip just a mile from the sea at Bawdsey. The church tower collapsed several hundred years ago, and yet the remainder of the church remains intact and has been home to Summer on the Peninsula, a season of summer concerts for several years. Despite its relative obscurity today it has had its fare share of famous inhabitants including the poet Giles Fletcher who was rector here in the early part of the 17th century, Robert Naunton, who lived at Alderton Hall, a member of the Court of James II. Stay in Alderton Alderton Hall

The Deben and the Ore turn this part of Suffolk into a virtual peninsula and on the seaward side lie Hollesley and Shingle Street. Overlooking a shingle bank at the entrace to the Ore (known as the Alde Estuary elsewhere), Shingle Street comprises a row of little houses, the coastguard cottages and a Martello Tower. Its very isolation is an attraction, and the sight of the sea rushing into and out of the river is worth a journey.

Whilst the shingle bank at Shingle Street is still growing the cliffs to the south and north are gradually disappearing into the sea. This has affected the route of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Path. Rocks have been shipped in from as far afield as Norway and some fascinating looking breakwaters installed to reduce the effect of the waves, so you should keep to designated paths and avoid climbing on the rocks.

This is a wonderful area to explore particularly on foot or by bike. Footpaths and bridleways are often the only access to the estuary, but once there, the estuary mudflats are rich in flora and populated by large flocks of waders and wildfowl. The shere beauty and solitude of the heaths and estuary is well worth seeing at any time of year.