Some while ago I was talking to Woodbridge friends who had just returned from a holiday in France. They had had a great time but were feeling tired and rather flat after their long journey home; that is until they reached Market Hill where they stopped the car and looked around them. Before them stood the Shire Hall, and piazza style square, the pump and an array of hanging baskets and planters full of summer flowers with the tower of St Mary's Church in the background.

He told me that despite living in Woodbridge all their lives they had never really appreciated how attractive and fascinating the town was. They looked at one another and said in unison. How about Woodbridge for our next holiday Next day they walked around the town, appreciating the historic beauty and delightful atmosphere with new eyes. Woodbridge really is a fascinating town, well worth spending time in. If you are visiting rather than staying in Woodbridge there are several car parks close to the river on either side of the Ipswich Road - the Turban Centre, the station car park and the leisure centre car park. You might prefer to take the train to Woodbridge, well worth it as there are splendid views across the estuaries and the sea along the East Coast line from Ipswich to Lowestoft.

Work began in 1856 to create the railway line; the Eastern Union Railway owning the line to the north of Woodbridge and the East Suffolk Railway south; the level crossing on Tide Mill Way being the actual boundary between the two companiesí railways. The line finally opened on 1st June 1859.

Starting your walk from the front of the railway station you can either follow a short walk through the town or beside the river. The more energetic might prefer to do both.

From the station turn right beside the Riverside - a cinema / theatre with a lovely restaurant - and follow the river walk round to the Tide Mill. A five storey, white weather boarded building; this is the only working tide mill in the country. There has been a mill here since1170; the present one, built in the early eighteenth century, worked commercially until 1956 when the shaft of the water wheel broke. In 1968 the decaying mill was bought and restored, a new mill pond being dug in 1981. In beautiful condition, open to visitors from Easter to October The Tide Mill is well worth a visit.

The river front has changed considerably over the past 100 years. Today this is an area largely devoted to leisure, although there are still boat builders, sail makers and chandlers scattered along the riverbank. From here there are superb views both along and across the river to Sutton Hoo. Follow the path past the Waterfront Cafe over the railway and across the Ipswich Road. If you turn right you will see Brook Street on your left, with its pretty little traditional cottages, turn right again through the Turban Centre Car Park and follow the signs for Elmhurst Park. A quiet haven, Elmhurst Park was given to the town by the last Lord Woodbridge in 1935. The gardens are beautifully kept and great for picnics. Look out for the summer concert programme.

Follow the path across the top of the park and you will come to the Red Lion Pub. From here turn left along the Thoroughfare. Take a right turn past Woodbridge Fine Foods and Woodbridge Library and then follow New Street (said to be the oldest street in Woodbridge.) There are several interesting buildings on your left, a delightful timber framed house - Bridewell - one of the few exposed timber framed buildings in Woodbridge. The original arched tops to the doorways and windows remain. Close by is The Bell and Steelyard, a delightful jettied building. The ësteelyardí was used to weigh loaded carts on their way down to the river from the market and empty carts on their way back. The old market was in Market Hill which opens out before you at the top of New Street.

Attractively framed by some really delightful buildings, a number dating back to the early medieval period; the steep roofs the only outward clue to their age, Market Hill is dominated by the magnificent Shire Hall. Built at the behest of Thomas Seckford, who used it for court sessions, its exterior was meticulously renovated in 2004. Now used for civil weddings and council meetings, the first floor houses the Suffolk Horse Museum, an exhibition devoted to the Suffolk Punch, a rare breed of heavy working horses. Before the Shire Hall stands the Town Pump.

Built in 1876, again from funds provided by the Thomas Seckford Foundation, the pump and drinking fountain provided much needed water for the old thriving livestock market. On the north of the square is a plaque commemorating Edward FitzGerald, famous for his translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (see the Woodbridge Wits), while to the south of the square is the Woodbridge Museum, a timber framed building with a later Georgian brick façade, a treasure trove of information on the history of the town and Sutton Hoo, the Saxon burial ground. To the west of the square is the King's Head, have a look at the small carvings on the exterior cross beam on the Seckford Street side. Again the street includes a number of medieval buildings as well as at least three old pubs, now houses. Beyond the Fen Meadow, once home to fairs and occasional circuses are the Seckford Almshouses which were substantially improved in the mid 1800s to include an hospital and chapel and the laying out of terraced gardens, the grounds enclosed by magnificent iron palisading and two sets of iron gates bearing the arms of Thomas Seckford.

If you now re-pass the Fen Meadow you will see Queen's Head Lane on your left which leads up to Theatre Street (a steep hill!) and directly in front of you the grounds of Woodbridge School. To the right is the remains of an old windmill. On the left of Theatre Street is the old House of Correction, on the right an attractive carved wooden arch leading to what was The Old School.

Back in Market Hill you will see an alleyway on your right. Take the path through here and down the steps to the magnificent entrance to St Mary's Church - it has to be one of the most attractive approaches of any church. There has been a church here since before the Norman Conquest, and when a priory was founded in the late 12th century the old building was used by both the canons and the people. Work began on the current church at the beginning of the 15th century. The splendid 108 ft tower and flushwork base display crowned 'MR's for the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is much to see in the spacious stately interior, including the rather battered but beautiful Seven Sacrament font and a delightful medieval brass.

Thomas Seckford built his own chapel north of the chancel where lay his tomb, that is until the Victorians purchased a new organ and the tomb was moved. If you leave the churchyard via the main entrance you will see Church Street with its pretty Georgian Terrace opposite beside the Bull Hotel. At one time a coaching inn, its most famous landlord was John Groats, who bred horses and sold them to the King of Italy and the Viceroy of India.

Church Street includes a wide variety of buildings, of various ages and styles, from the medieval to the ultra modern - a really attractive composition. The Abbey, once an Augustinian Priory (now the Abbey School) was renovated and made into a family home by Thomas Seckford, and is a good example of early brick building, the pinnacles later additions. Opposite the Abbey you will see a shop front with what looks like bricks above. Look carefully, for these íbricksí are, in fact, tiles hung with mathematical precision. FollowChurch Street down to Turn Lane on your right. On the right is a Quaker graveyard where Bernard Barton is buried (banker and poet and another of the Woodbridge wits). The bottom of the lane opening onto Cumberland Street contains the most fantastic and ever growing collection of plants lovingly cared for by one of the cottage owners. Just to the right are some early Victorian houses with large, glass panes and recessed windows and doorways. Note the fine Victorian toothed detailing to the fascia and bargeboards on no. 29, the building itself is a much older - timber framed construction - with a jettied first floor. Bartonís Cottage which he described as ìMy little nut shell of a houseî is well worth a look. Cumberland, Marston and Gordon Houses form a very fine group with their Georgian exteriors, doors and door cases. Named after officers who lived in them during the Napoleonic Wars.

At the junction with Quay Street you can either take a diversion along the Thoroughfare and enjoy the shops or make your way back down towards the station passing the old Customs House on your way.