Framlingham

For my first addition to 'Walks with Skyla' I decided to keep it nice and local and go somewhere I knew where to park. So I asked my mum and sister if they wanted to join, and together (along with my sisters dog, Ruby), we headed to Framlingham and parked just up from where the trail started (we parked on Fairfield Rd but the trail suggested Fore street).

We switched on the trail and made our way to the green line depicting the route we should take. We were soon outside the Castle inn and I would say this is the ideal start and end of the trail. So if you're not using the app, and simply trusting my directions (let me know they work if you do!) then I would head here to start.

From the inn, head up towards the castle, and then take the gate on your right which will open up into a nice grass area. We took Skyla and Ruby off lead for a nice run and were greeted by an exuberant collie who wanted to join them. You now want to head across the green and take the path entering the wooded area. We stopped here to turn and take a pic of the castle.

Framlingham castle

Go through the woods and if your dogs are off lead be careful as there is a busy road ahead and you will need to pop them back on lead for a short while.

As you leave the woods , turn left and you can either walk along the road or the edge of the field (please note this is not a designated footpath but does appear to be used as such). If walking along the road, you can enter the field at the corner.

Continue following along the edge of the field, over the bridge and along the edge of the next field.

As you get to the top of the field turn right and follow the footpath. After you have walked a while you will need to be careful as there is a road ahead which is not visible. It doesn't appear to be a busy road but there were a couple of cars that we saw.

Red line indicates the road you can't see

Turn left on to the road and follow it down and round to the left at Great Lodge. We did let our dogs off lead along this bottom bit of road as it is very quiet and you can see ahead clearly, however please only do this if you have totally reliable recall.

Along this road (just before you need to turn off) there is a bridge, at which my sister became excited and informed us it was a gauging station (she works for the environment agency and not just a weird rainfall nerd). But I actually found myself interested in what she was saying so I thought it was worthy of noting in case anyone else does too!!! So, apparently , the little nozzle thing measures the height of the river using infra red (or similar), making it easier to measure the depth of the river ( I may not have been listening totally to what she said as Skyla was taking the opportunity to try and get in the river at what can only be described as a stupid place, so excuse my lack of terminology!).

If you choose to not get distracted by the big green box, then leave the road at the poo bin and follow the footpath to your left. This will take you to a field owned by Framlingham college. There is a sign to remind you, but please ensure your dogs are on lead at this point. Keep to the left of the field and continue round until you reach a bridge. Dogs can now go back off lead if you choose. Head over the bridge and then immediately take the path which goes to the right.

Kate and Ruby posing on the bridge

Skyla showing the way!

Continue following this footpath and you will go over another bridge and through a gate. Follow the path around the edge of the field. Don't leave through the gates on your right as they head to a road and you're not ready to finish your walk just yet!

Time for some more pictures as you can't not admire the scenery on this part of the walk....

we snuck off the path for a posey photo

As the path forks we took the right hand fork, and then after this we decided to be brave and deviate from the all trails app. If following the app, you will leave on to elm car park and head back along roads to your starting point. However we decided to continue straight on as the footpaths looked like they headed back to the castle (spoiler alert - we were right!)

Head over the bridge and then a little while after, take the gate on your right. (A short pit stop for mum to pick some blackberries!)

Head up the hill (don't panic it's not a big hill) and at the top, turn right. You'll soon reach a little white gate and you're back at the inn where you started!!

green line = all trails walk blue line = the walk we did

So now for my feedback......

We discussed whether I could rate the walk as I had nothing to compare it to, and I think I can... so my rating is 3.5 out of 5.

On the whole, it was a nice walk. It was easy to follow, very flat, had some nice sights and was a nice length. Taking around 1.5 hours to complete (but we stopped for photos, rainfall education and blackberry picking). The down side was there was a little bit of road walking and no breathtaking scenery other than the castle itself.

However what did make it even more enjoyable was the option for refreshments afterwards. We decided to eat at a lovely cafe called the dancing goat cafe, but there were many other options nearby too.

Good doggy

Lovely salmon bagel and a cup of tea to finish

I now very much look forward to another walk next month........