Walking the Suffolk Coast Path

When was the last time you woke up bright and early on a weekday morning, with no need for an alarm call, rested and impatient for the day ahead? My last time was a week ago, when I awoke in the Pier Hotel in Harwich, eager to walk the first bit of my latest hike, along the Suffolk Coast Path.

The Suffolk Coast Path runs for 55 miles, from Felixstowe to Lowestoft. Almost the entire route passes through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. No ugly modern eyesores. Hurrah! As I gobble up my power breakfast (spinach and poached eggs – v healthy), looking out across the cold grey water, I plan today’s trek: along the seafront from Felixstowe, and then up the River Deben to Waldringfield, about 13 miles away.

I first got the idea of walking the Suffolk Coast Path a few months ago, when I staggered into the Pier Hotel, at the end of my trek along the Essex Way. In the Pier, saw a brochure for something called the Milsom Way. You spend the first night in Dedham, then walk to Harwich, where you spend a second night, then on to Waldringfield, with dinner, bed and breakfast at three hotels along the way: Milsoms and the Pier in Essex, and Kesgrave Hall in Suffolk. Milsoms