A new 50-mile walk linking Suffolk’s wool towns has been completed after years in the making, to help celebrate local heritage and boost tourism.
Sudbury Ramblers and Clare Walkers announced they will formally launch the Wool Towns Walk next month, following the completion of waymarking.
Created by the two groups, in collaboration with Suffolk County Council, the circular route takes in Sudbury, Clare, Hadleigh, Lavenham and Long Melford, which are all known as wool towns because of their historic links to the weaving industry.
The project has been in the pipeline since 2017, when Clare Walkers conceived the idea and pitched it to the Wool Towns’ Association, although this was unsuccessful.
Sudbury Ramblers then took up the mantle, scoping out the route as part of its delayed 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022.
The volunteers then submitted it to the county council to be included in the programme for the 2023 Suffolk Walking Festival.
The walk is now being formally marked out, with the council contributing to the initial set-up costs, enabling the publication of leaflets and a website about the route.
Derek Blake, chairman of Clare Walkers, said: “As well as providing an excellent recreational resource, it is hoped the walk will help boost tourism in the area by gaining traction among the wider walking community.
“In addition to the five main towns, the route contains stunning villages like Boxford, Cavendish and Kersey, as well as the three Belchamp villages in Essex.
“It is also a gateway to some amazing history, from stories of powerful barons, the wealth of the wool industry, the impact of religion and the legacy of artists like Thomas Gainsborough.”
It is hoped the Wool Towns Walk, which can be undertaken in full over a period of four days or split into four to eight individual linear sections, will also feature on Ordnance Survey Explorer Series mapping in the future.
Full details of the route and its history will be published online in due course at www.wooltownswalk.co.uk.
