Angles Way 9: Beccles to Oulton Broad

23 June 2012

After parking at Oulton Broad South station in Lowestoft, George and I caught the train to Beccles. Here the train continues south towards Ipswich as we start our walk with a stroll through Beccles.

We reach the start of today's section of the Angles Way. It is sunny but breezy, and the character of the Angles Way changes dramatically here, becomming a riverside walk for most of today's route, rather than the countryside walk with occasional encounters with the river which has been its nature to this point.

Walking along the south side of the river, there are lots of dinghies out enjoying the breeze.

The reclaimed marshes are home to quite a few cattle

For a considerable length the bank of the river has been reinforced with this wood-topped steel piling, in some places slightly adding to the height of the bank but in other places just making the river wall stronger. Most of the time the river is higher than the surrounding land.

A pillar on the left and the end of the embankment on the right are the remains of where a railway line once crossed the river (to the left of picture) running from Beccles to Haddiscoe, a route which now involves travelling via Lowestoft.

One of the drainage ditches on the other side of the river wall

The Lowestoft Air Show was on today, and there were occasional glimpses in the distance, but these two came rather closer.

One of the pumps that help drain the marshes

The river can just be glimpsed on the left as the riverbank continues across the land. After yet more wet weather, I had been concerned about conditions underfoot, but almost the entire walk was dry and easy-going.

Looking down the river to Burgh St Peter Staithe, this is the point where the Angles Way leaves the riverbank

We cross the marshes

And reach the edge of Lowestoft. I can only assume that this is some form of art because it isn't a campground nor migrant worker accommodation.

The Angles Way took us right back to Oulton Broad South station, but I wanted to have a proper look at Oulton Broad, so added a little loop. The wind continued to be quite brisk, and one person trying to set off in a dinghy capsized immediately. But these smart wooden craft seemed to be taking it in their strides

The building at the heart of the park here

Time to go home - we will be back for the next section, to St Olaves and Haddiscoe station.

Total walk was 17.0 km in 4 hours 12 mins (14.1 km in 3 hours 25 mins of progress along the Angles Way)