Over 70 Walks across Suffolk | 13-28 May 2023

This year’s Suffolk Walking Festival takes place from 13-28 May.

Created in 2007 the festival is one of the largest and longest running (and we think one of the best!) walking festivals in the country.

The festival takes place every May and celebrates Suffolk’s natural landscapes and built heritage with guided walks in every corner of the county.

The 2023 festival launches on Saturday 13th May and spans 2 weeks with over 70 walks. Launch day will be held in the beautiful Thornham Estate with a discovery tour of the estate’s natural history; a tasty stroll foraging the estate’s woodlands; a step back in time along a 900-year old Drove Road; and a night exploration of hoots, heavens and things that glow!

The 2-week festival programme offers walks in every corner of Suffolk: seek out otters in the Blyth Valley; join archaeologists on a journey into Suffolk’s very own Valley of the Kings; and learn the ancient tradition of ‘Beating the Bounds’. There are walks about Suffolk poets, artists and writers; we celebrate Rogation Day in Bury St Edmunds; and experience the Japanese practice of Forest Bathing!

The festival started life as the Heart of Suffolk Walking Festival with just 30 walks in the central part of the county. In 2010 it gained support across Suffolk to become the Suffolk Walking Festival. In 2012 a long-distance multi-day walk named The Challenge Walk was launched, and in 2018 the Fringe Festival, an opportunity to get close to nature in the very heart of the countryside, was introduced.

The festival is a great way to discover parts of Suffolk you perhaps never knew existed, learn about the county’s fascinating and ancient history, and make new friends whilst walking and talking! There is something for everyone, from short walks to long walks, family walks to history walks, even a night walk.

Read more on The Suffolk Walking Festival website.