Janet Harber and her sister Jackie Jones are the first to take up the challenge of linking two of more of the Deben churches described by Gareth Thomas in his four-part series last year. Their Felixstowe-based walk was published in The Deben magazine #70 and is reprinted here with additional photographs taken by Janet.
If you feel inspired to try to devise your own walks, linking different Deben Churches, you will find a list at the end of this article. Alternatively you might enjoy Sue Ryder Richardson’s circular walk from Hemley Church.
This five-mile route, a mix of coastal and surburban walking, links the churches of St Peter and St Paul in Old Felixstowe and St Nicholas at Felixstowe Ferry. The two churches are described in detail by Gareth Thomas in his RDA Journal series Churches of the Deben: Part 3B.
Starting from the Cliff Road car park, my sister Judy and I walked this in January 2025 in an anti-clockwise direction. There are several other permutations to suit wind, weather and tidal conditions. OS Explorer 197 Ipswich, Felixstowe and Harwich shows all the public rights of way.
The golf course, looking toward the Ferry.
After descending the steps near the golf club, which is currently a building site for five new houses, turn left and, with the golf course on your left, head along the surfaced Suffolk Coast Path towards the Ferry. Ahead to seaward are the ever-changing massive shingle banks that form The Knolls, shoals across the entrance to the River Deben. At low water you can leave the concrete path and explore the vast expanse of shingle beach beneath which is what was, only a few years ago, the navigable channel in and out of the river. On windy days there will likely be the spectacle of daring kite-boarders doing their thing over the breaking waves.
The Knolls, Summer 2024.
The point at which the ‘old’ entrance now exits is very narrow indeed.
Beyond the Knolls to the north is Bawdsey Manor, once the cliff-top centre of innovative wartime radar operations, and now home to PGL activity holidays.
Attractive coastal planting near the Martello Tower at Felixstowe Ferry.
At the Ferry, turn left just before the Martello tower and then right to find the modest little building that is Felixstowe Ferry’s church. Named for St Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, the church dates back to Victorian times, and was originally combined with a school in a wooden hut. This building was destroyed by an air raid in 1943 and rebuilt in 1954. Inside the bright and homely church are some hand-crafted local wall hangings. Church services are held here on Sunday evenings in the summer and it is used for other events including small scale concerts by Music in Felixstowe.
St Nicholas Church.
Back on the coast path, depending on the season, there are attractive dry gardens fronting the villas, houses and chalets on your left. Near the sailing club, as well as racing dinghies and catamarans, you may see the Ferry rowing club’s gigs St Felix and St Etheldreda. The foot ferry to Bawdsey, the boatyard, the fish shack, and two cafes make up this busy hamlet at the mouth of the Deben.
Rowing club gig St Etheldreda.
The familiar red phone box on the Millenium Green brought back memories for me. In those far off days before mobile phones you were obliged to row ashore from your boat to ring home and tell them of your safe arrival. While you pushed coins into the slots and pressed buttons or reversed the charges, the rest of your crew would already be at the bar in the ancient Ferry Boat Inn, sadly closed at the time of writing.
Houseboats at the Ferry.
Past the Millenium Green there is a footpath along the seawall that winds round behind the boatyard with houseboats, wrecks, mud, saltings and the river on your right. Keep along the wall until you reach a junction and a footpath sign pointing drunkenly to the right. Ignore the sign, go left, through the gate and down to a path along the Tomline Wall, which, as explained on the nearby Golf Club sign, is permissive.
Drunken footpath sign.
Tomline’s Wall permissive path.
Colonel Tomline, a wealthy local landowner who dug out the original Felixstowe Dock basin in Victorian times, had this sea defence built in the 1870s to protect Felixstowe Marshes. After the 1953 flood it was reinforced so the top is a wide and somewhat wild corridor between the driving range and the main golf course. The path is overgrown, muddy and slippery in places so we were glad to have brought sticks with us. There are wide ranging views across the marshes to the west and eastward over the links to the Ferry and the sea.
When you emerge onto the road near the golf club, turn right and keep right on the bend, up the minor Ferry Road. After a short distance look out for a Footpath between the houses on the left. Follow this path, crossing Westmoreland Road, as it winds behind the housing estate gardens for about half a mile until it comes out on Ferry Road again, near the Kingsfleet Primary School. Turn left and carry on to St Peter and St Paul church on the left near the community centre.
Mythological creature at St Peter & St Paul Church.
This parish church is the oldest building in Felixstowe, it dates back to Medieval times, witnessed by the ancient wood carvings of mythological beasts on the choir stall ends. The churchyard contains interesting graves including that of East Anglian landscape and portrait painter Frederick Cotman (1850 to 1920) who has an artist’s palette carved on his tombstone. Another is that of John Spencer Login (1809 to 1863) a Scottish surgeon with the East India Company who became the guardian of the then ten-year-old Maharajah Duleep Singh and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Duleep Singh erected Login’s grand marble tombstone engraved with words chosen by Queen Victoria.
At the north end of the church graveyard is the recently restored Garden of Remembrance, designed and made by Notcutts in 1997 after the graveyard was closed. To the south is a fine lych gate and path to the church, edged by neatly trimmed yew trees.
Church of St Peter and St Paul from the lych gate.
To continue the walk, turn left by the lych gate and follow the footpath between the houses passing St Georges Terrace on your right. This row of period three-storey villas was built to accommodate visitors to Felixstowe wishing to take ‘the sea water treatment’. Follow the well-signed footpath, cross Western Avenue, on through the housing estate, bear right at the open space and come out near The Dip, with the sea across Cliff Road in front of you.
To return directly to the car park turn left up the road, or take the scenic route by crossing the road near the Dip Kiosk, where you can get refreshments on most days of the year. Rejoin the Suffolk Coast Path with the colourful beach huts on your left. At the end of the beach huts you will reach the foot of the steps where you began the walk. Ascend to the car park.
Foot of the Steps to Cliff Road car park.
Janet Harber
Janet Harber is the daughter of Jack Coote, known to many as the author of East Coast Rivers, which Jan took on after his death. She is an RDA member.
- St Mary, Aspall IP14 6NY
- United Reform Church, Debenham IP14 6RN
- St Mary Magdalene, Debenham IP14 6QN
- St Peter’s Church, Cretingham IP13 7BG
- All Saints Church, Easton IP13 0EE
- All Saints Church, Brandeston IP13 7AH
- St Andrew and St Eustachius Church, Hoo IP13 7QX
- St Andrews Church, Kettleburgh IP13 7LF
- St Mary’s Church Letheringham IP13 7QY
- All Saints Church, Wickham Market IP13 0SA
- St Gregory the Great, Rendlesham IP12 2QY
- All Saints Church, Eyke IP12 2QT
- St Mary of the Assumption, Ufford IP13 6DS
- Melton Old Church IP13 6DH
- Church of St Edmund, Bromeswell IP12 2PJ
- All Saints Church, Sutton IP12 3DU
- The Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Shottisham IP12 3HG
- All Saints Church, Ramsholt IP12 3AE
- St Andrews Church, Alderton IP12 3BS
- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bawdsey IP12 3AJ
- St Andrews Church, Melton IP12 IPX
- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Woodbridge IP124LP
- St John’s Church Woodbridge IP12 1HS
- The Methodist Church, Woodbridge IP12 1ED
- The Quay Baptist Church, Woodbridge IP12 1BX
- St Thomas Roman Catholic Church Woodbridge IP12 1EB
- St Mary’s Church Martlesham IP12 4PQ
- All Saints Church, Waldringfield IP12 4PY
- Waldringfield Heath Baptist Church IP12 4PT
- St Mary’s Church Newbourne IP12 4NT
- Church of St john the Baptist, Brightwell IP10 0BE
- All Saints Church, Hemley IP12 4QD
- St Ethelbert’s Church Falkenham IP10 0QY
- St Mary’s Church, Walton IP11 9DS
- Church of St Peter and St Paul, Old Felixstowe IP11 9NF
- St Nicholas Church, Felixstowe Ferry IP11 9RZ