Suffolk countryside walk: Holbrook and Alton Water

I’ve been to Alton Water many times; it’s a lovely place to walk whatever the time of year. But for some reason, I’ve never walked across the dam.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never completed the eight-mile full circuit of the reservoir (What? Call yourself a walker? I hear you cry). It’s on my list!

So, I was delighted to find this walk, a circular starting in Lower Holbrook, heading up to Alton Water, crossing at the dam, then heading south and looping round through Sutton and finally along the Stour.

Alton Water (or Alton Reservoir) is a man-made reservoir, 20 metres deep and the largest in Suffolk, with a perimeter of over eight miles/13 km (which, I confess, I have yet to complete). It lies four miles/6.4km south of Ipswich, near the village of Tattingstone.

It was constructed between 1974 and 1987, after growing concern in the 1960s about a shortage of water in the Ipswich area. The town’s population was increasing and questions were being asked about where the future water supply would come from.

Water sports at Alton Water (Image: Jayne Lindill) A list was drawn up of 20 potential sites for reservoirs; Alton was the chosen site. The land was mainly farmland, but it was also the site of a mill and Alton Hall. In 1973, the mill was dismantled and reconstructed at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket (now the Food Museum).

The mill house dates from 1765. In 1903, George Blackmore was employed to run the mill. He and his family lived in the mill house until the outbreak of World War II when they moved to Ipswich and the mill was no longer used commercially.

Alton Hall disappeared beneath the water when the valley was flooded, along with more than 20 other houses and two farms. In Tattingstone, you can find out more by visiting a disused phone box which has been converted to an audio booth where you can hear The Hidden Histories of Alton Water.

Stories of the land and buildings that disappeared when the reservoir was built are told by various people including comedian Griff Rhys Jones who lives in the area. Illustrations by local artist Denise Hawes capture the landmarks and buildings that were lost to the reservoir.

Alton Water has become more than just a source of water for the people of Ipswich and beyond, as far as Felixstowe. Run by Anglian Water it’s a fabulous place for people and families to go to enjoy the great outdoors. Dogs are welcome on leads.

There are facilities for water sports, as well as excellent cycling, running and walking trails. There’s also a very good campsite.

anglianwaterparks.co.uk/alton-water

THE WALK

1. The walk starts in Lower Holbrook, at a little shady car park a mile or so along Fishponds Lane, off the main road through Holbrook village. From here you go through the gate and take the track that leads to Holbrook Bay and Holbrook Creek. After a couple of hundred yards the track forks; go right. Just after the sluice for Holbrook Mill Stream, there’s a path off to the right in a gap in the hedge. Take this and follow it for about a kilometre.

This little stretch of the walk is a treat, especially on a warm day. It meanders through woodland, and skirts meadows, following an offshoot of the creek which serves as the stream for Holbrook Mill which lies ahead.

On a day in late summer, dragonflies are darting across the water, while overhead a kestrel hovers above a meadow of safely grazing sheep. It’s a bucolic dream.

2. When the path emerges at a sharp bend in the road at the bottom of Primrose Hill. Cross over to a little footbridge that crosses the mill stream.

The old mill and mill house stand proudly on the other side of the road. They’ve now been converted to a smart residence, but the white weatherboard building is easily recognisable as the hive of rural industry it once was.

A lovely avenue of willows on the route to Alton Water (Image: Jayne Lindill) 3. Head up the hill. After a few yards there’s a footpath off to the left sign-posted Alton Water. Follow this path for about a kilometre. It passes through more woodland, including a lovely avenue of willow trees, before emerging into open countryside. Buzzards circle overhead and somewhere a church bell tolls the quarter-hour.

Geese sunning themselves on the dam wall (Image: Jayne Lindill) 4. Eventually the path reaches Alton Water, the northern end of the dam, to be precise. I’ve been to Alton Water many times, but have never crossed the dam, so this is a joyful first for me. It’s a feat of engineering, of course, to hold back such a vast body of water.

It’s a glorious day and there are plenty of dinghies out on the water. I peer over the edge of the dam wall and surprise some geese, just a few among hundreds of greylag and Egyptian sunning themselves on the concrete slope. It seems to be the perfect spot.

Crossing the dam I spot the source of the bell that’s been marking my progress for the past hour. Framed by trees is the not too distant tower of the Royal Hospital School, an elegant landmark in these parts.

At the other side of the dam it’s a right turn, following the path past the little family beach and the water activities buildings until you reach the visitor centre and cafe. Go straight on picking up the path and cycle track, past the camp site - about a kilometre in total - until you reach a footpath off to the left.

The Royal Hospital School seen from the banks of the River Stour (Image: Jayne Lindill) 5. Follow the footpath as it winds around fields, eventually emerging onto Holbrook Road in the village of Stutton.

6. Cross over and pick up a path that winds through houses, reaching a T-junction. In front of you is a splendid crenellated wall.

7. Turn left and walk along Churchfield Road, a quiet lane. After about 800 metres, you reach Stutton Green, with Sutton House on your right. Head straight down towards the church and follow a grassy path round to the left sign-posted to Lower Holbrook.

Follow the path for about a kilometre and a half, passing splendid Markwells Farm (home to a well known comedian) until you reach the banks of the River Stour. The wide mudflats and salt marshes glisten in the sun. Suffolk’s estuaries really are magnificent and I make a mental note to return in autumn when thousands of birds will arrive here for winter.

Follow the river wall for about another kilometre until you arrive back at Holbrook Creek. A right turn puts you back on the path for retracing your footsteps to the car park.

COMPASS POINTS

Distance (approx): 5.5 miles/8.8 km

Time (approx): 2.25 hours

Parking: Holbrook Creek car park, via Fishponds Road, Holbrook

Access: gravel tracks, grassy paths, field edges, boardwalks, quiet road. Relatively flat.

Map: OS Explorer 197 Ipswich, Harwich, Felixstowe

Ts & Ps: cafe and public toilets at Alton Water visitor centre