Look out for the Good Journey Mark – where car-free visitors are welcome and enjoy a discount
Car-free toThe Shotley PeninsulaSuffolk
Discover a salty slice of Suffolk, beginning with a scenic bus ride by the water, offering spectacular views of the Orwell estuary. It’s great countryside for strolling including the long-distance Stour and Orwell Walk. Soak up maritime heritage in Shotley Gate and Harwich (seven minutes away by boat). Sample local food and drink at various pubs and the Suffolk Food Hall along the way.
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1. Waterside pub and walk
Stroll through the woods or hike along the estuary.
- Catch bus 97 from opposite Ipswich railway station and sit on the top deck, if there is one, for the best views. The bus only goes every hour and a half so you’ll need to plan ahead. Luckily, there is a pub next to the bus stop.
- A £6.50 Shotley day rover ticket lets you get on and off where you like. On Sundays, there are only four buses each way.
- Hop off the bus after twenty minutes, in the village of Chelmondiston.
- Head for Pin Mill, an easy half-mile from the bus stop, to visit the Butt and Oyster pub surrounded by sailing boats
- Take a stroll through the National Trust’s Pin Mill woods next door with masses of wild flowers in spring and views of the wide river.
- For a longer hike, follow the Stour and Orwell Walk for five miles to Shotley Gate, through idyllic fens and atmospheric salt marshes.
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2. Visit the Museum and Marina at Shotley Gate
If you’d rather ride than walk, simply get back on the bus and take it all the way to the marina. The bus waits here beside the boats before heading back towards Ipswich.
- Dozens of benches look out from the marina’s grassy bank, across the confluence of two huge estuaries.
- Shotley Gate’s free museum of HMS Ganges, where 160,000 naval recruits trained in the 20th-century, celebrates the area’s maritime heritage.
- A short walk along the nearby cliffs above the River Stour reveals more relics of the area’s naval past.
- Erwarton Bay nature reserve is a mile away along the river. Look out for orange-billed oystercatchers, great crested grebe, and all kinds of other water birds.
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3. Catch the little yellow ferry to Harwich
Just seven minutes across the water from Shotley marina, the long sands and colourful beach huts of Harwich beckon.
- The ferry costs £7 return and runs hourly with a break for lunch.
- You can visit the lighthouses, pier and huge fort museum or just have tea somewhere.
- For more car-free adventures in the area, see our guide to Harwich
- From here, you could choose to get a direct train towards London. Without a car, you don’t have to return the way you came!
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4. Take a scenic bus ride back
The bus from Ipswich to Shotley and back runs beside the River Orwell
- Erwarton Hall near Shotley has an extraordinary brick gateway with turrets. Get off at Erwarton Turn and stroll down the Street to see this and some great countryside beyond.
- Look out for 18th-century Wolverstone Hall near Chelmondiston – a Palladian mansion framed by a leafy drive.
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5. Relax at the Suffolk Food Hall
As the bus goes under the spectacular Orwell Bridge, you can get off to eat or shop at the Suffolk Food Hall
- You’ll find beef from Red Poll cattle, artisanal sourdough from the bakery, local fish, fruit and veg, wines from Dedham Vale, and a delicatessen counter selling pies, quiches, cured meats and cheeses.
- Stop off on the way out for a picnic and morning coffee in the café or on the way home for souvenirs and tea…
- The Cookhouse restaurant serves full meals until 5pm and is open late on Fridays and Saturdays.
