In the Gipping Valley

The story of the Gipping Valley is of a river which has turned full circle, from peaceful rural backwater to industrial corridor and back again in the space of 200 years. Until the late 18th century, the Gipping between Stowmarket and Ipswich was a gently flowing river, meandering through the meadows and popular with anglers and those who had the time to enjoy a walk in the fresh air. All that changed in 1790, when a team of 200 men spent three years working with picks and shovels, building locks and a tow path to turn the river into a canal. For the next hundred years, the Gipping was a hive of activity as mills, maltings and factories were built beside the river and barges travelled upstream as far as Stowmarket carrying timber, coal, bricks and malt.

The arrival of the railway brought a slow decline in river traffic and, by the early 20th century, the Gipping was abandoned and neglected, its waters polluted by industrial waste. An anonymous poem of the time aptly described its plight:

'The sludgey squdgey Gipping

Shall sleep in its fetid bed,

The symbol of human progress,

Fettered and choked and dead'

Just as rail replaced rivers, so roads replaced rail with the building of the A14 trunk road, carving a course through the heart of mid Suffolk on its way from Felixstowe to the Midlands. Much of the gravel used in the construction of the A14 was quarried from the Gipping Valley, further scarring an already damaged landscape. Out of the ashes of destruction, however, has risen a new river whose waters are once again teeming with fish and whose reed beds provide habitats for wild flowers, butterflies and birds. Otters have even returned to the river. The gravel pits have been flooded and turned into tranquil lakes, as popular with fishermen as they are with kingfishers and herons. This walk takes you along part of the Gipping Valley River Path, which runs for 17 miles (27km) from Stowmarket railway station to Ipswich docks, where the Gipping becomes the River Orwell and continues its journey to the sea. You walk beside the river on the old tow path, passing woodland, lakes and wildflower meadows in a narrow corridor between the railway and the A14. Bridges, locks and watermills provide regular reminders of the river's industrial past but these days the valley is almost totally devoted to leisure. The walk begins at the Barham picnic site, where there is a small visitor centre explaining the history and ecology of the Gipping Valley. The rangers here organise a regular programme of guided walks and events.

Where to eat and drink

The Chequers at Great Blakenham serves decent pub food and has a children's play area in the garden. Drinks and snacks are also available at Baylham House rare breeds farm and walkers are welcome to use the café without visiting the farm. Alternatively, take a picnic to the picnic site at the start of the walk.

While you're there

Baylham House rare breeds farm is located on the site of Combretovium, a strategic Roman fort. Children in particular will enjoy exploring the farm, with its collection of Shetland cattle, Norfolk rams, goats, chickens and kune-kune pigs. The farm is open daily from 11am to 5pm.

What to look for

Keep an eye out for otters in the River Gipping. According to the rangers, they can easily be confused with mink so you need to know the signs. Adult otters are about twice the size of a domestic cat and have chocolate brown rather than dark brown or black fur. Unlike mink, whose head and body are both visible above water when swimming, the only part of an otter you will see in the water is its head.