Suffolk

Flatford and Constable country walk

Explore the picturesque Stour Valley and Dedham Vale on this relaxing walk, visiting the area made famous by the 18th-century paintings of John Constable, England’s foremost landscape artist of the time. See Flatford Mill, Willy Lott's House, the site of The Hay Wain painting, and visit the village of Dedham, where Constable went to school.

Near to

Flatford

Start point

Manningtree Station CO11 2LE. Grid ref: TM093322

Flood warning

Parts of this route are currently inaccessible due to flooding.

Address
Manningtree Station CO11 2LE. Grid ref: TM093322
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Manningtree (London Liverpool Street to Ipswich line).
By bus
Services to Manningtree station and Dedham from Colchester and Ipswich.
Cycling
The Painters Trail cycle route passes through Stour Valley to Manningtree station.
The Painters Trail
By road
Off A137 Harwich to Ipswich road. Car park at Manningtree station, Flatford and Dedham.
Total stages: 8
Total stages: 8
Start point
Manningtree Station CO11 2LE. Grid ref: TM093322
Stage 1
Leave Manningtree station exit and descend ramp to the right. The footpath starts from the end of the ramp in the car par. After leaving the car park, turn right along a track, then right again under a railway bridge. Follow path until you reach the river and turn left along a stream-side path taking you through the Cattawade Marshes.
The Cattawade Marshes is where fresh water and sea water meet | © Michael Graham
Stage 2
Walk behind Fifty-six Gates, and follow the path on the bank to the hamlet of Flatford.
Stage 3
You can take a short detour to see Flatford Mill, Willy Lott's House and the site of The Hay Wain painting. You can then return to Manningtree by the same route or continue on to Dedham.
Flatford and Willy Lott's house
The little riverside hamlet of Flatford is the setting for some of Constable's most famous paintings, such as the well-known 'The Hay Wain'. Bridge Cottage is now home to a National Trust tea-room and shop, and a small exhibition on Constable. Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's house are owned by the National Trust but leased to the Field Studies Council which runs arts-based courses there.
Willy Lott's House and the river Stour at Flatford, Suffolk | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra
Stage 4
Leave Flatford by walking from Bridge Cottage towards the RSPB wildlife garden. Go up the steps on your left and follow the path to the car park. Turn left at the top of the car park and after 110yd (100m) take the footpath running parallel to the road.
Stage 5
Turn left into Fen Lane.
Panoramic views over Dedham Vale | © www.dedhamvalesociety.org.uk
Stage 6
Shortly after crossing a bridge, turn right along a tree-lined footpath. Cross riverside meadows, until you reach a bridge at Dedham.
Constable in Dedham
From his home in East Bergholt, a mile or so to the north, Constable used to walk across the riverside meadows to Dedham every day on his way to school. Dedham is a pretty village with the Church of St Mary the Virgin, home to an original Constable painting, The Ascension. This is the best of his three religious works. It was painted in 1821, the same year as the Hay Wain. Constable painted many idyllic views of the area in his famous six-foot canvases, scenes which remain easily recognisable today. In a letter to his close friend, John Fisher, John Constable described Dedham Vale: 'The sound of water escaping from Mill dams... Willows, Old rotten Banks, slimy posts, & brickwork. I love such things... As long as I do paint I shall never cease to paint such Places...'
Stage 7
Leave the village on a footpath after the drive leading to Dedham Hall. Follow the path to Flatford, bearing left at a National Trust sign to Dedham Hall Farm.
Stage 8
The river leads back to Bridge Cottage across water meadows. A kissing gate marks the site of an old stile featured in another Constable painting, 'The Leaping Horse'. Now retrace your path back to Manningtree Station.
End point
Manningtree Station CO11 2LE. Grid ref: TM093322
Trail map
Flatford and Constable Country walk map | © National Trust
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Flatford, East Bergholt, Suffolk, CO7 6UL

01206297201

flatfordbridgecottage@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Near to

Start point

Trail information

Difficulty*

Full trail

Short trail

Flood warning

Getting here

Facilities

Terrain and elevation

Trail route

Total stages: 8

Total stages: 8

Start point

Stage 1

Point of interest

Stage 2

Point of interest

Stage 3

Point of interest

Stage 4

Stage 5

Point of interest

Stage 6

Point of interest

Stage 7

Point of interest

Stage 8

End point

Trail map

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