Walking trail
Flatford and Constable country walk
Explore the picturesque Stour Valley and Dedham Vale made famous by the 18th-century paintings of John Constable, England’s foremost landscape artist of the time.
Enjoy panoramic views on a walk through history
John 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’s description of the Dedham Vale, said '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......'
Map
Start:
Manningtree Station, grid ref: TM093322
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 streamside path taking you through the Cattawade Marshes.
Cattawade Marshes
The Cattawade Marshes is where the freshwater of the Stour meets the tidal estuary and is a great place to spot waterfowl and waders. The little egret (pictured) can also be seen fishing in streams and ditches downstream of Flatford.
2
Walk behind Fifty-six Gates, and follow the path on the bank to the hamlet of Flatford.
Fifty-six Gates
The banks are protected from very high tides by a new barrier further downstream. Fifty-six Gates is the original flood defence designed to stop salt water inundating the low-lying Dedham Vale.
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.
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.
5
Turn left into Fen Lane.
Panoramic views
Look out for the landscape which inspired 'The Cornfield' when walking along Fen Lane towards Dedham.
6
Shortly after crossing a bridge, turn right along a tree-lined footpath. Cross riverside meadows, until you reach a bridge at Dedham.
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 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.
7
Leave the village on a footpath after the drive to Dedham Hall. Follow this to Flatford, bearing left at a National Trust sign to Dedham Hall Farm.
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. Retrace your path back to Manningtree Station.
End:
Manningtree Station, grid ref: TM093322
