Gallery - Walking in Constable Country – Exploring the Stour Valley
This Gallery Relates to the following trip from Large Outdoors:
Constable Country Walking Weekend: Discover Scenic Suffolk
🔗 https://www.largeoutdoors.com/constable-country-walking-weekend-discover-scenic-suffolk
Our Large Outdoors Constable Country walking weekend took us through the landscapes that inspired John Constable, following the River Stour and exploring historic villages, nature reserves, and iconic locations captured in his paintings.
After a hearty breakfast at our hotel on Saturday, we set off for Flatford Mill, once owned by the Constable family. John, our guide, led us onto a bridge where we compared a real-life view with a reproduction of one of Constable’s paintings, seeing how the landscape had changed since the 19th century. A small exhibition showcased full-size reproductions of Constable’s most famous works, before we visited Willy Lott’s house, instantly recognisable from The Hay Wain.
From Flatford, we walked along the north bank of the River Stour, enjoying the peaceful surroundings as we made our way to Stratford Bridge, before continuing east towards Dedham for a well-earned café stop. The afternoon took us through the Stour Estuary Nature Reserve, where we spotted red kites, curlews, kestrels, wigeons, and teal, with the calls of Canada geese filling the air. Our route followed the Stour Valley Path, bringing us back to Flatford Mill before visiting East Bergholt Church, where the bells are housed in a wooden structure rather than a traditional tower.
Sunday’s walk began in Nayland, a historic village of timber-framed houses. A local resident joked that while they’re beautiful to look at, they’re not so easy to live in! Our route took us through the rolling countryside of the Dedham National Landscape, down green lanes, and into Spouse’s Vale Nature Reserve. We continued through a wooded valley to Wissington Church, a Grade I listed building featuring wall paintings dating back to 1280. Finally, we followed the River Stour back to Nayland, where we said our goodbyes after a fantastic weekend of walking, history, and exploration.
Take a look at our gallery of images from the weekend and discover the landscapes that inspired John Constable!
