Trimley

Station walk - by Michael Anderton

Background

The branch line to Felixstowe Dock has been one of the most successful of the Suffolk branch lines. In recent years

the track has been privately extended by the dock company to include a loop to allow direct running into the dock. The original Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company opened their line for passengers between Westerfield and Felixstowe Pier (in the present day docks) on the 1st May 1877. Felixstowe Town station was built by Great Eastern Railways and opened on 1st July 1898 to connect the town with Ipswich. There were also stations at Felixstowe Beach (closed in 1959), Orwell situated north of Nacton village (closed 1959) and Derby Road in Ipswich. Today the line is well served with diesel railcars from Ipswich and Freightliner traffic heading for the docks branch line.

The walk provides a mixture of the countryside, a good view of the new dock link section and a flavour of Felixstowe's container port, is about 3 miles long and can be extended to take in the Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve (add 21/2 miles). There is also a port viewing point on Fagbury Cliffs, about 1 mile from the station along a good firm track to provide a shorter walk.

Walk Route

From the station, turn left out of the station yard, over the railway crossing and along Cordys Lane for 350 metres to

turn left on Blofield Track opposite house number 38. Follow the track down to a wooden barrier and on to a concrete railway overbridge carrying the dock spur line for freight trains into the port.

Turn right just before the bridge and following the path in the field along the right side of the railway. Continue on past a crossing point where another path joins and on, still alongside the railway and heading towards the container port that can be seen ahead. Follow the path to the end of the field and then down through the trees to another railway crossing point. Turn right, following the path along the dock fence and then right again up the hill on a stony track onto the cliffs.

On the brow of the hill you will find the Fagbury Cliff viewing point complete with a seat for you to rest, take in the view and experience the hubbub of a large container port at work. Over the top you can see the ships moving in and out of

the port and clear across to the other side of the river. Can you identify Shotley Marina, the mast of the former HMS Ganges, Parkeston Quay, Harwich Church and Walton on the Naze? The modern Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the British Isles, is the 4th largest in Europe and the 15th largest in the world, handling over 1 million containers every year. Ideally served by both road and rail it is strategically positioned to serve the main UK markets and the whole of Europe. It has the most advanced container facilities in the UK, with computerised customs clearance and Radio Data Transmission systems for container positioning and handling. Dredging in the Port's main channel has led to unrestricted entry for large container vessels to the Trinity Terminal at all states of the tide.

Continue on the stony track down the hill, following round to the right and inland on on oak tree lined track. The first left turn leads to Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Nature Reserve, 1? miles away and provides a nice extension to the walk if required. The reserve was created when the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company extended the port, granting the private Parliamentary Bill to extend the dock included a condition that an 83 hectare nature reserve should be constructed. With funding from the Dock Company, Suffolk Wildlife Trust was tasked with creating and managing the site. A series of wet grazing meadows and freshwater lagoons with islands, three hides and a public footpath through make this an ideal place to view the many species of visiting birds including the graceful black and white

avocets which now breed in Britain.

Otherwise continue along the main track through Christmasyards Woods and at the other side turn off left on a field edge grass track alongside a new plantation. This path provides a panoramic view of the River Orwell and the area covered by the Nature Reserve over to the left. Where the track bends to the left, turn right on a well defined path across the field with electricity poles in the centre. Continue straight on in the next field, along the field edge and up to the corner. Turn right out onto Keepers Lane and straight on to reach Cordys Lane, then left to return to the railway station and the start of the walk.

Thank you for taking the time to explore this walk.

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