Stour and Orwell Walk - Shotley to Pin Mill

2 April 2010

With rain on the way in the afternoon, Stephen grabbed the opportunity to explore another section of the Stour and Orwell Walk from where he and George left off in November. Poor weather combined with a focus on moving house has meant that there hasn't been much walking this year.

The first short section around the marina duplicates part of the previous walk but it is a pleasant section.

Safely around Shotley Point we continue along Lower Reach, looking across the Orwell to the docks at Felixstowe. The 79702-tonne Maersk Seletar has arrived from Zeebrugge and will leave this afternoon for Bremerhaven.

Looking up the river to Levington Marina

Looking back past the cranes of the Port of Felixstowe to the sea

George and Ellie as the river wall skirts around the marshes of Crane's Creek

Crane's Creek

Approaching Collimer Point, where Lower Reach turns into...

...Long Reach

Looking across Hare's Creek to Holme Wood

The boathouse at Orwell Cottages

The many inlets of Colton's Creek

Across the river to Holme Wood again

Clamp House - just visible for the first time in the distance is the Orwell Bridge

The path then climbs through the attractive Pinmill Cliff Plantation

Giving occasional glimpses through the trees - and soon we are at our destination.  As it turned out, the rain held off until later than expected, so we could have gone further, but it was still a pleasant little walk.

Total 8.6 km, (7.7 km being a new section of the Stour & Orwell Walk) in 1 hours 53 mins.