The Wolf Way starts in Bury St Edmunds, a town with good road and rail connections. If you choose to travel by train, and we offer a scheduled transfer from the station at 17:00. Alternatively if arriving outside of the scheduled time, the hotel is within a short taxi ride of the station. For those arriving by car, we can provide more information on long stay parking.

If you arrive early, there is plenty to explore in Bury St Edmunds, the home of Saint Edmund, the original patron Saint of England, with St Edmundsbury Cathedral and Abbey Gardens the impressive focal point of this lively market town, which also offers plenty of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants to enjoy. Our accommodation tonight is in the centre of Bury, and we’ll dine together in the evening. This will be a great opportunity to meet the rest of the group, and the guides will be on hand to answer any questions and provide a general overview of the next few days of cycling.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 730 Metres Approx.

Starting at the historic Abbey of St Edmund, beside the statue of St Edmund and his guardian wolf, we set off on our journey for a long but rewarding day. We leave Bury on a pleasant cycle path along the River Lark, soon heading south through quiet lanes that wind through the rolling Suffolk countryside.

We pass through Lavenham, known for its half-timbered houses and 15th-century church, and past the impressive Tudor manor house of Melford Hall as we skirt around Sudbury on an old railway path. From there, we head toward the Stour Valley and Bures, following more meandering country roads and Holloways (or “sunken roads“) to Hadleigh. We then join another disused railway line before continuing east to our accommodation on the outskirts of Ipswich, where we can unwind, knowing that the longest day is behind us.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 440 Metres Approx.

After breakfast, the first part of our morning will be weaving our way through the cycle-friendly town of Ipswich on its network of cycle paths, past the lovely marina on the River Orwell. We then follow the banks of the river all the way to the river’s mouth and the Edwardian seaside town of Felixstowe, which is now a bustling port. After navigating our way out of town along the coast and a fun of off-road trail section, we make our way north, riding parallel to the River Deben.

More twisting country lanes take us to the small but idyllic market town of Woodbridge where we can enjoy a drink on the banks of the river before eating together in one of the many pubs or restaurants in the town.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 400 Metres Approx.

Today starts with an early stop at the impressive archaeological site of Sutton Hoo, where we will have the chance to look around the two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries dating from the 6th to the 7th centuries, and discover the history of the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king and his treasured possessions.

Leaving Sutton Hoo, we wind our way on country lanes past Staverton Park and the Thicks, where the country’s tallest holly trees tower over ancient pollard oaks. As we pedal east towards the coast and the quaint village of Orford, we’ll enter the Heaths National Landscape (formerly the Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), with views over Orford Ness National Nature Reserve and Europe’s largest shingle spit—a true haven for wildlife. We then follow the course of the River Alde to the charming village of Snape (famed for its 19th-century malthouse) before reaching the traditional seaside village of Thorpeness.

After lunch, we pass the 14th-century remains of Leiston Abbey before a mix of trails and quiet lanes lead us into our destination of Dunwich; known as the ‘lost city of England‘, we will stay in this small but fascinating village, which was once the capital of the Kingdom of the Eastern Angles.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 370 Metres Approx.

Soon after setting off, we head into Dunwich Forest on good gravel bridleways and quiet roads, before crossing the River Blyth and following it to its mouth.

Back on the coast, we head north to Southwold, home to the famous pier, lighthouse and the Adnams Brewery. We then head back inland along quiet country lanes, passing Benacre National Nature Reserve and Henstead Exotic Gardens, and reach the busy harbour town of Lowestoft, and the UK’s most easterley point, where we’ll enjoy lunch by the beach.

After following a section of the North Sea coastal route, along the sea wall, we climb back into the city, crossing Oulton Broad on the River Waveney, on the edge of the Broads National Park. We then pedal our way along picturesque roads through gently undulating farmland to reach Beccles, our destination for the evening. Situated on the River Waveney, with small market squares and winding streets, Beccles is a very pleasant Suffolk town to wander around before dining with the group. We can even take a dip in the town’s lido to cool off!

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 520 Metres Approx.

Today’s ride from Beccles starts between the rivers Blyth and Waveney, passing through a group of villages known as ‘The Saints‘, which are all named after their local parish churches.

We pedal our way through the quintessential Suffolk countryside to Hoxne, where King Edmund was martyred and is the location of St Edmund’s Memorial, which claims to mark the spot where St Edmund was killed by the Vikings.

Later in the day, we pass the small town of Eye and its impressive medieval motte-and-bailey castle, before crossing the Suffolk border into Norfolk, where we enjoy some off-roading in Thetford Forest Park to reach our only night in a different county, staying in the town of Thetford.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 410 Metres Approx.

Our final day’s riding starts with a gentle climb out of Thetford and onto the quiet roads south of RAF Barnham. We pass the impressive country house of the 17th-century Euston Hall before winding our way south, passing RAF Honington and the surrounding villages of Troston, Great Livermere, Ingham and Culford.

After lunch, we skirt around The King’s Forest, and pass West Stow Anglo-Saxon village, which is an archaeological site and an open-air museum. After a final climb, we drop into Bury along back roads and cycle paths to finish back at the Abbey, where we started our journey almost a week ago! We can celebrate having cycled over 270 miles (430km), and have a final meal together before going our separate ways tomorrow morning.

• Meals: Breakfast

Following breakfast, it’s time to depart. For those travelling by train, we offer transportation back to Bury train station at around 9:00am. For those extending their stay, there is plenty to explore in and around Bury.