Description: A longish walk to the Low House at Laxfield for lunch, then back a shorter way. There is quite a lot of (quiet) road walking, due to many footpaths being unmaintained, and signposts missing.

Distance: 7.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 300 feet

Time to complete: 3 hours, plus lunch stop

Refreshments: The Low House (aka Kings Head) at Laxfield is a quirky pub with decent food, good local beers, and friendly staff. Closed Mondays, open for lunch and dinner other days (Sunday 12 – 6). There is also the Royal Oak pub (open every day) and a Co-op store (open 7am – 10pm every day) in Laxfield.

Directions

From Holly Tree Farm Barns head down the drive and turn right into the village. Continue through the village on The Street, past the junction with Church Road.

About 100m before the road bends left, just past the car park next to Ivy Cottage on your right, take the footpath to the right, which heads through a few trees and then alongside a field.

Just past the Baltic Farm buildings to your left, bear left through a gateway into a triangular field. Head down the left hand hedge to the gate at the bottom, which takes you into a long, thin field. Bear left for a short distance, then turn right across the dyke, emerging into an arable field which slopes upwards. Looking up, there is a house on the horizon to your left. Head for this (there is supposed to be a footpath, but it is not maintained).

Emerging onto Huntingfield Road turn left. Walk along the road for about a mile, passing Low Farm on your right. You will see garage buildings on your right. Just before them a track heads off right. Follow this for 500m, the latter part of which is alongside a hedge, then turn right towards Huntingfield High House. The path continues past the house, becoming the access road to the house.

Emerge onto the roman road (Heveningham Road). Cross straight over onto the track across the field, which bears slightly left before bending slightly right alongside the hedge. Stay close to the hedge as you approach Turkey Hall (a rather unfriendly looking farm). Before you reach the buildings there is a metal gate and plank bridge to your left. Cross this, then bear right to continue more or less in a straight line to the way you were coming.

Cross a couple of stiles, and pass Old Oaks Farm on your right, before emerging onto the farm track just as it bends towards the farm. bear left away from the farm buildings and follow the track to where it joins Low Road. Turn right and follow Low Road for 300m to Banyard’s Green. Bear left, and left again, onto Bickers Hill Road, which takes you into Laxfield. The Low House is on your right, before you arrive in the village centre.

To return to Holly Tree Farm Barns, head back up Bickers Hill Road to Banyard’s Green. Take the second left (Cratfield Lane). Follow this all the way to the roman road, about 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Heveningham Road, past the junction with Huntingfield Road onto Swan Green Lane. As Swan Green Lane bends left, there is a footpath to your right. This takes you through a wood, emerging into a field which has a path across towards Cratfield Village Hall. Turn right on Manse Lane, and left onto Bell Green back to your start point.