A day out in the Stour Valley

PUBLISHED: 12:10 31 March 2015 | UPDATED: 12:41 31 March 2015

EADT GALLERY Beautiful Constable Country - Looking over the Dedham Vale from Higham towards Dedham Church EADT 15.5.12 EADT 11.6.12

Constable Country: People enjoying a day by the river in Dedham.

The landscape on the Suffolk-Essex border, made famous worldwide by artists such as Constable and Gainsborough, is still as recognisable today as it was when they painted it. There’s no shortage of places to go and things to see – picturesque villages, rolling farmland, rivers, meadows, ancient woodlands. The hedgerows and wildflower meadows of the Dedham Vale AONB are among some of England’s most precious and vulnerable pastoral landscapes.

The Stour Valley Path is a 60-mile route following the valley sides of the River Stour through the beautiful Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire countryside, including Dedham Vale AONB.

Get your hands on Days Out Along the Stour Valley Path, a public transport itinerary pack that enables you to walk the path in stretches and take a bus or train back to your start point. You can buy it at local Visitor Information Centres or from the website, where you can also download free circular walks leaflets. www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org/publications/walking-guides

This photograph of Willy Lott’s house at Flatford, taken by National Trust staff member Simon Peachey, shows a scene that John Constable himself is unlikely to have have known. The recent floods did lots of damage, and harmed wildlife, but created such temporarily attractive settings that may be unique. They filled a vast lake in Constable Country, turning the meandering Essex-Suffolk border of the River Stour into guesswork. Past vagaries of the waterway put both Flatford banks in Suffolk. Fortunately the new little Boathouse gallery by the restored dry dock escaped problems. It currently houses pictures by modern artist Michael Goodey of scenes that Constable did know. Late in June they will be followed by Simon Carter’s varying depictions of Willy Lott’s house. Volunteers from both sides of the border assist staff in looking after visitors to Flatford. EADT 18.5.12 DON BLACK. Mendlesham Stowmarket

Superb Sudbury

A jewel in the Stour Valley crown is the bustling market town of Sudbury. Head there for some excellent shopping – numerous independent shops and a busy market on Thursdays and Saturdays – a bite to eat in one of the excellent cafes, pubs and restaurants, a walk – perhaps a picnic – in the historic water meadows surrounding the town, and a night at the Quay Theatre. www.sudbury.org.uk

Magna Carta comes to Clare

Curator of the Clare Ancient House Museum Reggy Smith hangs a screen print at the Clare Castle Country Park in preparation of a Magna Carta celebration.

In the lovely Stour Valley village of Clare, preparations are underway for a series of events to celebrate Clare’s involvement in Magna Carta. Events kick off on April 25 with a heritage walk from Clare to Castle Hedingham, and culminate on June 13 with a medieval fair in Clare Country Park, when local children dressed in medieval costume will also make a procession around the village. The full programme can be found at www.magnacartafestival.org