Bunbec one

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My mistake was to assume the closed section had been repaired in the months since the last review. I left Bungay successfully, walked past Mettingham Castle, and eventually left Castle Road to take the byway to Shipmeadow. After another mile or so I found a Closed sign. By this time it was too late to divert, I had to go on or give up. I went on, and the route was in a very bad way. By climbing under fallen trees, temporarily going the wrong side of barbed wire, and walking through mud and shallow water, I got to the end of Gull Lane. There was no sign of any remedial work. The rest of the route was a bit muddy, but that's not surprising in March.
I would not recommend that anyone else try it without checking on the closure.

I walked this route in May 2025, travelling from Bungay to Beccles.

Starting in the centre of Bungay, the route follows roads with pavements until reaching the edge of Bungay. Once on the outskirts of Bungay, the walk moves onto country roads, which I found were very quiet, and very few vehicles travelling along them.
The route then goes off road onto paths on the corner of Castle Road and Manor Farm Road - it was at this point that there was sign to indicate the actual route of this Slow Way is currently closed - however, found that there is another path that goes up to the B1062 between Mettingham and Shipmeadow (visible on the map on this Slow Ways page) - there was a section walking alongside this busy road, however it was wide enough to walk on verges without needing to be on the road itself.

Once reaching Shipmeadow, could rejoin the original route (photo included of where the fence was blocked off), and continue through paths along some fields - one of the fields had quite a lot of crops growing but the path was still able to be navigated, although would not be possible with wheelchairs or pushchairs.

Once reaching the edge of Beccles, the route rejoined roads with pavements, and could easily walk into the centre of town to complete the journey.

A pleasant walk, and even with a diversion, this didn't seem to add much time to what the original route would have been. Although I didn't use it, there appeared to be a Farm shop in Shipmeadow if wanting to break the journey.

Nice gentle walk between Bungay and Beccles.

Easy to navigate although had an overgrown stile and a couple of sections through fields, so may not be suitable for all from an accessibility point of view.

We found there was a section of the route closed until early November ‘25 due to erosion damage - picture of the notice included. This was easy to navigate around by diverting down a different path and through Shipmeadow but does mean an extended period walking alongside the B1062 which has a steady flow of traffic and no footpath in places. It didn’t feel unsafe for two grown adults, but something to consider if you have younger children.

Overall an enjoyable walk - I’d happily do it again so would recommend to others.

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