The largest Millennium Green in England – now that’s more than just a walk in the park!
The Millennium Green in Halesworth Suffolk is a wonderful open space and historic landscape to enjoy nature at first hand, treasured by residents and visitors alike. Linked to the Town Park and featuring not only footpaths, but an all-weather track (part of National Cycle Route 1), it is only a few minutes’ walk from historic Halesworth and its independent shops.
The perfect town centre place to picnic and play! Sit and watch the Halesworth world go by as the little ones let off steam in the play area or the teens cut shapes in the skate park or net a few on the basketball court.
Created in the 1970s, Halesworth’s dog-friendly riverside Town Park is attractively landscaped. As well as mature trees, bulbs and wildflowers, there are footpaths to access Millennium Green and the historic areas of the old navigation canal, lost quaysides and traces of the early Halesworth to Southwold railway line.
Whether you fancy a stroll on or off the beaten track, Halesworth’s Millennium Green is definitely the green and pleasant place to be!
Created in 2000 (the clue’s in the name!) from grazing marsh in the flood plains of the River Blyth, it provides over 50 acres of easy-to-explore and varied countryside right on the town’s doorstep.
The meadows, scrub, woodland, waterways and community orchards provide a range of wildlife habitats, encouraging some of nature’s finest and more rare species.
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Together with the Town Park, the Millennium Green harbours all sorts of industrial heritage secrets which shed light on Halesworth’s rich and unsung trading past.
Why all the abandoned bridges and what of the old engine shed on Millennium Green’s meadow, Bird’s Folly? And what (or who) was the bird in question, and just how was it foolish?
What floated on the waterways before the waterlilies? Where did the rivers lead to? And who built the cuts and canals and why were they so important?
Why not download a walking trail or two and find out more?
Walks & TrailsFrom the mid 1700s malting local barley was a core activity in Halesworth. It had the promise of being big business – if only efficient ways of delivering malt to the big London and Midlands breweries could be found.
When entrepreneurial thought turned to infrastructure action, Halesworth soon stepped up a gear.
Spot the old George Maltings on River Lane and a walk in the park beside the old river cut soon recreates the private quayside and its sailing barges or wherries in the mind’s eye.
Traces of Town Quay are still discernible, alongside the Park’s ‘New Reach’ channel. Conveniently positioned close to maltings and breweries for the coal coming in and the malt going out!
When turnpike roads were holding back the expansion of business in the mid- 1700s, local businessmen mooted plans to dredge and straighten sections of the River Blyth. Their plan was to create Halesworth’s first freight ‘motorway’ to the coast.
The town and river were linked by constructing canals, locks and river basins.
Over the decades of its operation, silting and river bank ownership issues were an ongoing struggle, but it was the railway revolution which sealed the waterway’s fate.
Pioneers & BrewersThe standard gauge railway came to Halesworth in 1859, steering freight to the bigger waterways and ports up the coast or via Ipswich to London. But local businessmen felt that Southwold was still a viable port – and soon spotted the thriving new trend for days out and stays by the sea!
Introduced 20 years later, the narrow gauge Halesworth to Southwold Railway travelled along the Blyth river valley at a heady 16 mph. It had stops at the villages of Wenhaston, Blythburgh and Walberswick along the way. At its peak it carried 108,600 passengers in a year.
Look out around the Millennium Green and Town Park for traces of track – and insights into exciting recent restoration projects.
Villages Info
From kingfishers to barn owls and beautiful orchids, species are flourishing throughout the diverse habitats of the Millennium Green. Managed meadows, scrub, woodland and waterways – what a haven for wildlife!
Stroll out in summer to find cattle grazing the meadow homes of voles and dancing butterflies. On the waterways, tiny moorhens paddle past where the wherries once went, dodging the waterlilies under the watchful eye of grey wagtails.
From Himalayan Balsam to bright Ragged Robin and marsh bedstraw, it’s a colourful place to be, with new nature discoveries around every footpath’s turn.
Walk, cycle, scoot, skateboard, rollerblade! From learning to ride a bike to a gentle town and countryside outing on a mobility scooter, the Halesworth Millennium Green all weather track is just perfect for every gentle adventure.
Designed to stand up to the annual flooding of the water meadows and to be usable in all weathers, the surfaced track is just one of the many paths across the Green connecting meadows and woodland, historic landmarks and communities.
Enjoy!
From pavement cafe terraces on Thoroughfare to the town park and beyond, Halesworth is a place where four-legged friends are definitely welcome.
The footpaths and track on the Millennium Green are no exception and ideal for dog walks, but please keep your dog under effective control when exploring the outdoors together, and be sure to clear up after it at all times.
Do follow the Countryside Code and respect local restrictions in place to prevent disturbance to wildlife, grazing animals or other people. Thank you.
Countryside Code
