The Gainsborough trail is so named not because it's in the Linclolnshire town but because it's named after the painter Thomas Gainsborough. The painter was born and lived in Sudbury, Suffolk, where the Meadow Walk is set, in the 1700s. We parked in the Kingfisher Leisure centre car park and started down a section of the former Stour Valley railway track shortly arriving at the Quay Basin. Continuing on the 3.5 mile route we struck out across the lush meadows and crossed the River Stour and then back across it at Brundon Mill. As well as seeing ducks & swans along the way, the pond near the mill has a huge number of swans present, a lot of them acting very frisky at this time of year. Along the walk you will see the Deptford Pink, a nationally rare flower, as well as many more common varieties. There are also fields awash with daisies and buttercups. This is a very pleasant walk on a nice day and part of the eventual 12.4 mile walk that will encompass most of Sudbury. Maps can be obtained on-line or from the Tourist Information Centre in town. The map does say that the walk is accessible for suitable wheelchairs, however, as some of this walk is over open meadow you’ll need to consider exactly what “suitable” means.
