A peaceful, relaxing meander through the Suffolk countryside, sharing the clear waters with swans, kingfishers and other wildlife, with a midway stop at a popular country pub. (Waterways licence required. Find out more).
Distance: 7 km (4.3 miles)
Time: 2 hours
Sat Nav: CO10 2AN
What3Words: ///bloodshot.frozen.infuses
We parked for free outside the River Stour Trust’s building, known as The Granary, off Quay Lane, in Sudbury (CO10 2AN – ///bloodshot.frozen.infuses).
Sudbury Town Council scrapped free parking in 2024, but so far, this one has remained meter-free.
However, it is a busy car park, serving a tennis club, a scout group, a theatre, and Sudbury Rowing Club around the corner.
The launch point is to the left of The Granary down a ramp (CO10 2AN – ///salmon.hacking.arise)
There’s a landing stage on the right of the ramp.
The Granary’s tearoom is open from 10:30am – 4pm, for refreshments and lunch.
There are toilet facilities too.
We were met by Paul Lunan, an Environment Agency river inspector, who checked we had a licence to paddle on the river.
Paul, who is a paddler too, said:
“I’ll call at specific locations along the river, have a chat with the paddlers, and then ask to see their Paddle UK membership or their day passes for use of the river.”
Why you need a waterways licence >>
Once on the water, we headed south before turning left towards Friars Meadow.
The River Stour stretch along Friars Meadow was designated as a bathing water site in 2024.
This was achieved due to the hard work by the River Stour Trust.
Achieving bathing status means the Environment Agency will monitor the water quality weekly during the bathing season (May 15 to 30 September).
We continued along the river until we reached Cornard Lock where we used the designated portage point (CO10 0JE – ///removers.moon.entitle).
You’ll notice concrete pillboxes along the west side of the river.
They were erected in 1940 to delay any German invasion advancing on London.
They serve as a reminder of those times, and a good way to educate any youngsters you might have with you.
This stretch of the Stour is a peaceful paddle, and the water is beautifully clear.
There’s plenty of wildlife to spot.
The river is popular with paddlers and we bumped into a group who had launched from the Henny Swan (CO10 7LS – ///dwarf.standing.sizing).
The River Stour Trust also run boat trips from Sudbury.
You can hire paddle boards, from a company next door to the pub (CO10 7LS – ///organist.motivates.eclipses).
However, if you’re launching your own craft there is a £10 charge per adult & £5 per child.
This can be redeemed on purchases at the bar on the date issued.
We hit some heavy rain on the way back to Sudbury, but it didn’t ruin a delightful and easy paddle.
Discover more routes you can take on PaddlePoints >>
