On its journey from source to sea, the River Stour wends through many of Southern England’s most beautiful lowland landscapes and some of the nation’s prettiest villages. It flows past charming pubs, ancient castle ruins and pretty churches, as it finds a way to the sea beyond the exquisite Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Each little settlement along the Stour’s course welcomes hikers with colourful village signs. Some bear the hallmarks of the cloth industry, while others are home to beguiling archaeological sites. Alongside the river, every meadow is adorned by wildlife, with colourful flowers, darting dragonflies and kingfishers surveying the river from overhead branches.

Into this landscape enters the Stour Valley Path, a 63-mile (101 km) long-distance trail that follows the river from its source near Newmarket to the Stour Estuary at Cattawade. The Path takes you to scenic plateaus, through grazing marshes and along gorgeous riverside trails to exquisite villages and places that are so picturesque they’ve been the subject of some of our most famous paintings.

John Constable, the legendary landscape artist, went to school in the village of Dedham and knew the river well. The rich scenery here was his muse and many of his most cherished masterpieces feature the Stour, such as ‘the Hay Wain’ and ‘Flatford Mill’. In its closing stages, the Path follows the river through Dedham Vale AONB and visits the sights that so inspired him.

Highlights along the Path include: Newmarket, the global home of horseracing; Clare, Suffolk’s smallest town and one of its most beautiful; Cavendish, a wonderfully pretty, quintessentially English village; Long Melford, a vibrant and historic village that boasts two grand mansions and a cathedral-esque church; and the villages of Dedham and Flatford, home to the subject matter of some of Constable’s most famous works.

I have split the Path into seven stages of between 5 and 11 miles (8 and 18 km) in length. This makes for a leisurely approach that allows you to explore the many villages and beauty spots you discover along the way. The first stage is particularly short, giving you time to arrive in Newmarket and explore its rich horse racing heritage.

For strong hikers, it’s feasible to walk the Path in as little as four days and the going is mostly easy underfoot. Of course, you can also walk the whole thing in reverse from sea to source, though most people choose to finish on a scenic high in Dedham Vale’s Constable Country.

Each of the stages end at or near suitable lodgings and somewhere to eat – I name specifics in the Tour descriptions. Advance booking for both food and accommodation is recommended, as there are limited options in most of the villages. It’s worth carrying water and spare food, as some sections are very rural. I also recommend quality walking shoes, waterproofs and sun cream.

The Path is easy to reach by public transport. The start point at Newmarket can be accessed by train from Cambridge or Ipswich, both of which link to other major population centres. The end point at Cattawade is a short walk from Manningtree station, which is only an hour’s train ride from London, as well as having connections to Ipswich.