Writing Walks
What could be better than getting out into the countryside and writing. These workshops will inspire and excite you.
Writing by the Sea – A New Series of Writer’s Walks on the Suffolk Coast
Workshop 1. Arrivals and Departures – Felixstowe’s Wild Edge
Saturday, 11th June 2022, 10.30-14.30
Landguard Peninsula, Felixstowe
Landguard Peninsula is Felixstowe’s best-kept secret – it’s witnessed the departure of the Mayflower, the arrival of King Cnut and his fleet, and a Napoleonic fort and WWII gun emplacements are reminders of invasion and defence. It’s visually dramatic, too – a site of Special Scientific Interest with rare plants and migrating birds, and here the world’s greatest ships come to offload.
The workshop is suitable for writers working in any genre, and at any stage in their writing. You will come away with a toolbox for writing from landscape, a follow-up workbook, and begin to understand how to apply the principles of mindful writing.
Details
Date: Saturday, 11th June 2022, 10.30-14.30
Cost: £35.00, includes guided workshop, and Writing In Nature workbook
Where: Meet from 10.00 at Manor Terrace Car Park, Felixstowe. Location: 44467. Operator: East Suffolk Council. Postcode: IP11 2EN. Parking charges apply – £4.00 for 4 + hours.
Facilities: There is a choice of cafés, and accessible toilets. Maximum two miles walking over shingle and rough ground. There is a good alternative route for those with reduced mobility. Please dress appropriately for a day on the Suffolk coast.
Landguard Fort is worth a visit after the workshop. It is open until 17.00 on the day. Free entry for English Heritage members, £7.00 for non-members. Felixstowe Museum, next to the fort and likewise packed with great things, is open until 17.00 and costs £4.00.
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To book on this workshop, please contact Liz.
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Workshop 2. Mermen, Bombs and Smugglers’ Trails – Strange Tales of Orford Town
Saturday, 2nd July, 10.30–14.30,
Orford Quay, Orford, Suffolk.
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Going off the beaten track, along the river wall and ancient footpaths, this Writer’s Walk explores the legend of a medieval wildman caught in a fisherman’s nets, eighteenth century smugglers, and, seen across the River Ore, the secretive MOD weapons testing site on Orford Ness.
Workshop leader, writer Liz Ferretti, lived in the Orford area for over a decade and is steeped in its landscape and history. This workshop is for writers interested in exploring sense of place, in using the past, folk tales and legends as inspiration. You will come away with research and development tools, and a Sense of Place workbook.
Details
Date: Saturday, 2nd July 2022, 10.30-14.30
Cost: £35.00, includes guided workshop, and Sense of Place Workbook
Where: Meet from 10.00 at Quay Street Car Park, Orford, IP12 2NU. Parking charges apply – £4.00 for 5 hours.
Facilities: There is a choice of cafés, local shops and pubs in Orford, and accessible toilets. Maximum two–three miles walking on river walls and farmland. Please dress appropriately for a day on the Suffolk coast, and bring binoculars if you have them.
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To book on this workshop, contact Liz.
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Workshop 3. The Sea Spell – The Lost City of Dunwich
Saturday 6th August, 10.30-14.30
Dunwich Beach Car Park, Dunwich, Suffolk
For some, Dunwich is where time stopped. It’s one of several Suffolk villages and towns made and later destroyed by the sea – it’s an evocative space for writers to explore, with echoes of far-flung pasts and unimaginably distant futures.
This Writer’s Walk is for writers looking for inspiration in past landscapes – workshop leader, writer Liz Ferretti, got an idea for a novel set in the future here. You’ll come away with skills to read ancient landscapes, to hone and develop ideas, and a Creating Atmosphere workbook.
Details
Date: Saturday, 6th August 2022, 10.30-14.30
Cost: £35.00, includes guided workshop, and Creating Atmosphere workbook
Where: Meet from 10.00 at Dunwich Beach Car Park, IP17 3EN
NB This is the car park by the beach in Dunwich village, NOT the National Trust Dunwich Heath car park. Voluntary parking charges apply.
Facilities: Flora Tea Room offer fish and chips and other refreshments, and there is a pub close by, as well as accessible toilets. Maximum three miles walking on shingle, across farmland and woodland. Please dress appropriately for a day on the Suffolk coast.
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To book this workshop, contact Liz.
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Jacques Cousteau