River Deben

The River Deben rises in central Suffolk west of Debenham, fed by two sources, one from Bedingfield parish. It flows through Woodbridge, a port town, before widening into a tidal estuary. Near Felixstowe Ferry the estuary meets the North Sea, crossed by a small ferry to Bawdsey. The river’s name may once have meant ‘the deep one’, first recorded as Deben in 1735. Woodbridge’s tide mill has ground flour since at least 1170, rebuilt in 1793. The Deben Estuary is a protected site for its wintering avocets and rare salt-marsh plants. The Deben Estuary Partnership and Plan let local people help manage this landscape. Visitors find sailing clubs at Woodbridge, Waldringfield and Felixstowe Ferry. Two yacht harbours offer moorings, one beside the working tide mill. The wide estuary sands suit kiteboarding, canoeing and paddle boarding. The Deben Peninsula beyond is quiet countryside leading to lonely coast.