Two nights. Two riding days. One trail, left behind by a smuggler who knew the Deben estuary better than anyone alive — for you and the people you'd most want beside you.
In 1847, Thomas Aldred vanished. He left behind a map of the finest places he knew on the Deben — and a trail for anyone bold enough to follow it.
You gather at the Crown & Castle in Orford, on the quay. Dinner, the first letter from Aldred, and the rules of the trail. You leave the cars here — we move them on to the finish, so the weekend only ever runs one way.
Around 52 kilometres of quiet lanes — Orford, Snape, Framlingham, then down to Woodbridge. Checkpoints along the way unlock pieces of the map. The night closes at Seckford Hall.
A gentle morning loop down to Waldringfield, where a private boat is waiting. It carries you down to Ramsholt and back up the Deben to Woodbridge — and on the water, the complete map, personalised letters and the last of Aldred's secrets are revealed.
At each checkpoint, something is waiting — held by a Suffolk local, hidden in plain sight, or sealed in an envelope under a name only you would know to ask for. Solve it, and you earn the next piece of the map.
No two checkpoints work the same way. Some reward the sharp-eyed, some the well-read, some simply the group that talks to each other. By Sunday, the pieces become a whole — and the whole is yours to keep.
We won't tell you more than that. The not-knowing is the point.
An illustrative line through the real villages — the final route is set once it has been ridden and logged.
On the quay at Orford, beneath the Norman castle keep. Rooms that look out over the marsh, and a kitchen that has made this one of the best addresses on the Suffolk coast.
A Tudor manor on the edge of Woodbridge. A spa to ease the day out of your legs, grounds to wander, and the deep quiet of somewhere that has been a sanctuary for five hundred years.
Three couples, a family, or a group of friends. The pilot is built around six — small enough to stay personal, and to keep the whole weekend yours.
On e-bikes, the ~52-kilometre Saturday is well within reach of anyone who rides occasionally. The hills are there; the motor takes the sting out of them.
UK law sets e-bikes at 14 and over. Younger riders ride manual bikes. It's a weekend a multi-generation family can do together.
This is a considered, properly indulgent weekend — and it's priced to match. A single all-in figure covers everything above: both hotels and their dinners, the e-bikes, the full experience and the private boat finale. No tiers, no add-ons, nothing to decide on the day. We'll share the number when you get in touch — and founders-group places this summer come at a genuine friends' rate.
No. If you can ride a bike and you've been on one in the last year or two, the e-bikes do the rest. The riding is meant to feel earned, never gruelling.
You leave them in Orford on Friday. The weekend runs in one direction and finishes in Woodbridge — we handle moving everything between points, so you never double back.
It's Suffolk in summer — usually kind, occasionally not. The ride goes ahead in light weather; the indulgence off the bike is the same either way. We watch the forecast and adapt the day if we have to.
Either. The founders tour is built around small groups, but couples are welcome — we'll let you know who else is on your weekend.
Yes, for confident young riders. E-bikes are 14-plus by law; younger children ride manual bikes. It's genuinely a weekend a family can do across generations.
The first founders weekend runs this summer, and paid weekends follow in the autumn. Join the waitlist and you'll be first to hear dates and prices.
Tell us about your group. The first founders weekend is one small group at a friends' rate — places are limited and go to those who commit early. We'll be in touch personally to talk through dates and whether this is the right weekend for you.