Dalham lies in a hilly landscape between Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds. Circular walks and architectural history reveal two distinct sides of the village. Three circular walks of varying lengths, the Church of St Mary, a 19th-century malt kiln and Dalham Hall, built in 1705, offer different starting points for a stay. You can focus on spending time outdoors, historic buildings or a combination of both interests.

Circular walks around Dalham

The Dalham Hall and Beech Row circular walk is two miles long and starts at the Affleck Arms. The Dalham walking guide includes three circular walks of different lengths in total. This lets you choose a route to suit how much time you want to spend on a walk. Check the route details before setting out.

The circular walks follow footpaths, bridleways, field paths and quiet roads. Follow current local waymarks and notices about rights of way as you go. Bus route 312 serves Dalham between Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket. Before travelling, check whether the service is currently running and consult the timetable.

St Mary and its wall paintings

The Church of St Mary in Dalham, also known as St Mary the Virgin, is a Grade I listed building. Most of its surviving fabric dates from two building phases: the early or mid-14th century and the late 15th century. This chronology makes the church an informative reference point for the village’s medieval architectural history.

The church contains wall paintings depicting the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Acts of Mercy; the paintings have been conserved. The two themes contrast wrongdoing with practical help for others. Anyone interested in religious imagery will find two different perspectives within the same building.

The malt kiln and Dalham Hall

The Malt Kiln, a building used for malting, dates from the 19th century and was once used in brewing beer. It is one of two surviving malt kilns in Suffolk. Its history adds another aspect of the village to the church’s building phases: the former use of a building for beer production.

Dalham Hall was built in 1705 for Simon Patrick, Bishop of Ely. Together with the building phases of St Mary and the Malt Kiln, it traces a timeline from the 14th to the 19th century: the church’s fabric dates back to the medieval period, Dalham Hall is from the early 18th century and the malt kiln is from the 19th century. Comparing them helps place these historic buildings in the periods when they were built, rather than treating them as a single chapter in the village’s history.

Choose accommodation for your stay

When looking for a holiday apartment in Dalham, you can consider whether you would like to spend more time on circular walks or exploring the historic buildings.

Discover more destinations: Bacton, Framlingham, Bramford, Blythburgh, Waldringfield, Ilketshall Saint Margaret, Hintlesham, Risby

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