A 'Staycation' on the Suffolk coast

 

A week spent walking the coast from our base in historic Woodbridge.

We started at low tide on Day 1 and walked south alongside the River Deben, past Martlesham Hall, on towards Waldringfield and then looped back to Woodbridge.

The tide is out.

The tide is in!

Drinks and snacks in The Anchor after the walk. A great pub.

Our apartment was above The Longshed where volunteers are in the early stages of the construction of a full sized, i.e. 27m long, replica of the longboat whose imprint was found at Sutton Hoo in 1939. It is being built by hand using green oak. The volunteers have made various models to help them work out how the oringinal boat was constructed and it is hoped that the completed boat will set sail on the Deben in two to three years. 

The Tide Mill at Woodbridge.

On Day 2 we drove down to Bawdsey where the River Deben flows into the North Sea. 

Bawdsey Manor in the background is now an adventure holiday place for school parties.

Yellow horned poppy.

The sea defences are rusting but holding up!

There is a small ferry boat which takes Suffolk Coast Path walkers across to the Felixstowe side of the Deben.

On the way back from Bawdsey we called in at the Ramsholt Arms where a scene from the film Yesterday was shot. Unfortunately, as you can see, the pub was closed.

 

On Day 3 we walked along an old railway track from Aldeburgh to Thorpness, taking in the House in the Clouds, the Meare and its birdlife. 

After ice-creams we headed back to Aldeburgh along the beach.

Reaction to Maggi Hambling's best-known statue, Scallop, on Aldeburgh beach, has been mixed since its arrival in 2003. The large shell-shaped work marks the life and music of composer Benjamin Britten and is inscribed with lines from his opera, Peter Grimes: “I hear those voices that will not be drowned.”

We like it!

Day 4 Sutton Hoo.

This farm lies below Sutton Hoo and is directly across the River Deben at Woodbridge.

Probably not an Anglo-Saxon longship.

Sutton Hoo was a disappointment. We were allowed to walk around the perimeter of the burial mound field but not allowed to go up the viewing tower. Edith Pretty's house is open but there is very little in the way of information or artefacts within. Much of the information in the house is about the advent of WWII. The queue for the exhibition was 30 minutes long. Though the replica artefacts were impressive, there were too few of them. £14 a head. all told, not worth it. The Dig was better!

Edith Pretty's house seen from the burial mound field.

Day 5. Shingle Street - wild, empty and beautiful.

Among the Great Mullein.

This is one of the Martello Towers that can be rented.

This one needs renovation.

Day 6. Orford - the sun finally made an appearance.

Orford is a beautiful village and it was looking its best in the sunshine. We started with a boat trip downstream on the River Ore to where it was joined by the Butley River, then sailed round Havergate Island and back to Orford. There were lots of birds to be seen. One highlight was an oystercatcher noisily and acrobatically chasing a marsh harrier away from its territory.

The old school in Orford with its wonderful chimney stacks. Shame about the satellite dish!

To round off the afternoon, a

 guide from English Heritage provided us with an excellent tour of Orford Castle. 

Visitor Centre Result:

English Heritage (Orford) 1 National Trust (Sutton Hoo) 0. 

A view of Orford from the top of the castle.

Walking in the Shropshire Hills

 Friday 21 May

We set out to drive to Ludlow for a two night stay and after about an hour the rain starts and continues all afternoon. It'sThe Great British Summer! We decide to go via Malvern and then take a break. The rain has stopped when we reach the British Camp and we make a fairly swift dash up to the Herefordshire Beacon. We do not stay up there for long because a) the wind is blowing at about 40mph and b) it starts raining again.

Saturday 22 May

Our hotel is across the road from Ludlow Castle. 

Shops, not our hotel.

After a fruitful morning exploring the town, its buildings, shops and market, we drive to Little Stretton for an afternoon walk across The Long Mynd.

We follow the Ashes Hollow track through the valley from Little Stretton and go up to the Boiling Well. At the top a couple are having their wedding photos taken. (There is a road that passes over the top of the Mynd.)

There are great views of the beautiful Shropshire Hills from the top, including The Wrekin to the north-east. To the south-east we can see The Malverns and across Herefordshire in the south-west to Hay Bluff and the Brecon Beacons beyond.

A bit of mud here but the wind had dried out most of the terrain. There were a lot of small birds in the valley and ravens and hawks up top. 

Looking north with The Wrekin in the distance.

We go off piste from Ashlet back down to the village - steep and tricky!

All Saints Church in Little Stretton at the end of our walk.

Sunday 23 May

It's goodbye to the Dinham Hall Hotel and there is time for a trek up Clee Hill before an overnight stay with friends in Worcestershire. The weather is dry but at the top of Clee Hill the wind is even stronger than it was on Friday. I don't have enough of a Barnet to get it messed up.

Even though the weather was not great, it was good to finally get away for a weekend post lockdown!