Walking in North Yorkshire

 We stayed at Newfield Hall, which is a beautiful house just south of Airton on the Pennine Way.

Views of and from the house and around Airton. 

Mr Zachary trying to climb a fence - tut tut!

Airton and the River Aire on its way to Leeds and beyond.

Ros and Di kindly drove us to Horton in Ribblesdale. From the centre of the village we walked towards and then up and over Pen-y-Ghent. Gradual on the way up, steep on the way down.

From Pen-y-Ghent we continued along the Pennine Way over Fountains Fell and then down to Malham Tarn, through Watlowes gulley and on to Malham Cove. The Cove and the village of Malham were very busy so we did not stop and continued on, following the River Aire back to Newfield Hall. 18+ miles all told - a good stretch!

Malham Tarn

There were a lot of carvings in the woods, including this lovely hare. Later in the week I saw two brown hares, one above Calton and one near Winterburn.

Watlowes - a tricky descent.

Malham Cove from above and from below

We started Day 2 on the towpath of the Leeds & Liverpool canal below Gargrave and strolled into the lovely town of Skipton. Heading northwards out of Skipton, we crossed the very impressive Skipton golf course, on to the Dales High Way and up Sharp Haw. Unfortunately there were no views to be had from the top as we got caught in a heavy downpour. It was nice and dry by the time we got down to Flasby where we followed the Flasby Beck to Hetton (alas the pub was closed) and thence back to Newfield via Winterburn.

Last time that I saw a canal swing bridge was on the Manchester Ship Canal!

1st hole at Skipton Golf Club. The club has provided very clear signage for walkers.

Dales High Way en route to Sharp Haw.

Sharp Haw in the rain

Flasby and lunch break with bullocks and an ineffective gate.

Winterburn in rush hour

For Day 3 we walked from the rear of Newfield Hall, through the attractive hamlet of Calton and on to Calton Moor. The weather forecast was not promising but the morning was bright and clear, though a bit draughty. There were great views from Weets Top, after which we headed along the Dales High Way down to Winterburn Reservoir which was very low on water. 

The track out of Calton and Calton Moor.

Richard behind bars at Weets Gate.

Weets Top

We had good weather overall and three lengthy walks in readiness for the Offa's Dyke Path on 1st September.

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.