Autumn Walking

You might have realised that I love walking.  Sadly at this time of year walking opportunities are fewer due to dark evenings but I have had a couple of lovely walks recently.

A few Saturdays ago I went over to one of my favourite places, Marks Hall Arboretum.  I walked up towards the lake,

and then around on the Millennium walk, along the bottom edge of the lake,

up to the memorial site where I'd heard the autumn colour was especially good.

The memorial site is a memorial to the serviceman who were stationed at Marks Hall during the 2nd world war - the colours in the acers were stunning.

This is acer rubrum 'October Glory'.  And it was living up to its name!

Then I walked back through the woods to the walled garden.

From the walled garden the views over the lake were lovely.

Later that same week my cousin and his wife, who now live in America, came to visit.  They wanted to walk on the Sudbury water meadows and we had a glorious day for a 4.5 mile circular route.

We walked along the river Stour, across the meadows the the Salmon Leap (no salmon in the river nowadays as far as I know!),

with time for a quick selfie

before walking back home along the river.  

Two great walks, hopefully to be repeated again very soon!

After the Storm Came the Calm

Today has been a day of almost constant rain and storms.  Then suddenly it cleared and left a beautiful evening so I went for a walk along the river Stour to the Sudbury.  No more words are required, just enjoy the pictures of my stunningly beautiful Suffolk. (click on any image to enlarge it)

Beautiful isn't it.

Walking in the Steps of Ancestors

Today was a glorious day, the kind of day that calls out for a long walk.  So that's exactly what I did, a wonderful circular walk along the Suffolk Essex border.  I walked from home down to the river Stour and along towards Sudbury,

across Friar's Meadow in Sudbury,

and onto the old railway line.

Nowadays the train line terminates at Sudbury, just running up and down to connect with the main line services to London at Marks Tey, but in the past this line would have taken people up to Long Melford and then on to either Bury St Edmunds or Haverhill and Cambridge.

After a short walk I left the railway line and was on the Sudbury water meadows where I came across this rather magnificent grey heron.

I walked past the old bathing pool

and across the water meadows towards Brundon Mill.

I was amazed that on this glorious day in 1/2 term that there was hardly anyone about, but it was nice to have it to myself!

At the mill the swans came to greet me.

My route then rejoined the old railway line and as I walked under some wonderful old bridges I couldn't help but think about my great great uncle David Ward, who lived in Long Melford until 1940.  He part owned the foundry there, Ward and Silver, and would have travelled by train along this very line many many times, passing under the same bridges.

I was coming back towards Sudbury now, glimpses of buildings visible from the edges of the railway line, scenes that haven't really changed since he would have travelled the same route.

Soon I was back at Friar's Meadow where the trees are just starting to turn autumn colours,

past the willow damaged in last winter's gales, bent over but not snapped, 

and back along the river to home.

If any of you are interested in walking some of this same route, the middle section was the Meadow Walk, part of the Gainsborough Trail - details of which can be found here.  

A Walk Into Town

I needed a few things from town today but couldn't face the battle for car parking so I decided to walk.    First I walked through the churchyard at the end of my road and then down the long hill into town.

Past one of the three silk mills we have here (I didn't go in the shop this time, I'm waiting for the after Christmas sale!) and through the park.  

The totum pole is one of several in the town that were carved for the Millennium.

Then I arrived in the market hill where Thomas Gainsborough watches over proceedings from on high!

It was nice to see some mucky fen celery for sale, complete with root (we used to fight over who got to eat the root as children).

After I'd bought the few bits I needed I headed home but not along the road this time, instead I walked down this path to the river

where a swan was doing some preening and stretching!

The low winter sun and the still water made beautiful reflections.

 After crossing the railway line I was nearly home.

Back through the churchyard with its ivy covered gravestones and this funny little partially buried grave cross - I wonder whose grave it was marking.

Then through the kissing gate to home.

I hope you enjoyed the walk, next time I think I need to wear wellies as I did end up rather muddy!

Can You Hear A Donkey?

When I asked my neighbour "Can you hear a donkey in the distance?" she looked at me with a slightly worried expression as though I'd really lost the plot!  "No," she replied, "there are no donkeys round here."  When I asked my friend (who knows me well and understands how I think) the same question, she didn't bat an eyelid as she replied "No, but I can hear the cattle on the water meadow, it's probably them you can hear."

I didn't know there were cattle on the water meadow so I went for a walk down there to investigate.

It was a lovely evening and the thistles were beautiful - 

The swans were enjoying the river -

But the cattle were shy!  I could see them in the distance, and hear them mooing, but they wouldn't come close enough for me to take a decent picture.  But I found this one of them on the internet when I got home, and they really do look like this.  How could I have lived here for over 2 years without knowing they were there?