Our 3rd girls trip to Suffolk. We were keen to include a route to Aldeburgh this time, so asked Cycle Breaks to come up with a bespoke tour, but based on package 3G Woodbridge "Tudor Retreats".
We left home at 7.30 (Daphne just back from Spain less than 12 hours ago.) We made good time and after our usual tea stop enroute, reached Seckford Hall, nr Woodbridge at 10.45 to meet Andy from Cycle Breaks. We already had the GPX routes loaded, but the paper guides are very useful for planning too.
(The photos are a mixture of mine from my camera, my phone and Go Pro video screen shots, and also photos from each of the ladies. So a lot of photos, to remind us of our lovley trip. Unfortauntely as I write this, the Blogger app is misbehaving, so my normal text with each photo has mostly not been possible, since they disappear each time I try! 😌)
DAY 1 WEDNESDAY
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| Setting off from Seckford Hall mid morning Day 1. |
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| Andy. Owner of Cycle Breaks. The company who planned the routes and also move our luggage each day. |
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| (We chose to reverse the planned route, since we would also return passing via Sutton Hoo from Aldeborough later in the week.) So we rode from Woodbridge to Sutton Hoo, then Bawdsey Ferry to Felixstowe. Returning via Waldringfield. It was a little busy for our first few miles through and out of Woodbridge with a bit of a rise to reach Sutton Hoo. Free entry with NT trust cards, and spent an hour or so looking around, but didn't get as far as walking to the "burial" ground since we felt we didn't have enough time.   We decided to wait for lunch, and have it on the riverfront once we had crossed the ferry.... which we hoped was running! (it wasn't last time we came from the other side !!). Passing through Sutton and onto quiet lanes now.  It wouldn't be Suffolk without pulling over for an approaching tractor.😊 The wind picked up significantly as we got closer to the coast. We were a bit worried if the ferry would be running with the breeze? No sign of it.... then Gill spotted the all important piece of kit.    Crab, and fish of some desciption for everyone's lunch in a great setting, although dark skies were a bit of a concern!  |
We sat for lunch watching the Bawdsey Ferry delivering the next passengers.A few photos from around the lunch stop area....   We had been into Felixstowe last time, so didn't do that today, since we had a longish trip already, with a later than normal start. But left Bawdsey via the Golf course road. We rode west of the River Deben, passing through Trimely St Mary and St Martin, enroute to Newbourne. The sky got darker and darker, and about 5 mins short of our planned tea stop on the riverside pub, The Maybush, at Waldringfield, we put jackets on. 😒        3 of us went for a swim in the spa on our return at 5.30, and met up for pre dinner G&Ts . We all had the Duck Main course tonight, and said good night at 8.45! 😂 A long tiring day. DAY 2 THURSDAY Aldeburgh via Framlingham and Thorpeness  A different direction as we left today, and just a short section of cyclepath alongside the A12, then quiet lanes, passing through Hasketon and Bredfield.  Typical country lanes today, up and down all the time, and often called "Sandy Lane".     We passed through Charfield, Hoo, and Kettleburgh enroute to Framlingham. We had stayed at The Crown in Framlingham last year, but had arrived at the back entrance on a different approach. We found a cafe just near the front entrance. The Dancing Goat.      A few miles later, a dog leg to cross the A12 and we passed through an old Industrial Railway town called Leiston, where we crossed a railway line. just after this junction where we admired the Verbena Bonariensis flowering.    Gill had been to Thorpeness once before, so had a basic understanding of the layout, although she had not stopped off to see the Mere before. I had seen it on a TV programme "Villages by the Sea", and a rowing boat trip was on my wish list for today. (Michael Portillo programme also visited here, and talked about the House in the Clouds). I had high expectations of the village. It was beautiful. So lots of photos! It was built as a "holiday village", with the Mere the main attraction since there is no promenade here next to the sea.          Then we opted for an ice cream by the Mere, some ladies not bothered about a boat trip.  Then Gill announced she would go with me, and Daphne came too. Jeanette stayed on dry land and used my phone for a bit of photos and filming, whilst my waterproof Go Pro came aboard. 😎    Great shot Jeanette! Gill said she had rowed at college. A pro! So she was happy to row, but then I fancied a go, and ended up swapping half way (a bit of a wobble), and brought the boat all the way back in. It was such a lovely day and a chance for a nosey at the back gardens of the Mereside properties.    A fun couple of hours, then just a short distance now to Aldeburgh, but the WIND was blowing a gale! We spotted a Martello tower and then pulled off to the beach to visit the Shell Sculpture, made in 200 and dedicated to composer Benjamin Briton, who spent much of his life in Aldeburgh.    AND now all the text had gone pale grey!!!! I hope you can read it! Checked in to The White Lion Hotel around 5.30, and Gill fancied a dip. It looked a bit rough, and I wasn't keen to go in, but also not keen to leave Gill alone. So I went to hold her towel. It was a steep shelving beach, but the tide was out just enough to make it ok for her to get in... AND OUT.  Then she and I fancied a stroll before dinner.   Detail of The Moot Hall. (It used to be in the centre of town, but now, due to Coastal erosion, is not far from the beach. A few more photos around town. Our hotel the white building behind The Moot Hall.       We finished our day with an amazing Indian meal in the restaurant attached to the hotel. Yum. DAY 3 FRIDAY did not get off to the best start.But thankfully Jeanette noticed her puncture before we even left the hotel grounds. We had brought a decent pump with us with moved on each day with our luggage, so at least we got to fully inflate the replacement tube. .   Daphne's turn to do piece to camera for the film, and then we had a cycle around the town out to another Martello tower before we left Aldeburgh.     The lady who took the above photo had just "checked out" of the Martello Towers, staying a few days. Shame she had just handed the keys in , or we might have got a look inside. Then a bit of unavoidable main road, A1094, but pretty flat so riding at over 20mph, we went into Snape and to Snape Maltings, where we visited the galleries and of course had a cuppa.         We headed to Orford next, passing through quiet lanes, and also lots more pig farms. Some of us had been before, but it all looks different arriving on a bike, stopping as we arrived at the Castle looking lovely in the morning light.     Stopped off at Pump Steet Bakery, planning to get a snack take away lunch, but nothing suitable, which turned out to be a bonus, since we ended up at the seafront for lunch.      Sea front lunch in Orford. Our next stop for a few minutes at St John the Baptist Thatched church in Butley.before another brief stop to refill water bottles at The Sorrell Horse pub in Shottisham.   We decided not to do an extended loop to Shingle Street, since we have seen enough shingle 😂, and continued back into Woodbridge, once more passing the entrance to Sutton Hoo, but this time a nice long downhill into Woodbridge. It was school traffic time, so a little busy. We were heading for an ice cream, and found an excellent shop in the town square.  Long story short, Jeanette went in search of a loo and ended up, with Daphne, in a Turkish restaurant where I went in search of them after about 15 mins! They had got chatting with the owner. A swim for me and Gill in the Spa, and then G&Ts in the garden on the perfect summers evening, followed by dinner indoors. This time we all opted for the fish, which was delicious.  Another glorious start to the day, so we had breakfast in the garden.  You will notice some of us wearing cycling clothes. Cycle breaks had provided a route for today, and as we started breakfast we planned just to peddle into Woodbridge to the riverside to visit the Tide Mill. But a few weeks ago, I had also spotted a garden which opened in Hemingford Grey, nr St Ives, and which also had a collection of Quilts on display. I knew Gill would enjoy this. We had to prebook the house tour, which I had done already, with only one time slot of 1.30pm. We decided it would all be a rush to cycle first, so we abandoned the ride idea. It was 1.5 hrs drive, and we arrived in good time, so parked in St Ives for a wander and tea. It was charming... but had been raining a few minutes before we arrived.     We bought a picnic lunch each in Waitrose and had our lunch in the grounds of the Manor, Hemingford Grey.  And then, since it felt like it might rain again any moment, a quick look around the gardens before our house tour started.          Over the course of 90 mins, we learned from the 80 year old owner, Diana Boston, that the original smaller house was built 900 years ago. It had a really interesting history, with various additions, fire damage, and remodeling of internal walls. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Britain. She was a fascinating hostess. Her late husbands's grandmother, Lucy Boston, was also the author of a book called "The Children of Green Knowe" based in and around the house, and of a boy who lived there. Her son was the illustrator, and we also saw some of his original drawings. She went on to write 5 more books in the series. (I bought the lot in the shop later, to read, but also for our grandchildren to read.) Diane bought the copyright of the books and is now the publisher. The same Lucy Boston was also a quilter, and apparently quilters from all of the world come to this house to see her work! Diana Boston has also written books about Lucy's quilts. (Lots of references on the internet, and patterns even available via Etsy. What would Lucy think of that!!) Lucy also invited airmen from the local RAF base during the 1940's to attend music evenings at her home. Diane demonstrated the old gramophone, first winding it up, before moving the needle into position, and pointing the paper mache speaker in different directions for us all to enjoy the sound. It was beautiful. She played "Abide with Me", in complete silence, and more than one of in the visiting group was moved to tears.     The rain had stopped by the time we came out and we headed to the regatta for our final afternoon tea of our trip. It was a laugh with race number 107 I think, and kids racing each other. Thanks again to Gill, our banker, and to Daphne and Jeanette for great company over our mini break. Since Gill was heading home to an empty house, I dropped her off first and by the time I dropped off the other two, she had got her washing on, ready for her next cycling holiday starting tomorrow. She showered and changed and arrived at our house for dinner. John had prepared some delicious Persian chicken followed by Chocolate Moose. The diet starts tomor......... soon!😂😋  |
