Day 8 – Saturday 20 November 1999 - Campsea Ashe to Hollesley

15.5 miles walked today

115 miles walked in total (average 14.37)

A very grey day today – cold and wet.

Started at 8.30 am and retraced my steps from my last day’s walking between Blaxhall and Snape Maltings.  All road walking today – and all this pavement pounding has played havoc with my knees.

From the Maltings, the road went through Tunstall Forest towards Orford.  The colours were fantastic – most of the trees had lost their leaves, but those that hadn’t were covered in all shades of gold and red.  There was also an awful lot of dead brown bracken around and gorse bushes in yellow flower.

Walking towards Iken Heath, I could see across Long Reach Creek, which I had seen before from the other side coming out of Aldeburgh.

As I walked through the forest, I stopped suddenly and watched five deer stroll sedately across the road.  Later in the day, I heard rustling just off the road and saw some more little deer faces peering at me from above the hedge.

Orford is a beautiful little village surrounding a square with a huge church, ruined castle (now run by English Heritage), four pubs and numerous restaurants and antique shops.  Even the general stores were tucked around the back of some houses so they wouldn’t spoil the look of the place.  The Oyster Restaurant in the square uses oysters caught in Butley Creek as part of a regeneration project.  Oysters had died out in this part of Suffolk until about twenty years ago when they were reintroduced.  The fish cooked in the restaurant is all smoked in the village smokery.

Walked to Butley in the rain and stopped for lunch at the Oyster Inn.  Decided to carry on walking as I was wet anyway.  No point in stopping now!

As I walked through Capel St Andrew, I was astounded at the village sign – the most unvillagey sign I’ve ever seen, but absolutely fantastic.

It was signed by Paul Richardson who is obviously a local sculptor.  After about two hundred yards’ walking, I discovered how local!  There were three similar figures in a local garden – one a female tourist snapping photos and one a chap in shorts smoking a cigarette.  The pièce de résistance, however, appeared to be a polo pony and rider sitting in the back garden!

The village sign was unveiled in August 1999 as part of the millennium celebrations.  Capel St Andrew is actually a hamlet with maybe a dozen houses as far as I could see.  The sign depicts St Andrew (for the name) the fisherman, with fish and a halo.  It shows an oak tree representing the local Oak Wood and a deer as there are still so many running wild in the area.  At the saint’s feet stands a small oak church (also for the name) made by another village resident, Keith Cutmore, a retired shipwright engineer.  And the whole thing cost £1,100, which was raised by the local community.

I was desperate to knock on Mr Richardson’s door and ask permission to take some photos of his figures, but even I haven’t got the cheek for that!

Got to Hollesley about four miles later – what a letdown after Capel St Andrew.  Gruesome houses and a truly grim pub, which I had to use to call a local taxi firm to take me back to the Ship at Blaxhall, where I was staying.

Rain, cold, failing light and pulled hamstring stopped play!

After a quick shower, I left all my rainsoaked clothes drying above the heaters in my room and drove into Woodbridge to have a look around.  Didn’t get to see too much as everything was closed and the light had completely gone, so went back to the Ship for dinner – the food had been recommended by the taxi driver earlier.

What an excellent pub – superb food and classical music!