Monday 11th February – day 107
What a perfect day, the sky is a brilliant clear blue, and we are of to sample some of the truly delightful delights that Suffolk has to offer, starting with Lavenham. This is a picture perfect town even without the sunshine, but in the golden February light the colours of these old Tudor houses just glowed,
I think we could have stayed there all day; there were certainly enough teashops to choose from!! Before we left the town, we stopped off to take a closer look at the church, as the architecture and the flintwork, were stunning, Chris took many photos of the outside, but there is only room for one to be shown here! 
The drive between villages was through soft sleepy rolling countryside, and each town or village announced itself with an individually styled town sign which characterised some of its significant history. With each mile Chris seemed to grow fonder of his surroundings, he and his camera are having a very busy day!
Leaving Lavenham we drove on to Long Melford, which had a long broad high street, not unlike
Broadway or Marlborough. After a brief look around we drove on to Cavendish, another picture perfect village which looked even more charming in the mid afternoon sun.The clarity of the light and the stillness in the air, made this quiet dreamy little place another joy to discover, but onward to Clare.
By now dusk was approaching and time for tea! We found a lovely little deli/café that served a good fruit cake according to Chris. After refreshment we wandered round the streets, another charming town but I am running out of superlatives now!! The
last port of call was Castle Hedingham, but unfortunately the light was gone, by the time we arrived there (and the castle was closed!) so we continued on home to upload the 30 plus photos taken to remind us of this glorious area that time does not seem to have spoilt.Tuesday 12th February - day 108
Another glorious day, Suffolk is determined to show itself at its early spring best! We are off to do the walk round Flatford Mill, but stop first to take in
Kersey as we had no time yesterday. Again we were not disappointed with our visit. For a sleepy rural county Suffolk houses are painted some REALLY strong colours, Ox blood, Fuchsia, Ochre, Teal and Sienna, oh yes! But somehow it does work beautifully, especially under higgledy thatched roofs, and with gardens full of snowdrops, early crocuses and little yellow aconites. We lingered a while here, and had a coffee in another ye olde Inn, but then it was off to East Bergholt to start our round tour of Constables country. The book of 50 walks in Suffolk, which we had bought on arrival, showed us a very promising 5½ mile route that took in the best of the views that can be seen in most of Constables paintings apparently.
We have to confess that we didn’t quite recognise any, until we got to Flatford Mill and there we were shown the picture of the Hay Wain … recognise it?The house, called Willy Lotts House, once lived in by the man of the same name surprisingly, is little altered since the painting was done.
To get to Flatford Mill we had to walk
along the River Stour for a way, and whilst I don’t think that I would agree with the book in saying that it was magnificent, it was certainly very photogenic, even at this time of year, and his nibs had a happy time snapping away, as you can see!Light was fading as we reached the car, so the final bit of the planned day, to visit Dedham was as ever done in the gathering gloom, it was still very pretty but we did not stop, eager to be home for our pasta bake!!!
Wednesday 13th February – day 109
A promising start but the sunshine left us while we were at Sutton Hoo, which was our first stop to see this distinguished Anglo Saxon Burial Ground, we were gratified to be told this was distinguished as when viewed it did look like a series of small grassed hillocks - that were not that impressive. However the visitor centre, run by National Trust, offered its usual high standard with a good display and short film!
We left Sutton now in a much cooler temperature with grey skies overhead, and went on to Shingle Street, which was as you might expect indeed shingle - all the way to the sea shore - with only a row of rather desolate looking houses and a Martello Tower at the end . We took a walk along the shingle shoreline and watched a rather sluggish brown/grey sea break onto the beach. By this time we also had a mist dropping on to us making the whole experience a just a little eerie. By now the days light was starting to fade but we ploughed on to Orford to have a look at the quay and the castle. The quay was very open and had a feeling of yester year, but it was a little too cold now to linger, so we drove back into the town and walked to the castle (closed of course) but as we walked round close to the base of the keep we had fun trying to work out where the outer walls and entrances would have stood! We took a final stroll round town then home for supper.
Thursday 14th February – day 110
Well we have lost the glorious bright days, for now at least! But never put off, picnic packed route clarified and we are off for a walk from Aldeburgh to Thorpeness and back (not so impressive as it may sound – they are only about 3 miles apart!!) But we detour first to Snape Maltings
famous for its concert hall started by Benjamin Britten, but now a charmingly arranged group of shops and galleries set amidst old grain store houses; some of which are being renovated to provide further bespoke workshops and living spaces. The setting for these emporia was also a delight as they were nestled between the reed beds and marshes, where Chris spied a very photogenic fishing yawl. 
After a good look around we drove on to Aldeburgh, spotted the fish and chip shop that had been recommended to us and where we would be purchasing our supper later (yippee!), and parked up along the sea front by the Reaches. All layers on for this bracing walk!! There does not appear to be any sand in Suffolk, but lots of little flint pebbles, not the easiest surface to walk on, and we were soon seeking out the path! We never really felt alone on what appears to be a very popular walk, and there were a few of us arriving a little later at Thorpeness. We were the last of course because we had to stop to examine this rather beautiful steel sculpture of a group of scallop shells.
It had been commissioned by Maggi Hambling to celebrate Benjamin Britten who wrote the opera Peter Grimes, about another local hero clergyman George Crabbe. The huge scallop is punched through with the words ‘I hear those voices that will not be drowned’, which was sung by fisherman Grimes who is forever haunted by the voice of the apprentice boy who died on his boat…... (sounds worth a listen to)On then to Thorpeness, this is indeed a strange little place; in part it looks like a screen set for an old Ealing film. The smaller roads are unmade, the village shop is closed until March, and the shop/café where we found a refreshing cuppa was the stuff of childhood seaside holiday memories. Just when we were beginning to acclimatise we spotted a house in the clouds, well not quite, but that is what it is called, as there are 6 floors set in a black painted stack on top of which sits a red painted wooden house complete with bay windows…. And it is available for rent!! To
top it off (if that were possible) it sits adjacent to a fully functioning rotating wooden windmill. When we had taken in all we could of this eccentric place, we set off back along the waters edge back to Aldeburgh for our first pint of Adnams since arriving in Suffolk, then those much anticipated fish and chips, delicious!! 
Friday 15th February – day 111
We had a cloudy start, but it soon cleared up as we journeyed to Southwold, for a day of walking around the marshes. We were delayed by a stop at yet another surreal Suffolk experience. We were on the search for lovely bread (for lunch and beyond!) so stopped at Emmetts a very smart deli in Peasenhall. It had once been famous for selling black ham to the queen Mother, but since her demise the royal stamp had lapsed. We did not find bread, but the cornucopia of fine provender mostly from Spain, from unwaxed lemons to every conceivable olive delicacy; from truckles of cheddar from Mull, to blocks of chocolate; from cured meats to organic veg, we were in dribbling heaven. We left lighter in pocket (again) and probably soon to be – tighter in the jean!!!
But still we needed bread, and found it in another delicious deli in Southwold called the Black Olive. It has not gone unnoticed that Suffolk has a plethora of very stylish, high quality (and expensive) food retailers, and we cannot find a Tescos ANYWHERE (hurray) and we are finding it quite impossible to live on the shoe string as temptation is everywhere, and no less than where we lunched. We had booked in for a fish fest at a little place called the Sole Bay Fish Company. We were supposed to have allowed some time for a bracing walk along the river, towards Dunwich, but instead stopped for a small Adnams at the Harbour Inn so we walked the length of the river bank enjoying the bustle and business of the boat yards, and the buffeting of the sharp wind in our faces. We walked for an hour or more then returned with great anticipation to the Fish Company.
And what a joy it was, it had everything appealing, by the door a well stocked wet fish counter (with queues waiting to be served!) and behind an enormous fish tank was a café serving the fish that they had caught earlier. There were absolutely no pretentions about this busy café. The decorations were simple, the menu was simple and the whole ethos oozed simple enjoyment of fabulous fish! The shop/café was full, with husband and team filleting and serving behind the counter, and the lady of the house working magic as she made everyone feel welcome whilst clearing up, serving and taking orders(though for a while there we saw the husband working front of house too!)!!!There were two themes on the menu, hot fish or cold fish. Anything else that you might want with the fish you could bring yourself, salad, wine, or bread, (have you made the connection!)
The hot fish included Sea Bass, Dover Sole, Skate, and Cod from their own nets, cooked in their own kitchen, and the cold fish were a selection of choices of fruits of the sea from Crevettes to Whelks, Crab to smoked Salmon.
We ordered Smoked Mackerel soup to warm us up, it was also homemade and delicious, followed by a fabulous Crab platter or two, with Malted Rye bread from the Black Olive, and vine tomatoes from Emmetts. What joy, we sat at length enjoying our superb meal - and the whole experience - whilst we watched one of the fish mongers spend most of our time there, filleting cod after cod after cod, apparently just trying to get ahead of the restaurant and the wet fish counter! (And we think he had been there since early morning!!) Well good luck to them we say, and if you find yourself in Southwold …. It’s an experience not to be missed!!The sun was a golden glow in the late afternoon sky by the time we left. Just time to walk the length of the
beach to check out the multi coloured beach huts, the turbulent breakers and the old fashioned pier, which I have to say had much more appeal than the piers at either Brighton or Eastbourne with some stylish shops, a fantastic water clock……. and no funfair at the end!Saturday 16th February – day 112
Lazy start today, with most of the afternoon spent hunting birthday presents at Bury St Edmunds, but we did have
time to wander a little way round this interesting old market town. The low point of the visit was trying to navigate our way round the plethora of new build that was going on, to find a car park, and the high point was the walk past the Abbey ruins to view the Cathedral. In the grounds was a row of distinguished houses that looked remarkably like they had been built into the old ruin! 
The other high point was of course cup of tea time!! We were spoilt for choice for watering holes today, but sat getting warm in a rather trendy French bistro, though very pleasant was perhaps the wrong choice as there was not a china cup in sight!Sunday 17th February – day 113
Every now and again, even amidst our glorious tour, there is a golden day, and today was such a day! The weather remains with us, crisp, clear and bright, frost making the earth hard, sun making the bear trees shine, the mood is light, and all around is easy. We had little planned other than a trip to Snape Maltings to walk the reed beds, and purchase a souvenir of our time in East Anglia. We start the day well, with a brunch of black bacon sarnies. The bacon had been bought from our trip to Peasenhall, and the streaky bacon, (favoured by the Queen Mother!!) is
blackened through the smoking process and holds a very rich texture and flavour, and a little goes a long way! We set off for Snape but stopped for a while in Framlingham, to visit the old castle and lovely church.We spent an indulgent half hour choosing our souvenir in the Maltings Gallery then spent another indulgent half hour in the café (bet you didn’t expect that!!) before walking out into the golden afternoon light to explore the reed beds and marshes.
We were there just at the right time, the light was perfect, the reeds glowed and the shadows long. The camera worked a lot harder than we did, and it was only the drawing in of the evening that persuaded us back to the car. The delights were not over however, as we were driving to Sterfield to return some books, kindly lent; we were compelled to stop the car to take in the red skyline, which is always expansive in Suffolk as there is nothing to hinder the view. Final stop to return the books, and a lovely mug of tea with even lovelier Max and Claire! 
scenery! Decided not to go out tonight to view any local area so a night of admin and uploading finishing about 12.30 and so to bed.
and overdone as those on the continent. After leaving the cathedral we crossed the road to the Anglican parish church which is as old as the castle. However there is an oddity here in that there is a catholic chapel attached to the back of the alter which houses the tombs of previous Dukes and Duchesses of Norfolk; which are visible now because there is a glass screen between 
the two, where previously there was solid wall. A note beside the screen informs that during the civil war Cromwell used this part of the church as a stable ……. it looks in better condition now!
was littering the whole Worthing coastline (and beyond) following the sinking, 40 miles off Dorset, of the Ice Prince during a storm (picture taken from the web!)
wooden fronted houses tumbling down steep narrow cobbled streets which looked out over the rolling Sussex downs, I suspect that this is the most we will see of essential Sussex as the rest of our short time is being spent along the coastline.
On then to Brighton, via a wonderful little road that took us over the downs. It was a bit like going up and over Hackpen hill in Wilts, as just before you reach the summit there are panoramic views over the flat lands of Sussex, and as you drove over the top you are greeted with panoramic views of the coastline, and with the sun shining it all looked very pastoral.
Brighton was everything I expected it to be, bright brash and busy. Parked up beyond the Pavilion and spent sometime walking round this strangely eastern palace. Whatever glory it may have had, it was now looking a little faded, but the early evening sun on the many small minarets made an attractive skyline.
The Lanes also failed to sparkle, maybe I was expecting more chic antique shops (or maybe they were there and we missed them!!) but there was little that kindled the imagination other than the Venetian like narrow tall sided wiggly streets that made up the Lanes.
Well, back to the reality of the day, we had planned to walk round Beachy Head, but the wind was howling and the rain was lashing so all we did until 3pm was sit and look out at it!!
significant memory of the first half of our tour – that we arrived in the dark!!) but we still managed a bracing walk down the pier and along the sea front, before going in search of some fish and chips (it would be too late to cook when we got back)
anything of the real county in the 3 days we were here, as the shoreline demanded all the attention, and whilst I’m glad that we saw all that, I think we may have missed the best, but 
time is short and we must move on. Fortunately although we have been forecast howling winds, we are greeted with a calm sunny day, which will make travelling much easier. We are taking the coast road so hopefully there will be plenty to see on this our longest journey yet!
views of a long sandy beach area exposed by the low tide. There were young men and women kite boarding on the sea and along the beach on wheeled boards. As we walked along the shore line we found sand pools still with live shellfish, and Helen could not resist foraging for the shells lying around. At Camber there was a row of impressive houses on top of the sea wall looking out to sea - what a view they will have when the sea is in a fury..JPG)
fish shop with trawlers moored along outside. We could not resist, so stopped and went in to buy some skate that had been caught overnight, and the trawler man had just skinned the wings ready for sale. We left with the fish and a pot of whelks (which were covered in black pepper and vinegar!) and £9 lighter, the prices were twice what they were in Cornwall, we are definitely in the south east!!
just had to visit to view what was for sale. Next stop was a local pottery shop selling Chaucer figures from the Canterbury Tales, they were completely delightful and it was hard to walk away without making a purchase. But we had to get on to see the town and what a pleasant surprise greeted us, stone pebble streets and houses at least 200 years old flanking the roads up to the old church and castle. These streets were certainly not made for cars, but the stones were very 
hard on the feet, thank heaven for strong boots. Our walk took us up to the top and to the town church, but a short hop to the side street took us directly to a tea shop and a much needed Earl Grey refresher, and of course a little something to soak it up. 
The highlight of the day was to be Canterbury Cathedral, but we are going via Leeds Castle. We naively thought that we would be stopping by the side of the road to walk up to path to walk round the outside!!! We did not realise that it was Kent’s version of Longleat, and £28 later I carried a swooning Chris over the threshold!!!
Having paid so much we had to get our moneys worth, so we walked round the grounds, and round the castle, which did receive such visitors as King Henry VIII, and last owned by a very wealthy and opulent socialite called Lady Baillie, which did not fail to release the proletariat in me I can tell you!!!
We left Leeds castle to make a quick foray into Rochester, and we were very glad we did. It was a little jewel amidst all the industrial wasteland that is the Medway. We made the usual trip up through the castle grounds, into the cathedral and on round the streets back to the car, and although it made us late for heading on to Canterbury we were jolly glad to have stopped by!
cathedral before it closed, strode quickly round the streets (it has been a cold day) and warmed up in Café Nero. We did only get a glimpse of Canterbury’s glory but we were still jolly pleased we had made it!
