There and Back

The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heath-land and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featuring in the Domesday Book. Pre-existing rights of common pasture are still recognised today, being enforced by official verderers. In the 18th century, the New Forest became a source of timber for the Royal Navy. It was here that we were to spend a week, exploring the forest itself, and some places not too far away. What we needed was good weather! Being Autumn, the forest floor was, in many places, covered in a colourful carpet of fallen leaves. ... such as this area. I had this tree down as the oldest in the forest. It was fenced off from the path, so may be it was! Another view of the colourful forest floor. Pigs foraging (or resting) in the forest. During the autumn months, it’s not an uncommon sight to see...

The Holy Trinity Church is the parish church of the village of Blythburgh in the Suffolk Coastal area and is known as the 'Cathedral of the Marshes'. Blythburgh was one of the earliest Christian sites in East Anglia. There was a church here in 654, it is thought. When driving along the A12, this church really does stand out, so the name 'Cathedral of the Marshes', really fits. At the time of the Norman Conquest Blythburgh was part of the royal estate and had one of the richest churches in Suffolk, possibly a Saxon minster, with two daughter churches. It was probably the rich parent church that was granted by King Henry I to Augustinian canons some time between 1116 and 1147, becoming the priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A daughter church is likely to have been the predecessor of Holy Trinity. It was rebuilt in the 15th century. In the movement to dissolve the monasteries, the suppression of the priory was authorised in 1528 and it was dissolved in 1537. The chur...

Suffolk is known for its BIG skies and has inspired many artists to pitch their easels in the countryside and paint what is before them - or pick up a camera and try to capture the image as I do! Harvest time is one of the good times to see Suffolk skies at their best, with the contrast between golden corn and blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Magic! Masters of air - the windmill and aircraft Pakenham Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill which has been restored and is maintained in working order. It was built in 1831.Clement Goodrich was the miller in 1846, when he took on an apprentice. The mill came into the ownership of the Bryant family in 1885. A steam engine was used as auxiliary power. In 1947, the mill was nearly tail-winded, but the miller managed to turn the cap in time to avoid this happening.  What, you may ask, is that?Well, apparently a windmill caught with the wind blowing towards the rear side of its sails, has a risk of reversal of rot...

Bury St Edmunds is a great place to visit at most time of year. A summer visit calls for a look around the Abbey Gardens - well worth it, and a great spot to sit in the sun or have lunch and watch the world go by. Historically, Bury has many splendid places to look at, but the gardens are not to be missed.   Home

Woodbridge is one of those places where you never mind going back. Well I don`t anyway! It has history, by the bucketful, and beautiful walks by the river Deben. Here are some images of a couple of visits, starting with the iconic view of Woodbridge, the Tide Mill. But before moving down to look at the images, a bit of history.  The earliest record of Woodbridge dates from the mid-10th century, when it was acquired by St Aethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, who made it part of the endowment of the monastery that he helped to refound at Ely, Cambridgeshire in AD 970.The Domesday Book of 1086 describes Woodbridge as part of the Loes Hundred. Much of Woodbridge was granted to the powerful Bigod family, who built the famous castle at Framlingham. (Thats for another day) The town has been a centre for boat-building, rope-making and sail-making since the Middle Ages. Edward III and Sir Francis Drake had fighting ships built in Woodbridge. The town suffered in the plague of 1349, ...

Carlton Marshes , together with Oulton Marshes, is a lowland reserve in the Broads National Park. It consists of meadows, wet grassland, reedbeds, marsh and woodland. It is run by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. We spent a pleasant few hours here and promised ourselves a revisit sometime.  Scarce Chaser - a species of dragonfly. The adult male has a bright blue abdomen with patches of black, while the adult female and juvenile male each have a bright orange abdomen. It is about 45 mm in length with an average wingspan of 74 mm. Cuckoo spit begins to appear in late spring at a time when the familiar call of cuckoos can be heard, but otherwise has no connection with the bird. It is caused by frog hopper nymphs Southern Marsh Orchid - hopefully!. The Southern Marsh-orchid typically grows to between 30 and 50 cm in height although taller specimens up to 70 cm can occur. Difficult to distinguish from the Northern Marsh-orchid, Dactylorhiza purpurella, the lip of ...