Brinkley to Great Wratting: E2 Day 94

An opportunity to visit churches on a shorter, drizzly day.

Overnight the rain fell as forecast and much of today's walk was in light rain and drizzle, the trees grey on a misty skyline. My early paths were squashed between hedges, so people had been forced to walk over the same ground which had been made wet by the rain and turned to slippery mud by the repeated footfall. Path conditions underfoot improved as I turned off the Icknield Way and headed south on the Stour Valley Path. Initially this was through a tunnel of bushes and trees. Bluebells bloomed in the woodland to my left, their heads drooping in the wet conditions. 

Landscape through the drizzle.

The path followed a stream which had a number of small weirs, I then joined the River Stour itself which had further weirs. I wondered what their purpose was. Internet searches suggest it was part of a scheme to move water from the Fens to Essex in order to meet demand. There is apparently a pipeline along the same route.

Although the Stour Valley Path passed a number of villages none seemed to have a café to nourish the body, however they all had churches to service the soul. As today's hike was a mere 18 kilometres I had time to visit a few of them. All were constructed of local flint, cemented together, and all seemed be of ancient foundation, although the current buildings had been much altered, restored or rebuilt in the last 900 years. Only one church was open, although I was able to sit in the porch of the others and enjoy a snack while reading the Benefice newsletter. As there are fewer churchgoers than in the past, Sunday services rotated around different churches in the area. While the church newsletter spoke of Easter and the joy of the resurrection, a separate village newsletter advertised the planned celebration for the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. Earlier I had seen a post box decorated with a knitted cap shaped as a crown, a celebration in wool of his ascent to the throne.

Monument to Sir Stephen Soame.

The church of St Peter at Little Thurlow was open letting me look inside and obtaining a donation as a result. Beside the chancel was the mausoleum of Sir Stephen Soame, a grand affair sculpted out of alabaster showing Sir Stephen, his wife and their many sons and daughters. He was Lord Mayor of London, a successful business man and public figure but came from relatively humble beginnings at Little Thurlow. He died in 1619, before the English Civil War tore up the structures he had worked within. The church at Little Bradley also attracted my attention due to its unusual round tower.

Another church at Great Thurlow.

Ever since I began this trip in the Tees valley, blasts of what sounded like shotguns disturbed the sounds of the countryside (birds, tractors and cars on nearby roads). Some, maybe all of these load blasts were produced by bird scarers. Devices which consisted of a tube mounted on a support, supplied by a gas bottle and with a battery to provide, I assume, an ignition source. They would produce two or three load bangs a few seconds apart and then remain dormant for a long period. I saw no birds being scattered by these contraptions.

Stour Valley Path.

I was now in Suffolk. There were a few buildings clad in black, wood siding like the traditional barns, and also thatched houses and old, brick buildings. My destination for the day was Great Wratting, a little off the Stour Valley Path. As I approached the Airbnb, the long, thin nose of a lurcher appeared through the cat flap, and its brown eyes looked up at me. On the door being opened I was greeted by four lovable dogs, all lurchers, eager to say "hello", along with their owners.

For my evening meal I went to the local pub where I ate generous portions while a group of people of a similar age to myself were chatting and popular songs from our joint youths were being played in the background. The pub looked vaguely old. A child ran around, ignoring its parents. It was a scene that could have been from many of the villages I visited.