Fornham All Saints Snowdrop Walk

"This week is bringing some much needed Spring weather so I would like to offer a Snowdrop Walk this Saturday (Feb 16th).  

Pls park at The Coffee House, Moseley’s Farm Business Centre, Fornham All Saints,
Bury St. Edmunds. IP28 6JY to start the walk at 10.45am. 

I've booked a table from 10.20am, in my name, if you would refreshments before the walk starts. We will then start 
an approx. 10 mile circular walk to Timworth, Ampton and Culford and through a 'closely guarded' Snowdrop Wood towards the end. 

We will aim to be back at The Coffee House before it shuts at 4pm so you can refuel. There aren't toilets on the route and we won't be pausing long for breaks so bring a sandwich to munch on the way round. 

I don't normally allow dogs on my walks but if yours will walk on a close lead for the entire walk then it is most welcome (obviously with poo bags). 

Pls let me know if you are interested so I can increase the table booking if necessary. ", said the invite. The snowdrops have been fantastic this year and it was a great chance to walk with some friends at a weekend when Dawn can came too. It being the first day of half-term, William was less keen, going back to sleep after he was woken to join us and not being ready when we left.

This was our route.

We met up at the Coffee Shop as planned.

In all, there were 15 of us and 2 dogs - quite a good turnout. Here are some photos from along the way. We set off past the church and golf course.

Joyce told us about the food to be had at the golf clubhouse.

Oo look. The sugar factory.

 We passed through Fornham St. Martin and some lovely houses.

This on is called Ord Lodge. What does it mean?

Well Wikipedia gives us several options Only the namer of the house.or its subsequent occupants can tell us, but I rather hope it is named after the place near Tarskavaig on Skye.

Spring is definitely coming. Here are some nice crocuses...

This is the listed Little Park.

"Early C19. 2 storeys. In Gothic style: a central range with wider octagonal ends. Black knapped flint with white brick dressings and string course to front, rubble flints and red brick dressings to rear. Slate roofs with conical ends and wide eaves overhang. 2-light small-paned casement windows with pointed heads, some with the remains of tracery, set into arched surrounds. 2 doors set at right-angles to the front within a central arched opening."

I wouldn't mind living there! We crossed the A143 and headed on via quiet roads... 

 

...towards the strangely remote and isolated Timworth Church, where we had a short break, We noted there were no yew trees Unfortunately the church wasn't open, although we could get into the porch. We resisted the temptation to ring the 4 bells.

In the field nearby, the farmer was ploughing and the gulls were enjoying themselves.

There were some nice snowdrops in the churchyard, heralding those still to come.

The silhouetted birds and the cross against the cloudy sky added to the sense of mystery. As I write this blog I start to feel there's something spooky about the place. Hmm. Now there's an idea for a book. Spooky walks of East Anglia. Move over Scaresville!

We went on to cross Ampton Racecourse, a top point-to-point venue. We wondered what the trees were in the line across the middle of the course. Nobody new, and I can't work it out. [Update: They are Beech trees - well don e Joyce for finding this].

We carried on past the Brewshed in Ingham...

Hmm. Maybe I need a Tassel Nanobrewery sign to put on my garage. Joyce suggested that would just encourage people to break in.. so maybe not. It's not like I'm trying to make and sell commercial quantities. I've still got a 1/4 of my little barrel of my Tinseltoes to drink before I can brew anything else. It's tasting rather nice now, if anyone would like to join me in a glass!

And so to the highlight of the walk... past the Culford Village Hall where I started my walk the other day, to these snowdrops. [Oops. They are on private land and we shouldn't have strayed from the footpath to get a closer look... as the landowner pointed out to us! Sorry!].

From there it was back to the Coffee shop via the Lark Valley path and a distant view of the ruined Fornham St. Genevieve Church destroyed by fire in 1782

"Put the pizza on", I messaged William as we go back to the car park. But his phone was on charge so the oven didn't go on for it until we got home.

Here is a slide show of more of my photos (Flash required)...
 

You can also see my photos on Flickr here. And you can see more details of our route here on my MapMyWalk log.
Thanks to Joyce for the lovely walk and to her and everyone else for the pleasant company. The snowdrops were brilliant, weren't they?