Suffolk Walking Festival - Bluebell Walk

Today I did Walk 30 from the Suffolk Walking Festival....

I was delighted to be asked by Joyce to be one of her helpers as she led the walk, which gave me an excuse to chat to lots of the walkers on the way round. It was nice to see a couple of people who had been on the Sudbury Walk 'n Water with me yesterday, a couple who recognised me from last years Peninsula Ramble and Alex from the County Council, who was marshaling on the Saturday Launch Walk of the festival. We also had among us, the Festival patron, Lesley Dolphin, Producer/Presenter for BBC Radio Suffolk. It was a lovely sunny day and. fortunately, not as hot as when I did it at the end of July last year with Joyce and friends (which you can read about here).

This was our route...

Here are some photos from along the way.

Joyce gave us a briefing before we set off from the Suffolk Food Hall up the hill towards  Whepstead Church. 

We stopped part way up the hill to look at the view and for Joyce to tell us about the Orwell Bridge.

We walked passed some fragrant broad beans.... and wonky telegraph poles.

We came to our first bluebells along this path along the edge of Cutler's Wood.

But the main show was in Great Birch Wood which, like Cutler's Wood and Freston Wood, which we would visit later, is part of the cluster of a Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the Ancient Estate Farmlands of the area.

As we were leaving the wood we met a couple of riders coming the other way.

We were nearing Alton Water when we passed these bulrushes.

The reservoir looked very inviting.

As we walked along the path beside the shore we heard some lovely birdsong. There was a nightingale in these trees somewhere and we also heard a blackcap, among others.

Looking across Alton Water to the water sports centre.

Crossing the dam...

...we came to the café -  our lunch spot.

We had a view of a sailing class on the water.

Before we set off again, we had a couple of group photos.

We returned the way we came to cross the dam again, but not before a decent view of the Royal Hospital School Bell Tower.

We skirted the village of  Holbrook.

 We got a nice view of the ancient woodlands...

...crossing this field.

We did have a couple of brushes with fields full of rape...

...before we arrived again at our bluebell wood.

We passed the impressive Grade II listed Bond Hall....

 ... and paused here to take in the view...

...and had another group photo taken by Lesley, which I've shamelessly pinched to include here as I am in this one. [I hope you don't mind, Lesley].

 From Freston church...

 ...we descended through the ancient Freston Wood, described nicely here , and saw our final show of bluebells...

...and a mass of fragrant Ramsons; aka wild garlic. Yes we could really smell the garlic!

We passed some Red Poll cattle basking in the sunshine.

One last briefing from Joyce before we got back to the food hall.

One thing I've learned walking in the last year is, "Don't forget to look back!" . The river and boats were behind us now.

Journeys end.

Well that was definitely a 10/10 walk. I also enjoyed helping out - checking everyone was OK and acting as lookout at a couple of road crossings. So thank-you Joyce for a brilliant walk, and my fellow walkers for the company and interesting conversations. I'm not sure I can remember who said they are going to be on which, but I look forward to meeting several of you again on the other walks I am going on in the festival. And, for those of you who expressed interest in my beer-making and chilli-growing, watch out for more blog posts here soon.

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

You can also see my photos here in my Flickr Albums and our route  here on MapMyWalk. And you can find Lesley's photos from this walk in her Suffolk Walking Festival album here on Facebook.

Next walk...Minsmere on Friday.