Reinterred: Needham Market Walk

Today we revisited a walk I enjoyed so much last year that I did it twice, but in reverse - a circular walk from Needham Market via Pipps Ford, Darmsden, Baylham, Priestley Wood and Barking. But why was it called "The off-grid walk"? There's a clue in the group photo above.

This was the invite from Joyce.

"The next group walk will be Monday 30th May. We will start with drinks at the new Coffee Spot at Needham Lakes (IP6 8NU) called 'The Duck and Tea-Pot at 10.30am. We will then walk over to Barking, Priestly Wood, Baylham, Darmsden and Pipps Ford. We did the walk in May and June last year as it was so pretty" ...except we did it in reverse.

This, then, was our route today.

We met and had coffee at the lovely new visitor centre. It was very busy, but served some welcome coffee.

On our way past Alderson Lake.

The River Gipping was quite tranquil here. No goslings today, unlike last year.

Peter dealing with the electric fence. It had insulated handles to allow a way through to be opened.

This bridge is STILL closed, but we were able to cross it with care.

The mini mathematical bridge at Pipp's Ford.

This car doesn't look like it has moved since last year. This is the comment I got about it from a lady called Val in Alaska on my blog of a walk 3 years ago " ..the old car in the photograph was bought new by my gramps in 1963... and there are many adventures in it's memory (and now do I nag my brother to give it a wash or not ...lol)". I think I'll have to contact her to nag him again.

At Rise Cottage we stopped to smell...

...the roses. Lovely!

We took a little detour to visit St. Andrews Church, Darmsden. Dawn didn't remember visiting it before, but here is the proof.

We enjoyed the collection of old vehicles at Roebuck Farm including this smart scooter.

In the woods we saw some rhododendrons.

We got a sight of Shrubland Hall.

Our lunch stop was at St. Peter's, Baylham Church.

We wondered if this wonky light next door still works.

Onwards and upwards once more.

We went by a house with a lovely garden including a pond and some water lilies.

But what is this? Byway closed? Oh no!

The next path was also closed.

They were bust working on the electricity pylons.

But with a bit of sweet-talking from Joyce we were allowed to go "off-grid" and use the closed byway.

This meadow was rather pretty.

We went through the ancient Priestley Wood where we found this old crane.

In 1251 Hugo de Northwold, the Bishop of Ely, commissioned a great survey of his estates. The earliest of its kind, it has an especially full account of the parish of Barking in Suffolk, including mention of “a certain other grove which is called Prestele, which contains in itself 30 acres”. More than 750 years on, Priestley Wood remains little changed, and with neighbouring Swingen’s Wood and others nearby is collectively known as the Barking Woods. Together they rank among the finest ancient woodlands in East Anglia.

Just up the hill from the entrance to the woods was St. Mary, Barking Church. As Simon says.. "Until the 20th century, it was also one of the county's more populous parishes, including as it did the whole of the town of Needham Market, where St John the Baptist church was just a chapel of ease. All the dead of Needham Market came here to be buried, conveyed the mile up the hill on a bier along the Causeway. This is a journey you can still make today, albeit under your own steam. Local legend has it that the word 'causeway' is a corruption of 'corpseway'."