Suffolk Walking Festival - Hawkedon Horizons

Today I was helping Joyce on another of the 9 walks she is leading for the Suffolk Walking Festival this year. The walk was called "Hawkedon Horizons" As the festival brochure describes it: "Explore the rolling hills and idyllic green villages of Hawkedon, Denston and Stansfield, passing five lakes, a mill, a hall and West Suffolk's most stunning views".

This was our route, going anti-clockwise from Hawkedon. It is based on this walk we did as a group for the first time in July 2020 and is a favourite. It is, in turn, based on one published by Suffolk Magazine - Suffolk's Rolling Hills, by Lindsay Want, published in April 2019. It is a total of about 11 miles.

Here are a few of my photos.

Our starting point, St. Mary Hawkedon, is, unusually and perhaps uniquely for Suffolk, right in the middle of the village green.

We parked among the buttercups. Here is Joyce giving us our briefing about the walk.

A few people hadn't arrived by the official start time of the walk, so I stayed behind for a few minutes to wait... but not for long enough - a couple of other walkers arrived just a minute or so after I had left so, alas, didn't get to join us. This was my view of the group walking north out of the village as I waited.

Our route passed at a short distance the impressive Hawkedon House, the former rectory.

I had caught up with the rest by the time they got to the pond by Crosslands Farm.

At the most northerly point of our walk, we could see Rede's Great Wood hill, at 128m above sea-level the highest point in Suffolk.

We stopped for our drinks break at the five lakes. A memorial stone says they were built by Jo Slater between 1968 and 1972 "for the enjoyment of his family and friends".... and walkers like us!

We passed the pretty  Cordell Hall.

We continued south and had a view towards Stansfield - we would be there later in our walk.

We doubled back uphill around a hedgerow to get to Purton Green Farmhouse. It is Grade I listed, possible dating from 1250. "A mediaeval timber-framed aisled hall house which could be dated as early as the late C13. The 2 storey bay at the north end, with service area on the ground storey and solar above, is a replacement of the C15. The 2 storey bay at the south end was added in the C16 and had a fireplace which was demolished when the building was restored by the Landmark Trust in 1971 Only the fine carved lintel remains. The exterior has exposed studding with plaster infill. At the north and south ends the upper storey is jettied on exposed joists. The heavy boarded and ledged doors are restored and the windows are partly original and partly restored, with diamond mullions. The hall has scissor-brace roof trusses, the original timbers are smoke blackened. At the north end the staircase is restored in its original form with solid steps of quartered oak. Roof thatched, hipped. This house is of outstanding importance as one of the earliest framed houses in Britain."

It is now available as a holiday let - "sleeps 4 from £264 for 4 nights". There is no road access, but a wheelbarrow is provided to help you with your luggage.

We only got a glimpse of the 15th/16th century Giffords Hall as we passed.

We stopped for lunch at Denston Village Hall, where we were able to shelter from the drizzle as we ate.

Then it was on to St. Nicholas, Denston Church. "Begun 1474" says the sign. 

The roof carvings are impressive...

...as are the carvings on the pew ends.

We passed close to a lovely herd of cows and their calves.

Our next stop was at Louise's Pop-up Restaurant at  Laurel Bank Farm for tea and yummy cakes.

And finally the sun came out!.

We passed All Saints, Stansfield Church, but didn't try to go in.

Not far to go now as we passed the 5-story 1840 Stansfield tower mill, now bereft of its topknot.

The sun was out now and as we emerged from the trees we got a lovely view of our destination. Tony and Mary took photographs...

...as did I.

Soon we were back at Hawkedon Church...

...and had a group photo to celebrate (see the top of this post).

Another great walk! Thank-you Joyce and all the lovely people who came along with us. 

You can see more of my photos from today here (not many as I didn't have my camera and was relying on my phone) and from our recce last month here on Flickr and more details of our route here on MapMyWalk.