Reinterred: Snape to Campsea Ashe Walk

Today I joined Joyce and a couple of others for a recce walk from Snape Maltings to Wickham Market Station (which is in Campsea Ashe).

It was a replacement for a planned walk that Joyce thought might be a bit too muddy. This was the invite.

"Monday 20th March BIG CHANGE IN VENUE

You are welcome to join Jane and I as we venture to Snape Maltings to do a walk to Wickham Market railway station. The route is about 10 miles and we have booked a community bus to collect us at 1.45pm and return us to Snape. The cost is just £3.50. We will leave Snape at 9.30am. We are hoping for refreshments at Wickham Market but do bring your own snacks just in case.

The Thorpe Morieux walk would be too soggy so I am hoping for less mud and more sand near Snape.

There will be an afternoon walk to Iken for those that wish to join (just 4 miles) and others can obviously browse at Snape."

I'm always keen to do new paths and Joyce kindly gave me a lift along with Jane.

After a takeaway coffee stop at Malt café, and a circumnavigation of the concert hall to get to the toilets, we set off at around 10am.

This was our route.

Here are a some of my photos...

Our coffee stop.

We set off to the south-east on the Suffolk Coast Path along the Alde Estuary towards Iken.

There was a welcome stretch of boardwalk, rather better maintained than the one we found on the Angles Way last Friday.

The dead trees among the reeds gave interesting silhouettes against the leaden skies.

We stopped at Iken Cliff Car Park as we doubled back to examine this monument. What was it? We found out later on our afternoon walk.

We had passed large areas of turf growing. Here we found some was being harvested.

Joyce pointed out this plant in the verge. It is Alexanders. The plant originated in the Canary Isles and moved eastwards. Its earlier name meant ‘Parsley of Alexandria’ which was changed to Alexanders. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans as a food plant, as its stems, leaves and flowers are all edible (raw or cooked) and have a flavour rather like celery.

We came to Blaxhall Common (aka Blaxhall Heath) and joined the Sandlings Walk. We thought this path looked very inviting.

Soon we came to one of the 12 nightjar and moth sculptures that are positioned along the trail.

It has some lovely gorse flowers. We stopped to sniff them and enjoy the coconut-like scent.

As we approached Blaxhall village, it started to rain. We passed the Youth Hostel and saw The Ship Inn ...

...on our way to our lunch stop at the village hall, where we found a handy covered picnic table.

I managed to 'do a Julian' and bang my head on the corner of the roof.. Just a little bump and a slight graze, but Joyce asked me if I was "dawzled". None of the rest of us knew the word. "Is it Suffolk dialect?", I asked. It turns out that it is! See here.

We passed some cottages and found some of the residents planting in the verge across the road.

We passed close to St. Peters, Blaxhall church, but didn't visit - for another walk when we had more time.

The footpath sign by this field has been vandalised.

The path across the field didn't look very inviting.

Hilary and Joyce followed the path across it...

...while Jane and I went round the field edge and the wood alongside.

As we approached Barnes Grove we passed some rather nice houses by Ashgreen Farm. Oo look. We are on the East Suffolk Lines path here.

Some lovely blossom....

...and a neat thatched roof.

We walked along Rogueslane belt, by a ditch that was rather full. These catkins dangled beside us.

We decide on the road route rather than the footpath past Copperas Barn. There were clumps of daffodils by the road as we approached Campsea Ashe village.