Reinterred: The Five Villages Walk

Today we did a walk that has been on the "to-do" list for some time - The Five Villages Walk.

It is based on this walk and, as recommended we started in Felsham. This was the invite from Joyce.

"Friday June 16th. A New Walk taking in Felsham, Drinkstone, Hesset, Rattlesden and Bradfield St George. We will meet at the free public car park in Felsham Village at the early time of 9am.It's on Church Road and the nearest postcode is IP30 0PJ. Please bring lunch with you. The walk is 12-13 miles and we will be in Rattlesden at mile 10 for a pub stop."

This was our route.

We assembled in the Car Park in Felsham as planned. We had a good turnout of 12 of us today. The weather was good as we were glad to start early as it would be quite warm later.

Here are a few of my photos.

We passed St. Peter's Church, Felsham first.

Lots of pleasant paths through fields and along field edges today. We had some poppies beside us here.

We were soon passing through Bradfield Woods. It provided some nice cool shade.

In a broad band at the edge of this field was sea of blue flax flowers.

We got close to Bradfield St. Clare passing St. Clare Hall.

We liked this seat which had that view of the hall.

The horses in the paddock came to say hello.

It wont be long before some of the crops will be ready to harvest.

Although it is named as one of the five villages of the walk, the route didn't pass through Bradfield St. George at all, but passed the other side of Free Wood.

We stopped here for a drinks break.

We came to Hessett village sign at the village green,

There are some lovely houses in the village.

We stopped to visit St. Ethelbert's Church, Hessett. Do follow that link to read Simon Knott's wonderful description of the church, it's contents and their context. It is well worth spending more time visiting than we could spare today.

Of all the decorations and wall paintings, I thought depiction of the seven deadly sins the most interesting. Two devils look on as, from the mouth of hell, a great tree sprouts, ending in seven images. Pride is at the top, and in pairs beneath are Gluttony and Anger, Vanity and Envy, Avarice and Lust.

You can see more of my photos of the church in my Flickr Album of today's walk.

We were intrigued by the hymn board.

What hymnal has more than 1200 hymns? We found the answer in a cupboard at the back of the church - Mission Praise. And here is hymn number 1201.

Curiously, the edition with music has only 798 entries. I wonder what tune number 1201 is sung to?

From Hessett we headed across through yellowing fields towards Drinkstone.

We could see the church ahead of us well before we got there.

Flower of the day, I think, was Elderflower. It looked at peak freshness for picking but I had brought neither bag nor secateurs to pick as we went.

All Saints Church, Drinkstone has an anomalous looking brick tower. Simon Knott tells us "It was one of the earliest Suffolk towers built specifically to accommodate recreational bell-ringing, dating as it does from the last years of the 17th century, when this sport was beginning to take off. We know it was built at the behest of the Rector Thomas Cambourne, who also paid for the bells. A plaque remembering this is set in the west wall of the tower.".