Reinterred: Shotley Walk

Today we did some walking from Shotley, a favourite area for walking that I hadn't visited this year so far.

This was the invite from Joyce...

"Wednesday August 16th Shotley. Please park at Shotley Village Hall, The Street, Shotley IP9 1NL It's close to the Rose Pub. We will venture to Shotley Point and Shotley Church and some other enjoyable paths. I expect to walk between 10-12 miles. Start time 10.30am. Lifts available from Skyliner, Bury so do get in touch. "

I got a lift from Joyce along with Val and Tanya and we met Erica and Roland at the village hall.

This was our route.

Here are some of my photos.

Shotley village hall is quite modern and has a decent sized car park. A good place to start and end our walk.

We started out southwards along the track from Rose Farm towards the prominent Shotley Cottage at the top of the hill.

We then turned east onto a path I hadn't walked before, part of the Stour and Orwell Walk. The verges were full of colour.

We got a good view of the Felixstowe docks.

We descended along Marsh Lane to the River Orwell...

...and Shotley Point marina.

Our drinks stop was at The Shipwreck.

Across the water we could see Harwich Town, which you can reach by foot ferry here...as we did on holiday a few years ago.

These are the smart new Admiralty Pier waterfront homes, well established now.

The old pier is still in a state of disrepair. Funds are still being be sought to restore it.

We continued along the path on the edge of the River Stour. It has been much improved recently.

We turned inland after Erwarten bay and reaching Shotley Cottage once more and turned west along the Stour and Orwell walk this time.

We sneakily didn't quite follow the path and got a good view before we descended towards Erwarton.

We had our lunch stop at St. Mary's Church, Erwarton.

Something new since we were last here... the church has acquired a mouse.

"Legend has it that Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, the two main architects of the English Reformation, stayed often at Erwarton Hall. She gave instructions, it is said, that her heart was to be buried in this church after her death. In 1838, when the north aisle was being renovated, a small, heart-shaped casket was discovered, walled into an alcove. It was reburied, with due ceremony, beneath the organ, and a little plaque there gives some details about it.". And here it is, on the side of the organ.

Ah. Here's the mouse!

We passed and sampled several blackberry bushes today - some of the berries are ripe enough to pick now.

We passed the familiar Erwarton Hall a Grade II* listed building, which was rebuilt in about 1575. The Grade I listed gatehouse is a well-known local landmark.

From here we took a bit of a circuitous route towards Shotley Church, heading south from Shotley Hall and almost getting back to our cars, before turning east and then north again.

We passed through the community Viking forest on the way.

At last we got to St. Mary's Shotley Church.

Here we found it, too, had acquired a mouse.

And here it is!

The naval war graves are a poignant reminder of those who died at sea, some as young as 16 years old. As Simon Knott eloquently says... "The churchyard is set on a steep hillside, the huge cranes of Trimley Dock towering precipitously beyond the river below. This churchyard is one of the most haunting in East Anglia, filled with the graves of mostly teenage lads sent out by HMS Ganges to die in accidents and wars. Some of their bodies were brought back for burial, but most often these are mere memorials to young boys lost deep beneath fathoms of filthy, icy water. "

The grapes looked to be ripening nicely at Shotley Vineyard.

We had another stretch along the edge of the River Orwell...

...before turning inland once more. We noted the prominent mast at HMS Ganges. We couldn't remember seeing it there before.

That's because it wasn't! It has just been restored as described in this story.

The path alongside the road back to our cars in Shotley passed the allotments. Here we got talking to one of the gardeners who was giving away some of his produce. Roland was persuaded to take a marrow.