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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3072 |
16th September 2021 Hiking - Walking: Brantham to Sutton Point Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Sunny and hot :) Max Speed: Distance Covered: 7.25 miles (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Thursday 16th September – bike ***** – Maggie’s birthday walk from Brantham to Sutton Point along the Stour – sunny, still and hot:) It was my wife Maggies Birthday today so I got up early to post 35 selfie pics of us taken over the last year and they took an hour to upload to Facebook! I set Mag the challenge of naming where all the photos were taken and she completed the task over a cuppa first thing in bed, it was great fun too:) The day was perfect for our planned walk, sunny, still and warm so after breakfast I packed lunch and we set off for Brantham at 10.30, we were lucky to be heading out of Felixstowe as there was a bad four car crash on the other carriageway completely blocking the east bound route! At Brantham you drive through the grotty industrial area most of which is being demolished but found the small car park that local windsurfer and friend Jason told us about. They are busy making a new footpath to a country park area and with rucksack on we set off at 11 and soon found Brantham Decoy Lake, where I fished a few times many many years ago when I was a teenager. I remember it being full of small fish, mainly tench and rudd and I actually took a few tench home in a corona fizzy drink bottle, the fish being that small I could easily get them into the bottle! We had to cross the very busy Norwich/London railway line and had to ask a local which way to go being amazed there was no tunnel or bridge you actually had to cross the tracks, I got flashed at by a very fast container train while taking its photo! Once across the track you were greeted to amazing views of the tidal River Stour with Manningtree and Mistley across the water, well I say water as the tide was going out the whole walk and we have never seen so much mud! You follow the river wall path as it winds its way downstream, so peaceful with just us and the birds, loads of curlews, lapwings, egrets, swans, oyster and a pair of marsh harriers too:) As this is one of my favourite spots to windsurf from the opposite bank at Bradfield but it is lovely to see it from this side as we amble along enjoying the spectacular views and the peace and quiet, in fact we only see two pairs of hikers and some Environment agency walkers who had been mowing the banks during all the time we were there! We come to the impressive pink house with tennis court and stables, how the other half live, in fact there are several very large properties along this bank with comedian Griff Rhys Jones living at the Holbrook end! The path heads up onto the cliff overing even better views across to Bradfield before returning down to the beach for the last section to Sutton Point, having the whole place to ourselves it was another pinch yourself moment:) We walk out onto to a spur at the point so we could see Holbrook school but we can only see the tower before finding an old tree trunk to sit by to enjoy our yummy chicken sandwiches, the secret being slices of salty butter, just delicious:) I have been having a lot of trouble with my right heel which becomes very sore after walking a few miles so tired my walking shoes instead of my sandals but they did not make a lot of difference, still we only had to walk nearly 4 miles back to the van! Well, rested we start the slow walk back with the river disappearing even further away with the tide still going out. We find a good spot and get a container of blackberries very quickly. We take a slightly shorter route back to the Decoy lake actually finding a footbridge to cross which is much safer, then do a circuit of the lake before reaching the van absolutely knackered but having loved every minute:) We took the Holbrook road back past Alton water to check routes for further walks before getting home for a much deserved cuppa and birthday cake before getting a video call from the Grandson Arlo:) I quickly send a couple of pics to the local TV weather at 5.15 and was amazed and very pleased to get one on Look East on the BBC, my first since August 26TH! So we both enjoyed Maggie’s birthday very much, top day, perhaps we can take it easy tomorrow? Photo Album Here Maggies Birthday here |
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