Weather: Sunny and hot for
time of year.
Distance: 15.5km ( 9.6
miles) Total Distance:
2526miles
I was up at 7 o’clock, packed washed
and collecting my £5 deposit for the toilet block at 7.40am. There had been a very heavy dew and I had to pack my tent soaking.
I parked near the pier and set off for the
day. It was still grey when I started walking but
showed great promise. The fist mile or
so was along the promenade and then cutting inland briefly before rejoining the
coast and a mile or so of beach huts. At
a place which appeared to be called Felixtowe Ferry I checked out the time of
the ferry out of curiosity rather than and interest in catching it. There
were no ferry on weekdays in the second half of September.
I had a cup of strong tea and piece of
buttered toast in the Ferry Café before heading off up the River Deben. I was pleasantly surprised to see the path in
good condition but it only lasted a couple of miles before it got not bad but
covered in long grass. This meant I took to the farm track on the landward
side just to keep my feet dry. Before I
left the sea defences I say a heron with an eel in its mouth fly off as I
passed but it dropped its eel whilst flying over a ploughed field.
After Mirton Creek the sea defences
gave way to a path along the estuary floor itself which looked like it would
flood at very high tide. Just beyond
this point the sea wall had been washed away so I was sign-posted inland
through the village of Hemley across some fields and down into the village of
Waldringfield. I found exactly what I
was hoping to find, a quiet pub overlooking the water, this time called the
Boat Inn. I drank a pint of IPA outside
and put on some sun cream as it was now getting very hot.
Past Waldringfield the sea wall was
once again breached. I had been told this by the Ipswich rambler I had spoken
to on the phone a couple of weeks previously.
This meant going inland again but the minor roads were ever so
peaceful. At Hill Farm I made my way
down to the estuary again by way of a series of paths around fields and through
woods. Just as I climbed the last stile
onto the sea defence a passing jogger made me jump. I was not expecting to see
anyone there!
At the head of Marlesham
Creek I thought I was running short of time to catch the 2.35 bus but
discovered there was a path on the north side of the creek not marked on the map. The signs said it may not be passable at high tide but even though the water
was high it was OK and saved me a walk inland.
I stopped at the railway station and headed into the town to find the
bus. When I eventually found the bus
station, the Turban Centre, there was no indication that the bus whose
details I had found on the internet actually existed but it did turn up a
little late and took me on a tortuous route back to Felixtowe.
I got home at about 6 o’clock having
had a fine couple of days – just what you need to say goodbye to the
summer.
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