Camping / Cycling / Walking weekend in Suffolk 24th/25th July.

Keeping fingers crossed for good weather, we loaded cars with camping gear & bikes and set off for Sudbury. After several circuits of the Sudbury one way system we found our way out of the town to the camp site where we were signed in after the owner’s grappling with our confusing  mix of people, cars, bikes & tents and began to set up our small tent village. During this performance, Charlie (Val’s nephew) plus bike arrived courtesy of his parents.

Bikes sorted, the six cyclists set off leaving Steve, the only walker, to do his own thing. Down the road, first left and, surprise, surprise, a big hill!  This surmounted, we followed the back lanes to lunch stop at the famous old town of Lavenham. Leaving town we passed an army surplus store, an emporium ‘not to be missed’ by Charlie, so we wandered round observing the minutiae of warfare while Charlie was kitted out with a camouflage suit, courtesy of Auntie Val. Fortunately Parviz had an empty pannier to transport it all. Forward again through the beautiful Suffolk countryside, with undulating lanes and golden cornfields, via Preston St Mary and Monks Eleigh back to the campsite. Approx 31 miles. Showers, an excellent meal at the local pub (The Brook Inn) followed by a dodgy walk back in the dark and variously origami and a search in the grass for the bits of our gas lamp, which decided to self destruct, filled the evening.Morning, and what’s this? Drizzle? But it soon cleared into another beautiful day. Packing up camp, the cyclists set off again, this time into town to pick up the old railway track (and lose each other in the process). Eventually we and the track were united and we had an easy ride to Long Melford where we partook of the most expensive cup of tea ever! Those who read the menu first just had an ice-cream – cheaper!

Here the group split, with Ken, Val & Charlie taking a relaxing ride back to base while Duncan, Parviz & I carried on to Glemsford, which turned out to be on top of a big hill. At least we had a wonderful view from the churchyard where we had our lunch stop. Oh, well! it would be downhill on the way back we thought. Silly! Our route back via Foxearth and Temple End felt like it included most of the local hills, but eventually we arrived back at the campsite to load up bikes.

Excellent campsite (Willowmere), beautiful weather, good rides, what more could we want (except for better leg muscles!)

Ann