Gym's Ramblings: Fall, 2023 - A Euro Roadtrip

More on Suffolk

For being so close to London, Suffolk is surprisingly, a sparsely populated county. It has a few small towns all of which are surrounded by lush green farmland. The geography is gently undulating lowlands bordered on the east by the English Channel. Like that of the rest of southeast England, the climate is temperate and the weather is moderated by its close proximity to the European mainland and the warming influence of the sea. Certain types of palm trees do well along the coast of Suffolk.

Gym and his dear companion, spent two wonderful days in St. Audry's neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Woodbridge, Suffolk. St. Audry's is interesting because the oldest part of the community, is formerly the wards of the county lunatic asylum, until it was all converted to residences in 1993. Then later on, new detached homes were built down narrow country lanes, one of which was purchased by the Andersons, 18 months ago. The Anderson home became our traveller's*(see note) home base for a couple of days. Thank you Brenda and Roland for putting up with our hero and his sidekick.

Woodbridge lies along the river Deben and is about 8 miles from the coast. During their short stay in the area, the travellers would explore the neighbourhood around St. Audry's and the outskirts of Woodbridge, They also spent a full day on the coast, exploring the three beautiful seaside villages of Thorpeness, Aldeburgh and Orford. All three villages are within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths - Area of Natural Beauty. The day started with a hike down the beach from Aldeburgh to Thorpeness and back on the trail that looped through the Thorpeness Golf Club to Aldeburgh, on the North Marsh Circuit. Following the very pleasant 4.4 - mile hike, thirsts were assuaged on the patio of the highly-rated Wentworth Hotel.

The group then drove over to the historic village of Orford. Orford Castle towers over this cool little fishermans' village. Built between 1165 and 1173 by King Henry II to consolidate Royal power in the region, this well preserved keep was not open when our travellers were there but the exterior was very impressive. Orford's St. Bartholamew's Church was open for inspection. It is a fine example of Grade I listed, 14th Century church. After trekking around the village, the group sat down for a bite on a deck overlooking the Orford Ness Nature Reserve which was the haunt of smugglers in th 1800s. Later that night after sundowners looking out over the Anderson garden, everyone walked down towards the river to the Coach & Horses Pub, for some great fish and chips. By the time everyone got home again, the step-meter was registering a very respectable level of daily achievement.

The next morning just before Gym and Mrs. Gym were to drive to Bath in the Cotswolds, Mrs Gym was happily reunited with her suitcase after a 48-hour separation. One of Heathrow's finest consultant couriers had finally found the Anderson home. Mrs. Gym now had the wherewithal to dress for success on her two- week expedition across the pond.

The Corsa made it to Bath in just over 4 hours and the tired travellers checked into the Abbey Bath Hotel. Stay tuned for more from Bath.

*Note: The author wishes to point out that in the UK, he spells "travellers" the English way, instead of "travelers" which is the American spelling. Also of note, wherever additional vowels are required to comply with the Oxford Dictionary, he has tried to comply.

A narrow country lane disappearing under a canopy
of foliage in St. Audry

This tower was part of the old Asylum and is now a private home

These townhouses were former wards of the asylum, now all renovated residences. The “tower home” is in the background.

The Scallop. Artwork on the beach near Aldeburgh
near the start of the 4.4 mile hike. Gym believes it is Ed Sheeran posing on the left of the statue with his peeps.