Staycation Suffolk - Day 2 & 3

Wednesday. 

The day we were going to Walberswick to meet Claire's sister, Sally, and her husband, Ian, who were in a house there before moving into their new house next week.

We arrived just before noon and parked on the Common Car Park. Plenty of room and gravelled. The cost? Just £3 for 4 hours.

As it was almost lunch time Claire and Sally went up to the deli and Reggie and I had a walk around the river area. Here most of the houses are on legs around 3 feet off the ground. High tide was 3.20pm. 

With no sign of them returning we then crossed "Wally's Bridge" and head up to the beach. There are some dunes, fenced off to save them from human feet, and then the sea. To the left there is the river entrance and beyond that Southwold.

To the right in the distance it looks like Sizewell nuclear power plant. A bit like at home where we have Dungeness nuke to the right as we look out to sea.

Personally I don't have a problem with nuclear power. I lived in Zastávka in the Czech Republic near to Dukovany nuke. That one was a nasty old Russian design...

By the time I walked back they were returning. Lunch was very nice but the price they paid was eye wateringly high!

For my brother's info, about three or four times a McDonald's!!

They took off again to visit the shops and we did a different walk along the river, by now with the tide coming in it was much higher. Along the beach and back over Wally's Bridge.

Time for a photo session and goodbyes.

I set the satnav to take up to Southwold. We could have gone across on the ferry and walked but I thought it was easier to drive and check out the motorhome spots at Southwold Pier.

Park4Night says there are three dedicated spaces, in fact there are ten. I paid £1.50 for two hours parking. The machine takes coins and the Ring-Go parking app. Much easier if you could tap a chipped credit or debit card!!!!

We had a walk past the beach huts to the pier and along the pier to the end. There were a couple of cafés open but it was hard to tell. 

The "Under the Pier" show was open. It's a strange "arcade" full of automaton exhibits. One was a treadmill with an artificial dog that a person could walk. I had a real one though...

From there we headed off the our second Caravan Club Certificated Site at Waterpump. 

We missed a turning as the satnav (currently not named) told us to "bear right" just as we passed the turn. It took nearly two miles before a large layby gave me enough turning space for a 7.2 metre long van.

On arrival we met our hostess Sarah and later her husband Dave. A very nice welcoming couple. A lot different to the Barn Own Meadow CL where we actually never saw the hosts.

A chat with neighbours and hosts and a walk around the meadow and we were done. Dinner sausage sandwiches done in the RidgeMonkey. Very nice.

Thursday.

We didn't have to be away until noon and so with a few doggy interruptions in the night we had a lie in.

Eventually leaving around 11.30am. The first port of call was to be the National Trust site at Sutton Hoo - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/sutton-hoo

But first we needed a shop for milk. We passed through several pretty villages with no shops.

Once on the A12 towards Ipswich there was a sign for Wickham Market and "local services". I followed the signs. The high street showed no signs of any shops. There was a tea room but nowhere to park. 

As we were about to give up we came across a Co-Op supermarket. No spaces big enough, so I parked across two spaces for parents and kids. Sod's Law of course meant that the drivers (sans enfants) came out and I moved to let them out. Moving back until Claire reappeared.

Sutton Hoo. Magnificent site. Well worth the entry. Loads of history. Walks around the estate. A café that allows dogs and had an area for those without! 😁😁😁

Check out the link above. Sadly the helmet isn't here. 

We took a walk around the burial mounds. A miracle that over the centuries grave robbers had ransacked some of the mounds but had missed the biggest treasure, the Saxon longship and the treasure horde.

After a cup of tea and a shortbread, Claire went into the shop whilst I finished mine. Then when I went into the museum she went back to the van.

The museum covers the discovery and also subsequent "digs" involving local people and groups. Plus of course many of the smaller finds.

I had no idea that the Saxons has pressed gold coins in the 7th Century in England. Later changed for silver as it was cheaper and they could make more.

Some of the artifacts from the tombs can be traced to the Eastern Mediterranean!

Once we were done it was back on the road for the last overnight of this short midweek trip at Garden House Certificated Location.

It's easy to find from their directions and of course, I had entered the coordinates for the entrance in to Doris. See I have named the satnav during writing this blog. 

I have had a Doris before. Back in around 2003 I bought, a then, state of the art motorcycle specific Garmin Quest. - the first Doris.

On arrival Claire opened the gates and I headed for the first available pitch. Pitch 5. Unfortunately our electric hook-up cable wouldn't be long enough and our host, Martin, offered to lend us a 25m one. Perfect. 

Ours think is 14m. I have another on order, 10m,  and that will have been delivered to home yesterday. 

Maybe I need another longer one!!!

So here we are. Dog walked in the secure dog area where he can be off lead. 

It's been raining more on than off, but we are nice and cosy in the van. 

Blog written. Dinner? Ginsters chicken and mushroom slices and baked beans....

Until tomorrow. Bye for now.