Rambling Pete

Date: 01-Dec-2012

Map: Landranger 168

Weather: Hard frost and winter sunshine

 

From Dedham Hall car park, through Dedham to Park Farm, follow the Essex Way to the east near Lawford Hall. Downhill to Manningtree station and turn west along the St Edmund Way to Flatford Mill. Follow the banks of the River Stour back to Dedham : around 8miles with very little ascent – 300ft

 I woke early today to catch the sunrise from the lodge looking down over the golf course. It’s been a while since I tried to catch the morning light properly. It was cold, crisp and bright – the type of day where all around is silent and you can hear ice quietly cracking as the sun rises higher. A heavy frost carpeted the fairways and I love this weather where you can stride out without fear of getting muddy feet.

Dedham is only a short drive away from the Lodge and the round today visited Flatford Mill where John Constable painted his famous ‘Hay Wain’ amongst others, the heart of 'Constable Country' - the area of England where Constable lived and painted. He lived a little further away from Dedham and walked to the Grammar School each day alongside the River Stourfrom his family's home in East Bergholt. Many of Constable's paintings feature Dedham, including Dedham Mill, and Dedham Parish Church, a focal point of the surrounding Dedham Vale – mainly due to the fact it’s the biggest thing around.

 We parked on the northern edge of Dedham in a free car park and set off towards the church, another 15^th Century medieval building. Crossing the main road of the village I was struck by how wide it is for a small village, and after passing the old Grammar School we were out onto open fields. The church looked splendid, the sharp morning light reflecting off the grey flint walls of the tower. Walking south we passed through plenty of styles and gates, paddocks and a few houses on easy to follow paths for a mile before turning off to the east and following the Essex Way. We crossed over the main road south out of Dedham and continued through horse pastureland with fine views down over the Vale of Dedham. More horse grazing followed a short walk on a lane and yet more paddocks on our way down to cross over the railway line near Aldercar. Luckily a commuter train trundled past as we were making our way down to the track, so we knew it was clear one way! Over the track and a sharp little climb up through some woods brought us back up to higher ground passing a fine woodshed with a great weather vane shaped as a carthorse pointing the way ahead. The bush here next to the shed still had some fruit attached which looked a little incongruous at this time of year – I think it was a fig tree.

As we reached Broom Knolls we had to wait for a rider and his mount, who looked distinctly reluctant to be out and about – I thought we would see more judging by the amount of paddocks we had passed through. A short bit of road walking along Dedham Road followed, passing by a great steaming pile of manure – no frost atop of this heap – before veering off towards Lawford Hall – a very neatly kept estate, with a lovely façade basking in the sunlight. Just beyond the Hall lies the local church on a little knoll overlooking its surrounds. The tower on the church was an odd mix of brick and flint, obviously patched up over the years, but some of the lower walls had lovely brick and flint patterns built into them. It felt a nice place to stop and relax a while. For the next mile or so there wasn,t much to commend this walk as we dropped down the hillside along a farm track the urban sprawl and railway station of Manningtree comes into view. The sea is there as well in the distance but you’d be doing well to focus on that and not what lies before you.

Down past the railway car parks we soon made our way along tarmac to turn right under a bridge and out onto the flatlands of the St Edmund Way. A walk across the floodplain on grassy tracks brought us to the banks of the River Stour, and this is the point that we start to see some of the landscape typical of Constable Country. Thick reed beds at the side of the Stour give a little protection as the river meanders down towards the sea, and no doubt in spring and summer this would be a haven for wildlife. Not much floating around today apart from the common moorhen and coot. We heard the sound of rushing water as we approached the Judas Gap Weir where the Stour splits into two, the northern part probably served mill works long ago. Turning north here passing overspill sluice gates, Constable Country approaches with Willy Lott’s house clearly visible through the trees. As we got nearer to the locks I realized how high the River Stour was flowing, and to be honest a few inches higher and we would have been swimming back to Dedham. The locks were open and across the water at the mill was a big rush of water which the mallards were enjoying. Up and over the bridge led us to the NT buildings and a Constable exhibition in the adjoining cottage. I had to duck down to get through the door here and keep my head bowed to look around the displays – old windy miller must have been a bit short of 6ft tall to live here - either that or he walked around wearing a helmet all the time.

The Flatford Mill area is a tourist ‘Honeypot’ and must get really busy in the summertime and school holidays – I think you’d have to visit early morning  to get the real atmosphere of the place. It is a very pretty setting with some wonderful buildings alongside the Stour. The National Trust tearooms were open so we nipped in for some soup and a roll, and as it was December officially the decorations were already on display. A short walk along the lane led us past the old mill and to the location where Constable painted his most famous canvas – the Hay Wain. The sun was directly into the lens now, so I had to try and hide it behind the trees – the pond had a little more water than when Constable painted the scene. You can hire rowing boats to pootle up and down the river, but no takers today.

Once we had our fill of the Flatford Mill experience we made our way back towards Dedham across the floodplain. The level of our feet was about the same level as the river and the ground was a little moist to say the least. We carefully plotted out a route but there wasn’t a way to avoid the wet areas. There are some marvelous trees here with roots firmly tapped into the water – they must have been chopped back hard at one point and now have a very wispy head of new growth. We crossed over the Stour at Fen Bridge and walked along the northern side of the river all the way back to Dedham on the Stour Valley Path, joining the town road close to Dedham Mill where some locks spew out a great flume of rushing water. An interesting end to another good day around the flatlands of the Essex / Suffolk border.

  

a cold and frosty morning at the lodge



and bright blue skies over Dedham



the route took us to the west of Dedham across fields



plenty of horse paddocks and a gatepost looking like a scouts badge thing



up on the ridge looking back at Dedham



Heading west along the Essex Way



with more grazing land



which led out onto the lane above Cuckoo Cottage



thankfully the ground was still frozen



the route was well waymarked



across more paddocks leading down to the railway crossing



the route to London



and up a bank the other side of the track near Aldercar



There is a Heavy Horse Centre nearby



a flock of figs



near Broom Knolls



the Dedham Road for a short stretch



a nice warm dungheap



a straight track towards Lawford Hall



passing by Lawford Hall



the church that served the Hall - note the patchwork of building materials



no old pews in here



flint, brick, flint, brick



brick, flint etc



all downhill from here to Manningtree Station



pleasant in the sunshine



Manningtree Station and cart park



Flatford next stop on the Constable Express



not the best type of walking



under the railway and out on the St Edmund Way



narrow tracks took us towards the River Stour



up onto the levee here and alongside the River Stour



still well signposted to Flatford



the wide lazy sweep of the Stour - starting to resemble Constable Country from here



not too far to Flatford Mill from here



along by the sluice gates near Judas Gap Weir



lots of reed beds close by the riverbank



and suddenly there's Willy Lott’s house



Flatford Mill and one of the water canals



the locks opposite the mill



no gates to restrict the flow, just a small weir



thats a nice B&B across the river in a converted barn



old mill workers cottages and the NT tea rooms to the right



The man himself



Flatford Mill and the Hay Wain site around the corner



The Hay Wain was here - a splendid location



very atmosheric in the late afternoon sun



and another old building still surviving



the old boat dock next to the NT tearooms



very soggy along the banks of the River Stour



interesting pruning of these very old trees



there must be plenty of wildfowl here at the right time of year



across the fields to Fen Bridge



and continued along the riverbank all the way to Dedham



the sun was sinking now - not much time for daylight in the winter



this is where we reached the road to Dedham



and by Dedham Mill was a huge rush of water



very hypnotic



and very noisy. The end of a fine walk around Constable Country