ANGLES WAY JULY 2015 - WALK FIVE

HOMERSFIELD TO BILLINGFORD

Summary - Well it was a reasonable day despite the weather forecast. We set off from Homersfield basically following the course of the River Waveney but it was now reduced to a large stream and no longer the haunt of river boats. We passed through pretty Mendham and walked a round Harleston before the drizzle set in. Enough to need the cagoules but not enough to get us really wet. At 6.8 miles we could have diverted to Needham and a pub half a mile away but we decided to push on another 1.4 miles to Brockdish where there was another pub. We arrived as expected at about 13:00 only to find it was shut on Mondays! So I had to make do with a couple of crunchy bars that been in the rucksack for some time. The route continued following the river valley and was quite pretty. I was looking forward to the end of the walk because there was a burger bar there when we parked a car there this morning. Sadly the proprietor had gone home. 12.7 miles

We started from Homersfield and walked down the path to the Church of St Mary http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/homersfield.htm which is on higher ground above the River Waveney.

The Angles Way follows the Suffolk side of the river first on a road and then a footpath and there are views across Limbourne Common and the river to Norfolk and then the path goes around the base of Target Hill and onto another road into the village of Mendham.

Mendham's most famous son, born to a local miller, went on to become Sir Alfred James Munnings KCVO, PRA (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959), known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken enemy of Modernism. An extract of one of his paintings, featuring a local lady, Charlotte Gray leading a white pony along the banks of the River Waveney, has been incorporated into the Mendham village sign. Charlotte Gray is buried in Mendham church. Extract from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendham,_Suffolk

We stopped in the churchyard for a mid morning break and I ventured into the Church of All Saints and this is the main stained glass window. http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/mendham.htm

 

We crossed the River Waveney on leaving the village (photo above) and followed the path from Freston Farm towards Harleston.

This was the view looking back towards Mendham.

We crossed the A143 and through Briar Farm and into Harleston. I wish we could report something worth seeing in the town but the Angles Way turned south just as we got to the old part and we left through fields and crossed the A143 again.

After a short section of road running between the A143 and the River Waveney we crossed a couple of fields and across a footbridge where you get this view of a weir before skirting Weybread House.

The Angles Way follows the edge of the valley floor of the River Waveney on the south side and then passes through Instead Hall Farm onto Mill Lane where we had a decision to make. There was a pub in Needham half a mile to the north on the other side of the valley which was a one mile round trip but the next pub was 1.4 miles further along the Angles Way at Brockdish. We decided to push on and went through riverside fields occupied  first by horses and then a bull with herd whose posture caused us to divert through adjoining fields. We arrived as predicted at 13:00 just right for lunch at the Kings Head. With great disappointment it was found to be closed on Mondays. http://kingsheadbrockdish.co.uk/ Lunch was spent sitting on the village green in drizzle eating chewy bars that had been in the rucksack for weeks.

 

Walking on we went uphill along a road towards the A143 and just before it diverted along a path along field edges to the Church of St Peter and St Paul. It was locked. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/brockdish/brockdish.htm

 

We continued keeping south of the A143 including using a section of the old road and then continued on a series of green lanes running along the north side of the River Waveney with strips of pasture leading down to the river with trees running in lines down to it. We reached the river again where the Angles Way meets the Mid Suffolk Footpath which runs for 20 miles through the attractive farmland of Mid Suffolk linking the busy town of Stowmarket in the south with the small village of Hoxne at its northern end. http://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/countryside/countryside-sites/the-mid-suffolk-footpath/

 

The Angles Way makes its way around the south side of this large field.

 

Part the way along this is the view down on the confluence of the River Waveney and the River Dove a tributary which has its source near Horham.

 

On reaching the A143 again we walked west along it towards a large layby where we had left Jim's car in the morning. The second disappointment was that the burger van that had been there in the morning had gone.