4 minute read
Conveyancing advice from Birketts
by immags
Flatford Mill
Strolling in a land of artistry
A walk in beautiful Constable country and a refresher at the Red Lion pub
WALK HIGHLIGHTS The village of East Bergholt is associated with John Constable, the famous artist who was born here in 1776. You pass both Flatford Mill and Willy Lott’s Cottage, which featured in his masterpiece The Hay Wain. (see page 14).
THE WALK From the car park, turn right along the road, past the Red Lion to the first junction by the post office where you turn right again, along a little lane that runs past the Congregational Church. Continue to the gate to Vale Farm, where you take a footpath to the left going down to a wooden footbridge across the brook. Continue straight on going back uphill. At the top you emerge into an open field with views to the left of Dedham Church and the surrounding countryside. At the end of the field at the footpath junction turn left down a shady tree-lined path. At the bottom, just before the metal gate, turn left.
Continue for some distance winding between the trees. When you reach a planked bridge and stile, bear left through a grass field. Cross another stile
THE PUB
The Red Lion (no website but there are various reviews on tripadvisor and suffolkcamra.co.uk) Tel: 01206 298332 CO7 6TB
HOW TO GET THERE: East Bergholt can be reached by turning off the A12 onto the B1070 which takes you into the village. Turn into Gaston Street and the Red Lion is at the end, in the heart of the village. PARKING: There is a large free public car park directly behind the pub.
to follow a narrow path by a barbed wire fence. Negotiate another stile and immediately swing left to the next stile by the house. Turn right along a wide track. You cross a bridge and soon after reach a more substantial bridge where you cross the River Stour.
You are now on the Essex side of the river. Bear slightly right on the path that runs across the field to the culvert that crosses a stream and continue through the meadow with the River Stour to your left on the path that runs parallel. You merge closer to the river further along. At the next bridge, cross back over the river and at the 16th century Bridge Cottage, turn right. Continue to the end of the lane, passing the Granary, the Flatford Mill Field Centre and the famous Willy Lott’s Cottage, where you reach an information board.
At the path junction after Willy Lott’s Cottage, turn left by the board along the track, part of the Stour Valley path. Where the footpath bends right, go straight on through a kissing gate onto a permissive route and bear left, following a wide grass path that swings left and goes uphill. At the top by the bench, go straight on through another gate and gently up along the field edge. Proceed straight on to where the path narrows between fences. At the path T-junction turn left and soon after, go through a wooden gate, joining an access road which leads down to the lane.
Take the footpath almost opposite taking you gently down over a brook and then back uphill
A peaceful corner of the River Stour on the Suffolk/ Essex border
through the trees for some distance. Negotiate a stile and cross a small meadow. Cross the next stile and immediately turn right along a little path that runs parallel with the lane. Eventually the path merges onto the lane where there is a seat where you can rest if you choose. Proceed along the lane and up to the road junction by the war memorial opposite the parish church, notable for not having a spire or tower. Turn left, using the pavement on the other side of the road. The pub and the car park are further along the road on the left. PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY The famous Flatford Mill, once owned by John Constable’s father, has a visitor centre providing a history of the family. The John Constable Museum at Bridge Cottage is also worth a look and has free admission. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ flatford-bridge-cottage
n Taken from the Guide to Suffolk Pub Walks by Countryside Books
The route
East Bergholt 4 miles (6.5 km)
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Water margins
Stowmarket based photographer Justin Minns brilliantly captures the waterfronts and landscapes of Suffolk and Essex, as the images on the following pages show
