The Wolf Way is a fairly new bikepacking circular route in Suffolk. I start at a small village called Barnham and join the Wolf Way heading towards the official start at Bury St Edmunds and later towards Ipswich. The route travels through ancient Forrests, Medieval villages and historic churches, castles, cathedrals and ancient ruins which are highlighted throughout. I decided to wildcamp throughout apart from a rest day at a campsite. Later in the route Coastal towns and villages are passed through too. For this bikepacking adventure I used a hardtail mountain bike but a gravel bike would work well too or even a road bike with good tread although some sandy sections would be harder without a mountain bike. other highlights are the Felixstowe to Bawdsey Ferry, the Knettishall heath wild ponies and other wildlife and fauna. Birds of prey and deer, pigs and coastal bird life were abundant. I have split the journey into 3 parts and highlighted the main points of interest. Enjoy!
Hello. Join me on the wolf way which takes its name from the protector of St. Edmund whose legacy echoes around the whole of Suffukk and East Angular in place names, monasteries and monuments. It picks up parts of the ignal way, one of the ancient king’s highways, which are wide sandy tracks forged in a time before land enclosure. The route takes riders through beautiful Heathland rich with wildlife like the stone curios at Cabnam Heath, wading birds at Minsmmere and Trimley and Xmore ponies helping to rewet Heath. There are also several ancient forests, medieval towns, and ancient Roman capitals like Dunich, much of which was swallowed up by the sea in the 13th century. The Wolf Way is a 257 mi cycling adventure around Suffukk. Winding its way around many of the best bridalways, byways, gravel tracks, cycle paths, and quiet roads, it takes in some of Suffukk’s most beautiful locations and hidden gems. I started my ride at the village of Barnham near Theford at the St. Gregory’s Church, although the official start of the ride is in Berry St. Edmunds by the Cathedral by the Wolf statue. [Music] After about a 5mi ride from the car, I joined the Wolf Way on an off-road section. About a quarter of the Wolf Way is off-road. Conditions were favorable on the trip. The sun was out, the forecast was good, and the wind was low, which is pretty good news as I’ll be wild camping on this trip. [Music] The Wolfway is quite an easy ride. Um, most of it’s some quiet country lanes, few trails, but nothing too address. So, not worried about that. I’m on the hard tail, which will easily be enough. But I reckon you can do this ride on a gravel bike. Uh, possibly a road bike with some decent thread on the tires. It’s already 3:00 in the afternoon, so um still a bit of time because it’s uh June and uh plenty of light. So hopefully I’ll do 30 or 40 miles today. See how it goes. I’m not aiming to break any records on this trip. Just take it easy. It’s my first big ride of the year. So you can see my hard tail. It’s a Norco Revolver 100 m travel and I’m running tail fin bike packing bags or purs. Uh, all of this is quite new, so I’m testing it all out on this trip. But, um, so far so good. No problems whatsoever. It’s not a particularly hilly ride, the Wolfway, so you don’t really need mountain bike gears or anything like that. You might notice the strange gadget lurking for my top tube bag, which is my new DJI Flip drone. Also, on the handlebars, I’ve mounted the drone controller for ease of access. [Music] On this trip, I’ll also be running my Pedal Cell Dynamo charger, which I find a really excellent way of charging my bicycle computer and my phone, although they no longer make this, unfortunately. [Music] So, it’s time to head off towards Bry St. Edmunds, which is the official start of the route. I’ll be passing through villages such as Icklingham, Cavernham, and Tutenham on the way. This part of the journey was um mainly off-road and was really pretty. Really enjoyed this part. It was very uh relaxing and the gravel was uh nice and smooth. Um some grassy bits too, but nothing too technical. I think you can get through on a gravel bike no problem. Although a mountain bike was even more comfortable. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] On this part of the uh route, be prepared for some sandy sections. These are actually uh although quite good fun, quite hardgoing at times. You might find yourself doing hiker bike, but it doesn’t last too long, so don’t worry about that too much. All right, no problem. Hello. Hello. Perfect conditions today. The wind subsiding. A real pleasure to ride at the moment. Plenty of bird watches here today. Nice to be in nature though. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] So just approaching Berry St. Edmunds now. Berry St. Edmunds is known for its history, its beautiful outside spaces, its great mix of independent and high street favorite shops, and for being Suffach’s foodie capital with its fantastic eeries. Surrounded by countryside with 1,000 years of history to explore, Barry St. Edmunds is the home of St. Edmund, the original patron saint of England. The Bower War Memorial in Barry St. Edmunds is a monument which was created by the sculptor Arthur Walker. It stands as a memorial to SuffK soldiers who lost their lives in the South African war in between 1899 and 1902. Heat. Heat. That’s
No, that’s fine. Thank you. Any ladies?
Uh, yes, please. Thank you. Thanks very much. Thank you. Bye. The Abby Gardens in Berry St. Edmunds began as a botanic garden established by Nathaniel Hodson in 1831. Originally on the east side of the great churchyard, it was later relocated to its current location, the former great cause of the abbey and expanded with ornamental paintings. The gardens were opened in to the public in 1912 after being leased by the Burough Council. Today, they are a popular public park and a significant historical site incorporating the ruins of the abbey and other historical features. The Arby Gardens in the heart of Berry St. Edmonds is a perfect spot for enjoying peace and quiet whilst watching the world go by. So I decided to eat my fish and chips here. [Music] Hello. I’ve made it to Berry St. Edmund’s Cathedral. I’m now in the Rose Garden. What a beautiful setting. The day has just got better. It’s uh got sunnier and sunnier. The wind has gone, so it’s all good. Just had some fish and chips in the uh center of Berry St. Edmunds and now I’m just chilling. I’ve done about 23 miles and hope to get it up to about 30 before I start uh setting up camp somewhere. We’ll see how that goes, but um plenty of time as the days are long. Okay, that’s all for me for now. Berry St. Edmund’s Cathedral, originally St. James Church, has a history deeply intertwined with the Abbey of St. Edmund. The church which became the cathedral in 1914 stands on the site of the abbey once a major pilgrimage center. The abbey history including its foundation to the house the remains of King Edmund a 9th century martyr predates the church. The church itself was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries in perpendicular Gothic style with the nave dating back to the 16th century. The Berry St. Edmund’s Cathedral Courtyard, also known as Yabi Gardens, has a rich history rooted in the former Benedictine Abbey. The courtyard, once the heart of the monastery’s buildings, is now a public space featuring the ruins of the abbey and the cathedral. The area has evolved from a center of monastic life to a site of pilgrimage and historical significance. with the current cathedral being a relative recent transformation of the former St. John James Church. So I’m here at the official start of the Wolf’s Way. The legend of St. Edmund and the Wolf is a central part of the history of Berry St. Edmunds, particularly associated with the St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. The story tells that after being killed by Danish invaders, St. Edmund’s body was found, but his head was missing. His followers heard a wolf crying, “Here, here, here,” and followed the sound to discover the wolf guarding the head. The wolf allowed the followers to retrieve the head, which miraculously reattached to the body when reunited. This event is commemor commemorated in the town’s crest and various artistic representations. [Music] Having left Berry St. Edmonds, it’s now time to find a camp spot. Passing through the villages of Rushbrook and Cockfield, I managed to find a nice quiet spot in the woods near Buttons Green. Yeah, baby. [Music] Good morning. It’s about 20 6 in the morning and I’ve had a a decent night’s sleep. Just over 7 hours sleep. I’m in the woods um somewhere between Bry St. Edmunds and Sudbury. It’s about 30 mi to go to Sudbury. It’s going to be a sunny day, so uh that’s generally good, but it could be a hot one. So, it was a little bit sweaty yesterday, too. We’re looking forward to it. So, I’m going to pack up uh pack up camp now and uh head on onwards. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] For today’s ride, I’m heading out towards Ipsswitch. First stopping at Lavinham, Long Melford. Um skirting by Sbury and then going out towards Burs, Asington, White Street, Hadley, Chattisham, Washbrook and then Ipsswitch. And then if I get any further than that, that will be a bonus. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Hello. That’s okay. No worries. [Music] Thank you. That’s great.
No, that’s okay. Thank you. Thanks very much. Thank you. Bye. [Music] [Music] Good Morning. I’ve arrived at Lavinham now. I’m just stood outside Lavendham Church, which is quite spectacular, as you can see. I might take a visit inside in a moment just to see what it’s like. I’m not making very good um time today, but um you know what? I don’t really care cuz um I’m here to enjoy the journey. Um and if it takes me an extra day, it takes me an extra day. [Music] Okay, I’ve just had breakfast, some porridge on the uh bench by the Lavnham church. So, uh let’s take a look inside and see what we can find. I’m sure it’ll be amazing inside. St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Lavam is a great one listed parish church in the church of England. It is a notable wool church and is regarded as one of the finest examples of late perpendicular Gothic architecture in England. A church has existed on the current site since Anglo-Saxon times. The original church, which was probably wooden, was rebuilt in stone in the 14th century. The chancel, the oldest part of the current church, having been constructed in 1340 and decorated with money from the wealthy citizens. In the decades following the black death, the town of Lanham grew rich as a result of the booming wall trade. The 14th century church was added to and modified several times in order to demonstrate the new wealth of its religious community. Further reconstruction of the church took place between 1485 and 1525. The architect is thought to have been John Wastel who built the church of St. Murray the Great Cambridge. The building is late perpendicular in it in its design and regarded as one of the finest churches of built in that style. It was also one of the last churches to be completed before the English Reformation. The building is decorated with the coat of arms of the families, the spring arms as well as the merchants’s mark of Thomas Spring appears over 30 times on the exterior of the building. Whilst the star of the De family surrounds the top of the tower, today the church is one of the most visited in East Angular. [Music] Time to head off to Long Melford. What a shame I haven’t got a better zoom on me to take a better picture of this bird of prey. [Music] Melford Hall is a stately home in the village of Long Melford. Since 1786, it has been the seat of the Parker Baronets and is still lived in by the Hyde Parker family. Since 1960, it’s been owned by the National Trust. [Music] Having left Long Melford and Melford Hall behind, I now headed off towards bears on a really nice section of gravel. It’s lovely dappled um shade and provided uh some respite from the sun which was getting pretty hot. [Music] [Music] [Music] What’s your name? [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] By this stage I was getting quite thirsty. So, I was uh quite desperate to find um a corner shop or something for a drink or an ice cream. One of the lovely things about these sort of trips is that you bump into all sorts of people in these small quaint little villages and that’s what happened. I bumped into um a lady sitting outside um of her local shop and uh we had a a really nice chat. [Music] I did. Yeah. No, definitely not. No, I could do with electric. You know, I fancied a can of drink if you sell them. Do you sell? Oh, lovely. Smashing. [Music] Oh, there they are. Yep. [Music] Thank you. What’s this village called?
109.
What’s this village called?
Holstead.
Holstead. Yeah. So, uh I was I was in the woods last night. Yeah. Kwood where?
Oh, just rand just random. Who knows?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, down not near here. Um, how much is that, please?
Uh, 109. Good for you.
Thank you. Yeah.
Yeah.
How many miles have you done today?
I’ve done 35 so far, so probably another 25. Trying to get to 60, something like that. I stop a lot, you see. So, uh,
good.
Yep. Well, thanks very much for that. You’re
welcome. You okay if I sit in the shade here. [Music] So, it’s about half 4 in the afternoon. I’ve just stopped for a coke in a little village called Pstead. Had a little chat with the owners which was rather nice. And now heading towards Ipsswitch. It’s a glorious day. About 21 22°. Bit breezy but that’s not a bad thing. Keeps you cool. Tends to be a bit of a headwind. So slowing me down a little bit. So probably doing less mileage today than I hoped. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat [Music] up [Music] here. You can’t do it. You did this. Well, that’s the end of part one. Please join me for part two where I’ll be traveling along the coast through Felix Stow up towards Dunich. In part two, I’ll be passing through more medieval villages, exploring more ancient forests, as well as more castles, abbies, and churches, including the magnificent Ortford Castle and Lacston Abbey. I also find some time to relax at the Cliff House Holiday Park at Dunich and check out the beach and have a lovely swim before being hit by an unexpected storm. Don’t forget to like and subscribe. See you in the next part. Bye. [Music]