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. In part 2 I head up the east coast of Suffolk first passing through Felixstowe, taking the ferry to Bawdsey. I then pass through Ortford, Thorpeness and finish up in a holiday park in Dunwich. Finally in part 3 I head towards Lowerstoft and then head west back to the car passing through Beccles, Harleston and Eye.
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 INneal 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 curus at Cavernham Heath wading birds at Minsmmere and Trimley and Exmore 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, uh, I joined the Wolfway on an off-road section. About a quarter of the Wolfway is off-road. [Music] 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 on 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 cuz 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. Heat. [Music] 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. Perfect conditions today. The wind subsiding. 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. [Music] Heat. Heat up [Music] here. [Music] [Music] So just approaching ing Bry 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 B 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. No, that’s fine. Thank you. 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 army 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. 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. Edmonds 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 com commemorated in the town’s crest and various artistic representations. 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. [Music] Baby, [Music] baby, 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] Heat. Heat. [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. Heat. N. [Music] Hey, [Music] heat. Hey. [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 Lavendham now. I’m just stood outside Lavinham Church which is quite spectacular as you can see. I might take a visit inside in the 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 Lavinham 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 Leam is a great one listed parish church in the church of England. It is a notable world 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. Mary 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 toward 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] What’s Nice. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat up here. [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 really nice chat. I did. Yeah. No, definitely not. Yeah. Oh, I could do with electric. You know, I fancied a can of drink if you sell them. Do you sell? Oh, lovely. Smashing. [Music] [Music] Thank you. What’s this village called? 109. What’s this village called? Hallstead. Holstead. Yeah. So, uh, was it I was in the woods last night. Yeah. Whose woods? Where? Oh, just just random. Who knows? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, down wood. 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. Is it okay if I sit in the shade here? So, it’s about half past 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 now. So slowing me down a little bit. So probably doing less mile than I hoped. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Okay. No. Yeah. Hello. Good morning. It’s Thursday the 16th. It’s 6:30 in the morning and what a lovely morning it is, too. I’m just looking up uh through the woods and the sun is shining. I’m about 5 miles near Phoenix today. I hope to get there next couple of hours cuz it’s obviously quite close. I’m going to catch a ferry to see the f to that should be fun to be a bit early but we’ll see how it goes. I can still chill out and stay for a little catch and breakfast and take it from there and it was raining. So, let’s see how it goes. Bye for now. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat up here. Hello. Just a quick update. It’s 8:30 in the morning. Still very early. I’m somewhere between carriage, which I can see in the background and Phoenix probably about halfway. So, take me a little bit longer than I thought, but um hopefully I make it to the 10:00 or whatever it is. There isn’t an exact time table if you’re looking for one. So, I’m assuming they got to go regularly throughout the day, something like that. It’s an absolutely glorious day. You can see I’m on a deserted little beach. Um, myself, some lovely views behind me. Absolutely gorgeous. I’m thinking of maybe some nice shower days but a little bit. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. A Heat. Heat. This your first day then? You’re on day one. Day three. Day three. Yeah, I’m on day three now. So, yeah. So, um yeah, my legs are feeling fine cuz I haven’t really cycled all year, but um Have you done much cycling or? Uh we’ve been we’ve been out singly. Um I got this in January, so Sure. Yeah. So, as many times as possible, but work and family just takes up so much. But it’s nice now. Well, I do a bit of running and a bit gym, so I figured it, you know, you can get a little bit fitter as you go along as well. So, uh, yeah. Yeah. I’ve not done a lot for the last couple, so the knees are feeding it a little bit, but the thing is you the thing about bike touring, you just go at your own pace, do you? Yeah. That’s what it’s all about. So, yeah, we booked up at Har for 1220. We got on the earlier one cuz sure it was an hour early. Yeah. Um so it’s no rush. We can’t book it until 3:00 at hold for us. So yeah, it’s no rush. Yeah. No, it’s uh it’s a short ferry, isn’t it? I didn’t realize. I was hoping for a little excursion. Oh, it’s gone a bit cloudier, isn’t it? Yeah. It’s cooler now. Oh, well. Did you eat at that place or? Yeah, it’s nice. Just a light lunch, but it’s perfect. Perfect timing for me. Yeah. Yeah. We’re not eating again till I think it’s half 6 tonight. So, did you go through Felix though on the uh seafront? Yes, on the seaf. I thought it was going to be a bit more industrial than that, but it was um very pleasant. They’re doing a bit as well, spending a bit of money. The house is above that. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Just like from Phoenix though across the B to B sea. There’s some really nice people at Felix though waiting for the ferry. Some photographers who were really nice to talk to and amazing photographers as well. They show me some of their stuff and we got a bike packing guys who are really nice too and help my bike onto the ferry. So I appreciate that. So pic place now um which looks really good for camping actually camping as well but I’m sure you’re not allowed. I think it’s called Southern Heath. Anyway, I’m on my way to uh South. Whether I make it today or not, I’m not sure. South is somewhere I’ve been to a few times, but it’s a nice place. So, I’m hugging the coast until I get uh get there. See you soon. Bye. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Or Castle was built in the 12th century for Henry II. Orford Castle was intended to curtail the power of the turbulent East Anglin baronss such as Hugh Beig of nearby Fington Castle. Its polygonal keep was built to a revolutionary design which is today a landmark in the Suffach landscape. This unconventional design is matched by an unusual history marked by drama of all kinds. Ortford Castle was a symbol of the king’s power strategically placed both to uphold royal authority in a region thickly planted with castles of powerful lords and guard the coast against invasion. In 1189, the castle passed to Henry II’s son, Richard I, also known as Richard the Linheart. And when he was captured upon his return from the Crusades, his mother, Elellanena of Aquitane, assembled a fleet at Orford to deliver the ransom for his release. Just a quick update, I’m at Orford just by the church. You can see some of the old ruins behind me. I got a better shot of the church by drone, which you can see in a bit. And also, interestingly, I filmed the castle at Orford as well, uh, which was quite spectacular. So, um, look forward to seeing that in 4K. It’s half 5 in the afternoon now, so I’m going to have a quick little look around Orford. um heading towards the coastal aspect of it and then start thinking about something to eat and uh somewhere to camp. I still got 2 or 3 hours, but um not sure how far I’ll make it. It’s been extremely hot today, so uh yeah, I’m a little bit frazzled as you can probably see by my face. So, I’ll report in later. The church of St. Bartholomew is the parish church of the town of Orford in England. a medieval church dating from the 14th century with reconstructions in the 19th and 20th century. It is a grade one listed building. In addition to its listing, the church is notable as the location for the first performances of four of the works of the composer Benjamin Britain. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. The original tower of the Christian St. Mary’s Church was built in the early 14th century. It has been altered several times and around 1900 the tower was taken down and completely rebuilt. The old materials were used and the new tower is a careful copy of the original. The form of the buttresses indicate that it was once a stage higher and it was probably altered when the bells were installed in the 15th century. It was at first and St. Mary Church where I decided to pitch my tent at the far end of the church grounds under a tree. [Music] [Music] Good morning. It’s about 7:00 in the morning and this is my camp for night number three. Um, as you can see, it’s not the most cubious of locations. It’s in a graveyard, but actually it’s not too bad. Um, it’s not the uh first time, and it probably won’t be the last time that I end up in a graveyard, but um yeah, there’s a tap. There’s some nice grass. I’m under a tree. It’s all good. So, very peaceful. The village is called Fiston. It’s not far from the coast. I’m hoping to make it to uh Thton Nest this morning. Um possibly to um find a campsite. I think there was one in size well, but it might not do tent. So I might have to continue up the coast. But I’ll let you know how I get on later on. That’s all for now. Bye. Heat. Heat. [Music] Good. Heat up [Music] here. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. [Music] Lacston Abbey is one of Suffukk’s most impressive monastic ruins and has some spectacular architectural features. It was founded in 1182 by Ran de Glennville, Henry II’s chief judicia and was dedicated to St. Mary. [Music] In about 1363, the abbey was moved away from what was evidently a rather unhealthy location on swampy ground and rebuilt on its present site. The old abbey was dismantled for building materials, though a fragment of it can still be seen, and as a result, the 14th century abbey incorporates some Norman features. Robert deuffred Earl of Suffukk oversaw the rebuilding of the abbey on a much larger scale than the original and included several new chapels. The outside walls were finished with vine checker work whilst the windows had a delicate perpendicular style tracery. I decided to stay at the Cliff House Holiday Park near Dunich. It’s a 30 acre holiday park and is situated on the idyllic Suffukk heritage coast on the clifftop with direct beach access. The holiday park is surrounded by the most beautiful heathland, woodland, and of course the beach. You can come camping, bring your tour or camper van, come on a self-catering holiday, or own a holiday lodge or static caravan. The Cliff House Park was the perfect place to relax after three hard earned days on the bike. There’s also a bar and a restaurant. I was slightly unlucky as it was a Friday, so the place was packed out and there were no electric hookups, but the staff were extremely friendly and allowed me to recharge all of my electronics in the reception area, which I was extremely grateful for. Of course, after three whole days on the bike in the basking sun, I was really looking forward to a nice hot shower. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the uh stay to be honest. [Music] Hello. I made it to the beach at the house campsite beach. And as you can see, I got quite nice behind me. I’m probably going to swim at some point. I’m not sure. So, there’s a storm coming tonight. So, we’ll see. And uh yeah, pretty nice day. The weather is gorgeous. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Good morning. It’s Saturday morning, day five at the Cliff House campsite. I slept quite well. There was a storm last night, so the the tent got washed down. Um, I’m not sure I showed you around the campsite. So, I just briefly show you where I camped last night. The campsite itself is right by the clifftop. And there’s a beach down the steps which uh I tested out yesterday. Nice to see. So, after a much needed rest day yesterday, I’m heading off northwards towards South Road and then stops. Um, it’ll probably take about two more days of cycling and all. Um, it’s about 120 mi left. So, hopefully today’s another good one. Looking forward to it. See you soon. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] The grave fryers monastery was established by Franciscan monks who first came to Dunich in the 1250s and set a monastic house near the harbor. The standing ruins are believed to be those of the southern refactory wing of the monastery where the monks would have eaten. To the north was a cloister and beyond that the monastery church. Holy That was much deeper than I thought. Jesus. After the storm last night, some of the puddles are absolutely huge. I’ve just got a wet foot going through one of them. It must have been about 6 in or more deep, but never mind. Uh, the show goes on. Lovely seeing me though forest. Not today, but most welcome welcoming to be honest because I was getting so hot and fled in the sun. There’s heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] St. Andrew’s church at Walburwick seen today stands in the remains of the south aisle of the substantial grade one listed church originally built between 1473 and 1493 onto an earlier tower. [Music] St. Andrew was once a much larger church similar in style to Blifer and Southwall churches. When this church fell into a state of disrepair in the 18th century, the people of Waleswick decided to downsize and to create a new smaller church better suited to their needs. The church has a fine 15th century tower. The building originally comprise a nave and chancel with an 18 bay cleristry and six bay north and south isles. When the prosperity of the village suffered, there were insufficient funds to maintain the church. And in the 1690s, the parish obtained permission to demolish the old church and build a much smaller one. This was funded by the sale of lead from the roofs and the bells from the tower. [Music] [Music] St. Edmund King and Martr Church in Southworld is one of Suffach’s greatest perpendicular churches. The mightiest survivor of a chain along the coast here. Built in the 15th century when the c county was one of the richest in England, the church’s exterior has superb examples of the art of flint work. This is particularly fine at the west end of the tower. Here panels of flint framed in stone rise above the window to the Latin inscription that translates as St. Edmund. Pray for us. Above that is checker work paneling of flint and stone. The interior is much of interest from the 15th to the 20th century. Outstanding are the medieval screens separating the nave and the isisles from the chancel and the chapels. These retain much of their original color and paintings of the disciples, prophets, and angels. On the eastern side of the chancel screen are stalls with carvings that include armrests in the shape of men, animals, and fantastical creatures. The painted and glided pullpit and font cover the successful 20th century restorations and recreations of medieval decorative woodwork. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Southold has much to offer of interest, but it is the sea and South Wall’s links with it that make this a wonderful destination at any time of the year. All the attractions of the working lighthouse, beach huts, model yacht pond, award-winning pier, busy harbor, clifftop cannon, and of course, the beach combined to make Southboard a quintessentially English resort town. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] [Music] The Holy Trinity Church at Gizlam is one of Northeast Suffach’s many churches with a round tower, a late Saxon early Norman base surmounted by an early 14th century octagonal brick crown similar to those at nearby Mutford and Ashby. This appears to be the story of the church too. A Norman structure elaborated in the early 14th century, but on a quiet scale, making the mid- 15th century porch with its napped flint work more imposing than it would be against a larger or a more demonstrative church. Above the porch entrance are the remains of a niche flanked by sensing angels. This was probably defaced by iconoclasts in the 16th and 17th centuries. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Hello. It’s 4:00 on day five. I’m at lower soft. I’ve been to low stuff before, but only through the course area. So, it’s a nice surprise to see the beach area behind me there. It’s uh it’s not too bad, actually. And the weather makes even better on course. So, I’m making good progress today because the wind’s behind me. Although, I’m turning back into the wind now to head towards due west towards very again. So, it’s going to take a little while. Right. I will check in again later on at the end of the day, if not sooner. See you soon. Bye. The Beck’s bell tower is a freestanding grade one listed edifice associated with the adjacent St. Michael’s Church in the market town of Beckles. It stands near the edge of a cliff overlooking the river Wavery. The bell tower rises an additional 97 ft and is 30 ft square at its base. [Music] Hello. It’s uh 20 8 on day five. I’ve just ended up in some random woods close to which is uh just a tiny little village near Eckles which you may have heard of. Echo was a lovely place to test to get a few collisions and here I am ready to set up camp. Yeah, I managed to do 59 miles today which is the most I’ve done on this trip. I haven’t really set out to do high on this trip. stopping starting to film more than ever. So hopefully that will pay the difference when it comes to editing video time or in the woods. The camp was very nice yesterday but um still everything so complaining. Nice and peaceful. Nice to be in nature. Okay. Well, I’m going to sign off now and I’ll see you in the morning. [Music] [Music] [Music] Good morning. It’s 6:00 in the morning. Day six, I think it is now. Um, I think it could be the final day of cycling. Although there’s about 55 miles to the car, give or take a couple of miles. So, I might choose if I get in late to do another overnight camp before I go home, but we’ll see how it goes. There’s also some rain forecast today, so not sure how that’s going to go. Um, I don’t think it’s going to be anything too heavy. Maybe 20% rain. So, uh, could get lucky. It’s mainly small villages today. Um, but you never know. There might be a few surprises. I think there’s some nice woods coming up, that sort of thing. So, I’ll do do my best to film what I can. Okay, I will report you later. See you soon. Bye. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Well, it’s half past 9 now on day six. I’ve stopped at a church, St. Margaret’s uh church. Lovely little church. just had some porridge and tea and um also found it quite useful not being a church just have water which means that you can brew some tea wash your pots if you need to and uh occasion I have been known to sleep in chair charge not on the graves but um where there’s a bit of free space often very pretty peaceful And uh yeah, definitely an option usually in the woods, but if you have a cool sale for church, it’s a good spot uh to replenish your uh your water and rest. St. Margar’s Church in South Elmhome stands pleasantly near the road, which bends to go around the churchyard. The core of the nave dates from the time of the Normans. This can be seen from the crude erratic masonry in the southeast corner. Also, the small window in the south wall and the south doorway. The tower and chancel were probably built during the 14th century and the perpendicular windows which light the buildings were added during the 15th century. [Music] [Applause] Set in the Wveny Valley, Hollston is a busy and historic market town. The Italian 8 clock tower overlooks the marketplace with its fine Georgian houses and courtyards, array of individual specialtity shops and thriving art scene. The surrounding countryside was made famous by the local artists, Sir Alfred Munnings. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] I Parish Church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul and is one of the finest in Suffuk. As you walk down Church Street, the tower presents a splendid picture. His western base, seen even better from the top of the castle mound, is an outstanding example of flush work, a mode of decoration almost entirely confined to East Anglia and Essex. The exterior of the church suggests that the whole building was rebuilt in the late 15th century as were so many churches in East Angular when East Anglia was apart from London the wealthiest and most thickly populated part of England due primarily to the wool and cloth trade and the area strategic position facing the low countries across the sea. I castle stands close by to the church. I Castle is one of the few surviving Mo and Bailey castles from the early Norman period. Built shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the castle was sacked and largely destroyed in 1265, but was probably used as a defensive site for many centuries before that. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hello. It’s 20 7 on day 6. Just stop after a break. I’ve just had my meal deal after a really hearty sunny roast lunch in the pub. And uh just contemplating whether set up camp here or move on. I think I’m going to move on. Get another 5 or 6 milesi done. I’m actually not that far from the car now. So, probably about 20 mi from the car. I could actually head to the car, but I fancy another night under the stars. So, um that’s what we’re going to do and uh take it from there. Okay, I’ll report to you later. See you later. Bye. Hey, hey, hey. [Music] [Music] Hi, it’s uh 9:00 in the evening, day six. I’ve just set up camp in the woods right next to me. It’s a bit too dark to film in there. Um, I officially finished the route. Now I’m only 2 milesi from the car, so that’s nearly it for me really. Um, I’ll probably finish up in the morning when I uh pack my gear and uh might just do a bit of last minute filming. The route itself, the Wolfway, is an excellent route. It suits people of all levels really. I found it, although I’ve done much further trips before, it’s uh it’s a relatively flat route, 256 miles. You can go as fast or slow as you like. There’s plenty of uh history in um Suffuk. Um I enjoyed going to the beaches as well on the coast and um yeah, the weather was amazing to boot. So, what more can you ask for really? So, yeah. anybody who’s uh interested in the Wolfway. It’s a relatively beginner ride, it’s flat, the trails are not that technical. You can’t really get that lost. You’re not that far from civilization. Were having problems uh getting supplies, food, water, that sort of thing. Um so, yeah, a relatively good introduction to bike packing if if that’s what you’re interested in. [Music] Good morning. It’s um 7:00 day 7. I’m in the woods. Just packed up the camp. Did a quick time lapse, so you’ll see that. And heading back to the car now. It’s been an excellent trip and um yeah, feeling refreshed. I had a really good sleep last night. Got a score of 89 on the Garmin. So, I think I’m sleeping better in the tent than I am at home at the moment. So, that’s uh that’s worth noting. Should live in the woods, I reckon. And uh yeah, it’s been an absolutely wonderful trip. [Music] [Music] Well, that’s all for me now. So, say my farewells. I should be doing the Rebellion Way, um, another bike packing trip in Norolk, um, which is relatively another relatively new route. I should be doing that in the coming weeks. So, watch out for that one. And uh watch out for this video on YouTube. Okay, that’s all for me folks. Take it easy. Bye. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music]