2024 – England – “Valley of Kings”- Woodbridge Suffolk & Mount Pleasant

About 20,000 years ago Doggerland drew what we know now as the UK to Western Europe and Scandinavia into one land mass. Both humans and animals travelled across this land until rising seas separated the entities that we recognise today, leaving “Dogger Bank” largely under the North Sea and the name Dogger as a UK Shipping Weather Forecasting area.

Run forward a few thousand years, the Romans have left – 400 AD, and not long after German settlers – from what we know now as the Netherlands, Scandinavia & Germany are arriving and the era of Anglo Saxon kingdoms have arrived. They come across the North Sea and row inland up the rivers of Essex & Suffolk, like this River Deben at Woodbridge. Fascinatingly, research shows that the type of “longboat” the Anglo Saxon used could rowed to or from the Netherlands in only 2 days and Denmark in 9.5 days.

Woodbridge is a pretty Suffolk town, lots of history, Georgian, Tudor and more much of which is on display for those visitors wishing to wander its streets. Today, it is a long distance commuter destination with the City of London less than 2 hours away – one train change at Ipswich. It’s definetly a weekend get away destination for many boat owners with both marinas and river swing moorings. But its history goes back much further than even Norman times and it is a Royal history too.

By 550AD the Anglo Saxon settlers had established a series of “Kingdoms”, and with entry points like the River Deben from Continental Europe being focal points for the settlers, settlements there assumed great importance.

Roll forwards to 2021 and the movie – “The Dig” – with Ralph Fiennes takes us to 1938, the eve of WW2 and a property owned by a Mrs Ruth Pretty on the North Bank of the River Deben, just across from Woodbridge. Mrs Pretty hires a self taught archaeologist, Basil Brown played by Ralph Fiennes, to investigate some mysterious mounds on her property, his discoveries become the Sutton Hoo we know today.

Sutton Hoo derives its name from Old English, Sut combined with tun means the “southern farmstead” or “settlement” and hoo refers to a hill “shaped like a heel spur”. The movie – “The Dig” – which I recall watching on a long haul plane trip was a good story, taking one through the early explorations and the discovery in 1938/9 of a “Anglo Saxon Ship Burial with a wealth of artifacts some from Eastern Europe”.

Now run by the National Trust, Sutton Hoo, celebrates the Royal Burial Grounds that have since been uncovered and continue to be further excavated and more history discovered. The site is well worth a visit as it helps one to understand the logistics of the site. It’s believed that King Rædwald- King of East Anglia – who died in AD625- was buried at Sutton Hoo. His ship was hauled up the hill from the bank of the river Deben to its pre-prepared resting place, and lay there with its contents until its discovery in 1938.

Sutton Hoo contains a number of “burial mounds”, many were found on excavation to have been broken into but Mound 17 contained an Anglo Saxon warrior buried alongside his horse. So some wonderful stories to be discovered if you like a bit of English History. If you just enjoy a peaceful rural location within striking distance of London, good rural and beachside walks, some great pubs, excellent modestly priced hotels with good restaurants – then this part of Suffolk is a lovely area to visit.

And one other place to visit whilst in Woodbridge, is the Tide Mill Museum.

The grinding of corn and the making of flour was a critical activity for our forefathers, just as it is for us today. Countrysides still provide many reminders of wind mills, water mills and here at Woodbridge the Tide Mill which besides being a museum, is also a working Mill. Directly behind the Mill is a pond, comprised of the river bank and surrounding land. Originally the ponding was much bigger, but some of its area was sold to become a Boat Marina, and a single small pond survives today.

Twice a day the rising tide sweeps up the River Deben filling the pond via a “non return valve”, thus retaining the water in the pond. The Mill then uses the ‘fall of the water” emptying out of the pond through the Mill and back to the river to drive the main shaft and on to the milling stones. Chatting to one of the Mill’s trustees was quite an eye opener, the Mill he explains with its “pond of river water”, can power the grinding of corn once a day for at least an hour, and its flour is then used by local bakers for their sourdough. Great history and the Mill is still at work, today.

Mount Pleasant Post Office Museum London WC1

It’s the last weekend of our 2024 Northern Hemisphere Tour and we are spending it with the London Grandchildren and their parents. Saturday’s expedition is to the Post Office Museum at Mount Pleasant, not far from the Farringdon Underground Station on the Circle Line. The attraction of the Museum is that its so well set up for younger kids, with a miniature train ride – 15 mins loop on the “Mail Rail”, and a “letter/parcel sorting & delivery play room. Originally opened in 1927 with highly congested streets, it was the way that the GPO moved large quantities of mail around London on its own miniature underground railway. But times have changed, it was mothballed in 2003 and from 2016 the current railway became just for tourists aa a part of the Museum.There are other exhibits on show but this experience was quite enough for our youngsters.

Ten minutes walk from the Museum is the excellent Exmouth Market with a great range of eateries, where we found “Caravan”, and all brunched most successfully.

And that’s it for this trip, SQ on Tuesday evening and we are NZ homeward bound. Looking forward immensely to getting home, autumn has definitely set in here in England and the prospect of some early summer sea swims at Long Bay and Waiake Beach is most appealing. It’s been great fun sharing some of our travels, photos and adventures with you, dear readers, and your feedback has been brilliant, thank you very much. All the very best to you from Sue and myself, until our next adventure beckons, a bientot!!.