Stour Valley Path: Little Bradley to Stoke by Clare

24 October 2010

I picked up where I left off yesterday, but this time with Ellie for company rather than George.

Walking from Little Bradley to Little Thurlow, with the Stour in the trees on the left.

The church at Little Thurlow

And a climbing wall in the school playground there

Getting ready for Hallowe'en

The route briefly takes to the main road through Great Thurlow before heading back to the river.

Ellie as we cross the Stour for the second of six times today.

Looking back to Great Thurlow Hall and the church behind it

A ploughed field always provides a good challenge in trying to stick to the line of the right of way as there is no evidence on the ground of the route.

Safely across that there is grass and equestrian equipment

Walking through Kedington, a fox strides along the roof of a thatched cottage

Arnie Lane leads us on a long walk along field-margins

From our first flirtation with Essex, we look across the river valley and to the low hill the path takes

Ellie on the bridge over the Stour

...which has got bigger since we last saw it.

Another field crossing leads us to a quiet road which we follow under the line of the Great Eastern railway from Cambridge to Colchester via Haverhill and Long Melford.

At Baythorne End we cross the river again and there is a lovely mill.

The walk then takes to Baythorne Park, at first along the drive to the house

before we leave it at this point to continue near the river

Late afternoon in Baythorne Park

What appears to be a relatively new lake in the Park

Sheep between the Essex/Suffolk border (perhaps the old route of the river?) and the river itself beyond the trees.

Returning to the banks of the river as we near Stoke by Clare and the end of this afternoon's walk.

Total 15.8 km in 3 hours 44 mins.