Alde walking 3 – Baddingham Rendham

Such simple joy when actions work out. Parked what I thought was too early, but turned out perfect and a few steps from where we left off yesterday – first photo is of the route we came out the other day.

Left Kali in the car. Lots of road working in which he’d have to be on a lead, and I know he’d delay us, weighed up the guilt, and after a short walk put him back in the van. We stepped out to walk a long the Low road, which roughly followed the Alde river.

The river is lined with Alder along the edges, and a magnficient Alder in the road side hedge had been laid years ago, now sprouted 8-9 stems from the laid branch. Some hedges rigorously clipped year on. At intermittent moments, a lane or path leads down to the river, so we get a look of it, gradually gaining in body and movement as we reached Rendham.

A detour to the Bruisyard Church, beautifully situated, round tower (Norman), avenue of pollarded limes to the church (I notice as I am planning an avenue on my land), simple and elegant inside, sympathetically restored 19th Century, neat and simple. Some wall paintings preserved. Nice kneelers. A grave to Susan Snodgrass, and a very well appointed toilet shed behind, with a newly laid tarmac path up to it. Someone raised some lolly for this, community decisions made, hundreds of voluntary hours of giving.

We kept to the west side of the Alde, through the hamlet of Bruisyard. Thought of Kevin and his involvement in setting up the Bruisyard vineyards here. Where did he live, I wondered. Always feel a bit nervous going into a field saying ‘Dogs on leads, Bull in Field’. There was no bull and we found the Alde as a natural ford. Some magnificent oaks along the way. Walked into Rendham, a village I’d never heard of. I had a prejudice to take a pint the Sweffling White Horse, but decided to try the Rendham White Horse, where the dogs were gifted biscuits, and I downed pint and and munched halomi and chips. Another of those random good decisions, as the Sweffling WH was closed!

Popped into Rendham Church, which with the same white walls and roof as Brundish but none of it’s simplicity. I did not warm to it until I found the small local history museum at the back of the church, with a copy of a fascinating Will, laying out the insurance of John Runting’s afterlife in the form of bussles of barley gifted to Friars Minor at Dunwhich etc to pray for his soul. (Photo below) (Just enjoyed echos of this system in the excellent production of Wolfe Hall)

The parishes of Rendham and Sweffling are separated by the infant River Alde.

Way back on the west side the road was easy and the mind meandered. What do I think of on these walks? Mostly it’s probably geography, checking direction. Then it’s dogs, keeping them safe. Image recognition next, sometimes a name following like great pollard oak, nice coppice, traditional ploughed field, soft milky light. Sometimes an image or moment triggers a memory, and the mind goes off to that memory. Sometimes a fear, have I left the handbreak on, is Kali ok in the van. Sometimes failure, will I draw again, paint, is there time enough, why haven’t I started this long ago, planted trees, had children, found a mate, built a home. Sometimes reading the land, imagining people in the past walking this way, or in the future.

Arrived back at the van, a joy to see in the fading light, Kali asleep inside but glad to get out and cock his leg. The last photograph shows the van in the distance.