Alde walking 4, joining up Baddingham routes

When I first started on this venture, it was ostensibly to find the source of the Blyth, to finish what I started last christmas. The first two tentative forays were circular walks, around Brundish, then Baddingham, modest 8k walks. Then yesterday, I stretched out with just two dogs and walked an easy 12k. Todays walk of 16k, showed that I still had it in me, aged 67. Not as challenging or up and down as the Rwenzori mountains of the moon, indeed very flat, but still it felt commendable. The route joined up the two previous circles, the source of Blyth, searching one of the two sources of Alde I can see on a map, and the other eastern source of the Alde, at Brundish.

Mainly road walking, which meant we could step out and in addition see where the mind journeyed.

Parked up at the Queens Head, where in 3 hours hopefully, I would return and lunch with B. The reward

With the Alde to our left, we walked up past the Baddingham inhabitants homes, including a Holloway home, and Low Farm with a bridge across the Alde which one day in the past would have been my dream home with 6-7 kids. Nuthatch barn, Orchard Farm, Low Beck.

Passed the now familiar story of the wood recently felled, and the timber at the side, along with 20+ year plantation of Ash – planted before the die back known (e2012).

Walking north towards to the beginning of the Blyth, on Dennington Lane, we come up for the first time to where the Alde begins. Suddenly the light changes, from dull milky white to such a light (I wish i could paint!) Somewhere across that field, is one of the Alde sources.

We turned at the Blyth, retrced some steps and crossed the fields to meet the western source, around Brundish. Passed an enterprising business, a fly tip, observed some additional streams into the Alde, including one at the back of the Church. After the fab green moss lane, with some trepidation we joined major roads. They were tough, but in between traffic we looked close at some moss on an Alde bridge, and it’s rhizoids stalk amazing capacity to absorb and retain water. Perfect place to catch some droplets, above the River Alde.

As we skirted the road, walking along field edges, criss crossing the road at bends, finally making it down into what I thought was Baddingham, but was in fact Dennington. Almost in good time. Two miles and a bit later, rocked up Baddingham Queens head to meet B, patiently occupied reading his newspaper. Ate delicious salmon with Boulangere Potatoes.

The light near the junction of Blyth and Alde sources

Random thoughts along the way. The camber of a road, a word I first learned from Geof Maycock, who was sarcastically underlining my lack of knowledge! Corvids moving between roosts, making such a racket well called a parliament. I worry about the amount of thistles on my land, as I walk across grass fields. The value of no hedge is a view. I want to make contact with old friends, (Sarah Touquet, Sylve, Gillie Mussett).