In Bury St Edmunds: the loop to the south

June 27, 2022

Another quite windy day looks to be in store but this time with the threat of rain in the afternoon. That together with her generally aching body are enough for Rachael, who elects to take a walk southwest to an intriguing large green space on the map covered with walking trails with such enticing names as the Monument Trail, Linnet River Trail, and Lady Hervey’s Walk. She comes back with a story that still confuses me about an admittance kiosk charging 11£ to access one of the trails and a sneaky diversion through a hotel. And a few photos. I really like the one through the wheat field, but the rotunda intrigued me enough that I looked it up. The rotunda and wings are Ickworth House, a classic Italianate villa commissioned two hundred years ago for use as his primary residence by Frederick Hervey, the Fourth Earl of Bristol; and the grounds are the massive Ickworth Estate that dates back to the 1500’s. The building is now the property of the National Trust, which received it in exchange for death taxes. I’m sure there are plenty of opinions out there already about this place, so I won’t add mine. Interesting though.

On the trail. Nice to have some leg room to let you avoid the ever-present nettles.

Mushrooms! I don’t remember seeing ones like these.

Do I really have to take a bath? Where’s my toy boat?

Rocky insists that this is the trail, but I think she’s just wandered off into a wheat field by mistake.

The rotunda of Ickworth House. Built by the 4th Earl of Bristol between 1795 and 1825 on commission to Italian architect Antonio Asprucci. Originally conceived to be an art gallery for the Earl’s private collection until it was seized by Napoleon.

The smarter half of Team Anderson left early (about 9:30, which counts as early in these parts) in order to beat the rain, and returned dry. The dimmer light on the team decided to have a second cup of coffee and finish the blog before starting out, knowing full well that it was eating into the window of dry weather. He left at eleven for a loop to the south, planning on biking into a headwind and then getting blown home. The thought of a little rain didn’t worry him, thinking that if it comes he’ll just pop into the nearest pub to continue his research project while the worst blows over.

His plan worked nearly as planned - headwinds blasting him home on the way back, with many interesting sights along the way and an exciting, dramatic sky to stop and stare at with fascination and increasing dread. Better though would have been if he’d left even just ten minutes earlier and if an enticing pub had shown up at exactly the right moment instead of miles of empty road without so much as an overpass to shelter beneath.