So yesterday @Splendid_chap and I had our day off together. We popped in to Norwich so he could take me to Go Outdoors. We are off to the Lake District for a few days away for his 40th birthday later this month and I needed some walking clothes. I managed to get waterproof trousers, a waterproof coat, a base layer and some new boots all for under £100 so I’m all set for what I’m sure will be rubbish weather for walking. It’s always Sod’s law that our short breaks are accompanied by endless amounts of rain!
We then drove ( or rather he did ) to East Bergholt in Suffolk – yes I crossed the border! He had been there with friends last weekend walking and camping and he was so impressed with it, he wanted to take me there. I have honestly never seen a prettier village in my life. This was the village that the artist John Constable lived when he was young and where the term Constable country comes from. Dedham Vale is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty on the Essex-Suffolk border. Despite the weather being awful, we had a look at the church and the Bell Cage – a wooden cage constructed after the bell tower collapsed. It’s so weird to see church bells up close like that, I’d love to be there when they are being rung, it must be amazing.
Pretty incredible aren’t they! We then went in to The Red Lion for lunch, a really pretty country pub which I thought would be quite posh/ modern inside but was actually incredibly traditional. It was full of OAP’s and you could tell the interior design was definitely aimed at them, very Granny’s dining room. The food was lovely though and I’d happily go back.
We then drove to Flatford because the rain was really heavy by this time otherwise even I would have walked it! This is the place where Constable painted arguably his most famous piece The Haywain.
Here is the copy of the setting I photographed yesterday, excuse the bleak sky and rain!
It was quite special to stand in the spot that such a famous artist was inspired by. A second or so after I took the photo there was a big flash of lightning followed by an almighty clap of thunder. We literally stood there rooted to the spot because it was so close and took us by surprise. We had a quick wander around the Constable museum and then headed back to the car before heading on to Dedham. We’ll definitely go back because the Alfred Munnings museum is there but we thought we’d save that for another day.
So all in all, despite the weather, it was such a lovely day. @Splendid_chap and I don’t have a day off together next week so it was really nice to make the day so special by getting out of the house and having some quality time together. It’s so easy to waste days off but we get so little time together, it’s really special when it’s just the two of us. I’m hoping next time we return, there will be better weather and I can better demonstrate in photos just quite how gorgeous this place is. I just need a spare million or so and I would live there tomorrow! Maybe this is the push I need to start doing the lottery.
See you next time
Norfolkgal x
norfolkgal 