Round Sudbury, via Long Melford

While the Wimpy breakfast and the chatter of its tolerant patrons left me feeling quite refreshed, my legs still felt as though they'd been set on by a couple of paramilitaries. So I decided to take it easy, wander up to Long Melford for a spot of lunch and make my way back in time to catch an early train.

But it was a dreary day. I duly headed up the river to Borley Hall, down the Valley Walk and into Long Melford. I saw nothing of interest apart from a walker wearing a kilt without a sporran. Yeah, that interesting.

So I got to Long Melford, up towards Melford Hall and found a bench at the bottom of the rise leading up to the church. And sat there for half an hour.

By then it was lunchtime so, after a cursory glance at the church (a wonder, and one I would have appreciated on a better day), I headed into The Hare for some food.

Unfortunately only one half of the doors opened and my rucksack got stuck it them. And the Sunday roast was very much in the school-dinners-but-with-microwaved-carrots vein. So not an unmitigated success.

But that, with a couple of beers, refreshed me enough to head back - via the shortest route my pride would take. So I headed down the King's Lane, through Newman's Green and into the east of Sudbury via a disused airfield (it was disused this time) and an abandoned church. Leaving me a final stretch through the council estate and along to the station where - first bit of luck all day - the train was waiting, ready to leave.

Note to recovering slobs who have taken up walking: take the bus on day two. You won't regret it.

Map(s): OS Explorer™ 196 (Sudbury, Hadleigh & Dedham Vale)