Monday, 14th September 2020
Another bright sunny morning, with a forecast temperature of 27C. Excellent September weather we are having.
On Saturday, when we arrived, a fellow motorhomer told me about a walk, nearby.
The destination is a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon Village, at West Stow Country Park.This is a bit too cultural for us, we normally just walk in countryside, or, cycle ride.
The walk there (about 2.5 miles) is through pleasant countryside and woodland, mostly, alongside the River Lark, (hence, Lark Valley), so, little chance of wandering off track, anyone can fallow a river!
In the event, it turns out to be quite interesting, thanks to Covid-19, the museum is closed, but,
the reconstructed village is available to walk around, and, various displays of archeological finds, from nearby.The reconstructed buildings, are of course, intelligent guesstimates of how they would have actually been, based on archeological digs and finds, in the immediate area.
As a is usually the case with such things, I am amazed at the distances over which they traded goods, and travelled, in an era when the fastest form of transport on land was a galloping horse, and, on water a sailing boat.
There are artefacts suggesting the location was populated during the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age, plus, of course, the Romans were there, followed, after their eventual demise, by the Anglo-Saxons.Inevitably, throughout, there was a ruling elite, just like now, little changes, same trough, different pigs
There is the usual cafe and visitor centre, complete with expensive shop.
Thanks to Covid-19 again, no hot food or
indoor seating at the cafe, we are limited to muffins, sandwiches and coffee, and outdoor seating, but, of course, with such pleasant weather, this is no hardship.In addition to the distances travelled and traded over, the number of buildings and artifacts is impressive, from an age when, every wood working task would have started with felling a tree, rather than a trip to B&Q, and, Youtube "how to videos" had not yet been thought of,
Tuesday, 15th September 2020
Today is forecast to be a scorcher, at 27C.
Whilst getting the bicycles ready for our morning cycle ride, I have a chat with our caravanner next door neighbours.
They are heading out for a walk, to West Stow Country Park and the Anglo-Saxon Village reconstruction, where we went yesterday.
They tell me they are aged 90 (her) and 92 (him) !
They are still spritely, and, heading out for their daily walk, they tell me they only do a maximum of 4 miles per day now, since they are "getting on a bit"!
As well as being quite fit, for their age, they are mentally alert, asking me about how we connect to the internet, and, how to get live TV and Netflix, via the internet, in the van. As I explain, I am doubtful as to how much they will understand, but, I should have known better, he is clued up on "mobile data", "smart phones", "MiFi", "Roku sticks", "Fire Sticks" etc.
We cycle an easy 12 mile circuit, Flempton - Risby - Cavenham - Iklingham - Flempton. Mostly along quiet country roads.The route allows me to collect another letter, in my "ABC" of Villages, Town and Cities, as we pass through (C)avenham, and, it obligingly has a name board!
One letter per outing, it is going to take me an age, without even thinking about the more difficult letters, like "X" or "Z"! I need a good run of place names.
It is sunny, calm, very hot at 27C.
