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Tuesday 27 May 2014

Day Out in Dedham

What to do on a rainy Bank Holiday Monday, with a 6 and a half week old baby - who has no idea of what's going on and just wants to eat, sleep and poo - that's cheap and fun? Get out into the countryside of course. Constable Country - situated on the Essex-Suffolk border - to be precise.

It's an area my parents took my brothers and me to when we were younger, we'd walk (or row) from Flatford to Dedham along the River Stour. I took my husband for his first time a few years ago, and we have since been back several times.

Row boat hire is available for either £5 for half an hour or £8 for an hour's hire, but we didn't think that was a suitable activity with a baby...

Usually we drive to Flatford and use the car park which cost £3.50 (free for National trust members), but this time we drove to Dedham and found a free parking space on the street.

After getting a Rossi ice cream from the Art and Craft Centre we took the 40 minute walk along the river, over the flat fields with awkward kissing gates and a herd of cows, to Flatford. The kissing gates were only awkward because we had the pushchair/travel system, or whatever they are called these days. We only had to lift if over 2 gates - we were able to get it through the other 2.

After a look around Flatford, which included Morris dancers, we took the walk back to Dedham and got some lunch. We could have taken a picnic but I'm not that organised at the moment - so we got a toastie and drink each, from Pandora's Box, before heading home.

I got a few photos, but what with pushing the buggy or holding Aurora, I didn't actually get photos of Flatford or the river!


We started off in lovely Dedham

Rossi ice cream - Southend's finest.

A rather pointless kissing gate - an easy one to get through

Nettles...

Ah...




The gate to get to Flatford was on the other side of the herd

 

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