It has been some time since we have been to Eastbridge near Leiston in Suffolk. Helen got a weekend off and so a plan was set to meet up with H&N and rent a property in the small village on the edge of RSPB Minsmere. All of us had the Friday off too so we agree to meet in Southwold for a late lunch. Helen and I set off at about 09:30, and managed to make good progress so an out away from Colchester we gave my aunt a call and stopped by for some coffee and cake.
It was only another hour to Southwold and we made short shrift of it. To our surprise H&N arrived within 10 minutes of us, traditionally they are late. We had a bite to eat at the Sole Bay Inn, then the girls went shopping and N and I walked down to the harbour where the river hits the coast and gave Wilco the hound a leg stretch on the beach.
The weather was cold and when the sun went down it got even colder, we headed off to the rented hut at about 16:30. It was not that easy to find, but we found it eventually on the edge of the common land on the edge of the marsh. The property afforded a lake side view as the middle of the common land was a massive puddle. The accommodation was plain and looked lived in, I like holiday cottages like that they have a bit a character, the owners had not touched it much but it was clean and well maintained, which was perfect for us.
I made pasta for dinner then we headed down the road, 100 yards, to the Eels Foot. Julian the landlord welcomed us back after a long absence, and we found out that they do now allow dogs in a couple of the rooms, which was good to know for future trips. We had a few pints of the fantastic Adnams ales then retired back to the hut and went to bed.
The next morning we woke up to a bright but misty morning. N made a cooked breakfast for us all then we headed off for a day walking. We did our traditional route straight out to the Minsmere sluice, then along the coast to Lifeguard Cottages on the edge of Dunwich Heath but not before a quick look from the East hide. The was not a lot about just a few Godwit and Dunlin as well as the usual gulls and ducks. At the Coastguard cottages we had a beverage and N had a large slab of lemon flapjack, which we all agreed lemon was not right. We took the path on to Dunwich where we had a beer but none of us were hungry after our big breakfast. We took a different path back walking up the main street of Dunwich to the church then taking the foot path at the junction, then we headed parallel to the sea in a straight line roughly in the direction of Eastbridge which took us through the Heath and woods adjacent to Minsmere.
I thought I would miss the England Wales Six Nations match which was a deciding match, but when we got back at 1700 they were about to kick off. The program had started at 4 but the match 5. England had the better of the Welsh for most of the match but it was a nail biting finish when Wales rallied and were within a try of taking the lead. We went to the Eels Foot for some food and beer which was very tasty. We left when the band started which was fronted by Doc Cox of 80’s tv program That’s Life fame.
We were up fairly early to leave the hut by 10, and headed to the Minsmere visitor centre, where we parked and headed through the woods to Dunwich Heath and Coastguard cottages. After coffee we headed to the beach and Helen and I headed onto the reserve and H&N headed back to the woods via public footpaths with Wilco. All in all it was a great weekend with excellent company even if it was overdue.