Bryan Kelly

Challenge completed. Goals achieved

Cooking smells of many nations

Following in famous footsteps

Plea to help boost funds

My photo wirh Royalty . . .

Hot dog, and camera-shy squirrel...

Stately home for a clergyman

Raising rabbits was dangerous work

Forest to honour a king

From derelict to natural beauty

Church with a royal 'resident'

Park with Majesty and Fun

A local place that Maria and I never visited was Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds. It never really pinged our radar, but by chance I saw some literature recently that made me think it looked a good place for one of my Dementia UK walk31milesinMay ventures. Having been there today, it’s worth more than one visit.

The 200-acre park was a private estate developed by the Oakes family in the 1800s. Henry Oakes was the last lord of the manor when the estate was acquired by St Edmundsbury Borough Council in 1985. It’s now owned and managed by West Suffolk Council. And what an  incredible job they are doing in retaining so much of the splendour and making it comfortable and fun for adults and children alike.

I took the yellow walking trail (there’s a shorter red trail) which took me through forest, a meadow, an arboretum, past a maze, a pond and a lake, and I covered about 2.4 miles. I found it very cathartic – Maria died a year ago, but at times it’s hard to get past the trauma of the whole process, which lasted a number of years.

Many family carers turn to Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses for help. Which is why the fundraising walks by more than 6,000 of us in UK are so important. The money helps the service to care for dementia sufferers, and their carers when they need some support.

So, Nowton Park… It has a majestic avenue of lime trees, and a maze designed in the shape of an oak tree, as a tribute to the Oakes family. It’s been created with 2,500 hornbeam trees, making up over two miles of hedging. Take the park’s advice – photograph the map at the entrance before you go in or you might be sending out distress calls to International Rescue…

The arboretum has trees from around the world, including eucalyptus, Kentucky coffee trees, and paperbark maple from China. There’s a totem pole, carved from western red cedar, standing nearly 11 meters tall. 

There are all-weather football  pitches, pétanque courts, a 3 km cycle route, picnic and children’s play areas. The list goes on. And, importantly for the place to get on my ‘visit-again’ list, a café (and loos), plus ample parking. Very satisfying walk. My total mileage walked is just about 45 miles now.

Flywheel that teally flew...

Home, sweet home

Humans and wildlife have quite a lot in common when it comes to hunting for a home. People want a home that is suitable for them. Wildlife do, too. Which is why The RSPB site at Lakenheath Fen has been so successful.

It’s all about understanding what potential residents need from a home. And the success of the RSPB’s management of the site has, in my view, been amazing.  On my walk there today (bit of a soggy one) the booming call of the bittern underlined the achievement in helping to save this bird from extinction in the UK.

The site, heavily farmed arable land, was bought by the society in the 1990s and has been turned back to the reed beds, grazing marshes and woodland that would once have been common in the area.

The greatest successes of this venture, to date, have included the successful breeding  of Common Cranes, missing from the area for 400 years; the Western Marsh Harriers; and expanding populations of Bearded Tits and Water Voles. And of course, notably the Bitterns. You can regularly see the Eurasian Golden Oriole now as well.

Recent expansion, to re-wet nearly 300 acres, has attracted vulnerable species like the Lapwing and Redshank.

So many success stories. Children seem to love the sights and sounds, too. And you can even borrow binoculars, for a small deposit, I believe. 

My wife Maria found the area so peaceful, before and during the first years of her dementia. The society allows people with blue badges to take their cars best part of 1 km to a small parking area near to seating overlooking one of the reed bed lakes. Happy memories. 

Photos include (I hope) one of the Golden Oriole. 

The war against evil

Plenty of time to ponder on my daily fundraising walks for Dementia UK. And frequently it's wondering what events and which people helped to shape this area of East Anglia.

Walking through Brandon Country Park today,  it is hard not to hark back to the important role the area played in both world wars.  Early in WW2 the whole of the estate (not a park in those years) was commandeered by the war office. The  historic pump house and bothy were used to store ammunition, sugar, flour and other essential supplies. 

The area was a strategic training ground for the Home Guard, the army of volunteers who later became known as Dad’s Army. But there was top secret work afoot, too. Winston Churchill wanted a small elite force of Home Guard Commandoes, trained in guerilla tactics. Just 15 men whose job it would be to sabotage railway lines and bridges in the event of a German invasion. They would operate from an underground bunker.

That role was never needed, thank goodness. But as secret plans for  D-day were developed, thousands of troops passed through the training facilities deep in Thetford Forest to prepare them for what lay ahead.  Men and equipment were stationed throughout Brandon, and families were often required to billet soldiers in their homes. 

Times were serious and troop training was vital. In 1942 the training facilities were developed quickly. A ‘nazi village’ was established. The price was pretty dramatic for local people. It involved the complete evacuation of six villages.

The area had already been used by the military in WW1. The first tanks produced in Britain were tested on a 25 square-mile area of Elveden Estate. The cover story, to throw any potential spies off the scent, was the military were building giant water tanks for troops in the desert. Which is where the military got the name tank for the new beasties they were trialling.

Today, the training facilities in the forest are as important as ever. There is an Afghan village used for training during that conflict. More recently our military has trained thousands of Ukrainian troops all the skills required, including trench warfare. Many Ukrainian solders gained the skills to be trainers in their home country.

In warfare, preparation is key. And so it is in fighting an evil enemy like dementia. Admiral Nurses are there to help the victims of this war. Your support provides the ‘ammunition’ which enables them to do so. Thank you.

Supporting Admiral Nurses' vital work

Homes for rare species

Another part of Thetford Forest visited today, and the  2.1 miles covered takes me up to the 31 miles walked in May. So, only another 31 to go – I committed to walking 62 miles.

It’s another area that dog Mouse and me used to walk around. Lots of changes going on in the forest – all part of an exciting conservation project, says Forestry England. It’s creating weaving corridors of open habitat to help rare plant and insect species to thrive.

The whole forest is (and here comes that phrase again) a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The forest is home to 20 plant and 129 insect species which are nationally scarce.

 Many of these rarities are found along the open verges next to forest tracks. Which is why Forest England is creating wider open verges, encouraging these rare species to spread in the new habitat.  And, what a plonker, that’s one photograph I forgot to take! Next time.

Photos  I did take include a medieval torture machine (tree roots actually – but they look sinister), tiny forest flowers (I’m sure they have a pretty name), new life on the tips of fir branches, and some of the forest tracks and scenes.

On a personal note, today would have been Maria’s 84th birthday. It has been easier than I’d feared – happy memories shining through. So, off for a couple of pints of Guinness tonight to toast her birthday. My excuse, and I’m sticking to it . . .

Flint sparks up again

Amazing how frequently the use of flint crops up in this part of the world. It was there again in my walk today for dementia uk. I went to Maidscross Hill Local Nature Reserve, my first time there since before covid lockdown. Which is silly really because it is so near to my home.

It’s 111 acres of, generally, peace and quiet. It skirts one side of RAF Lakenheath,  home to 48th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force. Which means it isn’t always quiet, but so many of us value the frequent free ‘airshows’.

Maidscross has big open spaces, then undulating scrub with gorse, bushes, trees. And there is an absolutely huge gravel pit where thousands (if not millions) of tonnes of sand and gravel has been excavated over the centuries. As far back as 1840 its bounty was used for road surfacing and general infrastructure. 

Its output expanded with work to surface the fenland droves (roads to you and me), creating work for local people, digging it all out. Huge amounts were transported to other parts of the country. It was carted to the nearby quays at Lakenheath Lode, a man-made waterway dug pre-17th century to drain the marshy fenland. From there the cargo was taken by horse-drawn barges - fen lighters – to the River Little Ouse for shipment around the country.

Sounds so swashbuckling to me that the Lode meets the Little Ouse at Botany Bay.

The unique geology at Maidscross - where Ice Age river deposits sat directly on cretaceous chalk - enabled the pits to harvest chalk for nearby lime kilns. And the flint – like other sites in the region flints were mined to make gunflints for British military firearms. 

The complex geology has made the reserve a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Part of the reason is it includes pebbles of Bunter quartz and quartzite -  washed down from the Midlands by the now extinct Bytham River. This passed through Maidscross over half a million years ago. So, now I know why where I live in Lakenheath is Quayside Court.

My walk today covered a fraction over two miles, taking my total to just on 29 miles.

Just walking in the rain . . .

Memo to self – waterproof my walking boots… My first walk in the rain, and it didn’t take long to seep through to my socks. Thoroughly enjoyed my walk, though, covering 2.25 miles. Meandered on a route that took me part through Mildenhall Woods and the Warren, both part of previous walks. 

A couple of woodpeckers acted as a footstep metronome, but the pace was more suited to Road Runner, so I politely declined their help. The river alongside the woods is a man-made channel dug out in the 1950s to stop flooding in villages like Lakenheath. The cutoff, as it’s known, leads to the River Lark. 

There are a few scenic photos today, plus a few others that caught my eye (and/or sense of humour). Such as the tree cut into logs, which my boggled mind saw as Mildenhall’s answer to the Giant’s Causeway, and tall, straight trees devoid of foliage until the very top – which, I thought, is how L S Lowry would have painted them, to go with his matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs…

A piece of history at the warren is the 600-year-old medieval Warrener’s Lodge, made of flint and lime mortar. It is skeletal inside now, but an illustration on a storyboard shows how it would have looked.

Apparently, the conies hanging on the racks inside the lodge created quite a stench.  It took the carter who collected them three days to journey to London, to the skinners and poulters waiting for the meat and the pelts. Reckon he must have needed a bath afterwards.

One of the grand occasions where rabbits - sorry, conies - graced the banqueting tables was in honour of the Archbishop of York in 1465. Apparently about 4,000 conies were served at the event. 

When the woods were bought in 1934 by the Forestry Commission, to extend forest land, rabbits became about as popular as a fart in a space suit, if you’ll forgive the expression. They were dining on the newly-planted seedlings and the shoots of young trees. About 30 warreners were kept on to rid the area of rabbits. 

Looking forward to tomorrow’s walk now…

Training for trench warfare

Revisited an old haunt of mine for walks over the years – Mildenhall Woods, very near to RAF Mildenhall, which has been home to the US Air Force since 1950. The woods’ military links began long before then. They were used in World War One to train soldiers in trench warfare. 

The woods provided excellent cover, making them ideal for training exercises and protected this secret military training from snooping aerial observation. The area enabled troops to be prepared for the harsh realities of the Western Front, covering crucial skills such as trench digging, construction, and combat tactics.

The training grounds had close links with local units, including the Suffolk Regiment. Some of the practice trenches are still visible, I’m told. These were often dug by volunteers and the soldiers themselves. 

I walked 2.75 miles today (4.42 km). It takes my total to 26.8 miles (43.1 km), so I’m ahead of the personal target I set myself of walking two miles a day. And not far off the target to walk 31 days in May set by dementia uk. And raising funds for their vital work with people suffering from dementia, and caring for carers. That is the priority, the focus of what thousands of us who took on this challenge are doing throughout the UK. Wow, that would be some group hug – Guinness Book of Records stuff!

I’ve included a number of photos. One or two odd ones – a lazy tree, growing along the ground almost, the approach lights at RAF Mildenhall (they’re part of the woodland walk) and cattle in a huddle in a field nearby. And lots of trees, and woodland paths.

Speaking ancient tongues . . .

Wæs þū, Hrōðgār, hāl!... Ealle menn sindon frēo and gelīce on rihte. . . If you understand this, you were strutting your stuff around East Anglia in  Anglo-Saxon times – AD410 to AD1066. I’m showing off this new knowledge after visiting the Anglo-Saxon village and country park at West Stow, the starting point for my walk today.

The two statements translate as Be thou healthy, which still sounds archaic, and All men are free and equal in right. The village has buildings representative of the period, archaeological ‘digs’, a very impressive museum, gift shop and a café…which is why my 2.25 mile walk today (3.6 km) took so long. 

The facility is an incredible learning centre for children, and schools regularly take coachloads of children there.   It’s highly interesting for grown-ups too. There are pleasant walks through the park and along beside the River Lark. 

Learned a few things on my walk, too. For instance, that people who fish are not fond of otters. Apparently, they’re far more accomplished at this fish-catching art. Heavy steel gates and fences shielding one area proclaim with a notice: Otters are a real threat in this area. Please ensure the gate is closed immediately.

There are storyboards on the Beowulf walk, and a nice touch along the river bank are the number of benches so wrinklies like me can take a break or just sit and ponder.

I’ve included photos showing some of the exhibits, including the Anglo-Saxon homes, the mini archaeological ‘digs’, views along the river walk, the back half of a duck (!!) and museum exhibits. 

Now, where shall I go tomorrow…having a ponder.

A favourite place for me

A day of remembering

Disrupted by saboteurs ..

Hard to believe but before the mind-boggling project to drain the Fens in the 17th century, travel to and from Lakenheath (where I live) was difficult. It relied on specialised knowledge to navigate the vast wetland of treacherous marshland and peat bogs. 

The village was accessible by barge via Lakenheath Lode, a water channel that connected to the River Little Ouse. But the drainage scheme had its detractors – the Fen Tigers, local marsh dwellers who made their living from ferrying people around. They turned saboteurs in a bid to wreck the scheme.

Luckily, I didn’t meet any Fen Tigers on my walk near to the lode today – just a few inquisitive horses. There are friendly Fen Tigers now – the local speedway team based at Mildenhall stadium. 

My walk began on droves between the Lode and the River Little Ouse, with the vast expanses of the high quality farmland of the fens stretching out to the side of me. A left turn after about a mile, and chats with a couple more horses, and I was back into the village where I stopped for a few minutes of contemplation (and half a litre of water). 

It came to mind what a great choice of food is on offer here, in a village of about 6,000 people I guess. We have fish and chip shops, purveyors of kebabs, pizzas, Chinese food (a take away and a restaurant), Japanese, also Italian, Indian, Filipino (all three are restaurants), a sandwich bar, and the Mola café, which is a favourite for me.

On that note, I headed off home – feeling hungry. I’d walked my two miles (3.27 km), the daily target I have set myself.

A few more photos:

* Tranquillity. The River Little Ouse.

 * Think I interrupted a tasty meal of meadow grass. 

* Beyond the tall grasses, fenland as far as the eye can see.

* Two more horses I met.

* Another peep at the River Little Ouse, which flows west to Brandon Creek, where it joins the River Great Ouse on its way to the ocean. 

* A place to relax near to the village’s war memorial. A reminder of the cost of freedom.

* Beautiful trees provide the shade for people enjoying a rest on the memorial seat (today, me).

* Our memorial erected after WW1, which now includes names of lives lost in battle in WW2.

* A storyboard of the village near me. It includes the 17th century home of Thomas Kitchener, an ancestor of Lord Horatio Kitchener, famous for his role in WW1.

* The village has three libraries – including two redundant telephone boxes. In the heart of the village is a modern library with outstanding facilities. It also has a great focus on the young, with an impressive programme of events for children. 

* My Mapmywalk log for today.

Mahurajah and a freedom fighter

Went urban with my walk today – around Thetford.. Walked 3.61 km, 2.24 miles. 

Two historically famous names associated with the town are Thomas Paine, born there in 1792, and the Maharajah Duleep Sing, who became a close friend of Queen Victoria. He eventually settled at the Elveden Estate, which is just a few miles from Thetford.  His is buried in Elveden church yard.

The estate is now associated with a global brand – it’s owned by the 4th Earl of Iveagh, Arthur Edward Rory Guinness. It’s one of Britain’s largest farming operations. 

 Back to Thomas Paine. He went to grammar school in Thetford before emigrating to the British American colonies in 1774 with the help of Benjamin Franklin.  Thomas is credited with being the first champion of the Rights of Man. He also had a key influence on the American and French Revolutions, and was a staunch opponent to slavery – fighting for the freedom of African slaves and for them to be compensated.

A gold statue of him, erected outside King’s House in Thetford in 1964, was a gift from the USA Thomas Paine Foundation. 

The town also has other famous military connections – its link with Dad’s Army. Much of the filming was in nearby Thetford Forest. There is a museum, again entry is free (donations welcomed), and the nearby Bell Hotel has named its main rooms after leading characters in the series. Apparently, it was one of their regular haunts, and there are many photos of the actors on the hotel walls.

A few photos:

Charles Burrell Museum. The company was a famous manufacturer of steam engines – traction engines etc. Museum entrance is free. 

The gold statue of Thomas Paine, named by one of my friends who didn’t like it as Golden Balls…

Attention – Dad’s Army Museum. The iconic 1935 van known as L/Cpl Jone’s butchers van is one of the displays at the Charles Burrell Museum. The van has just undergone a major restoration which has cost £10,500. 

A statue of a seated Capt Mannering, on a bench by the river front, and me. I thought with him being a bank manager I’d tap him up for a donation to dementia uk… No luck there. 

A place for some peace and quiet – the King’s House gardens. Some plants in bloom, others springing into life. 

Stand by your beds...

Familiar territory

Back to the park

The beauty of Bury St Edmunds

A day out with the birds...

Walking in the cool of the evening

Great walk in the cool of the evening

It's getting closer...

 Monday 27th Apr

It's getting closer...