Moulton to Thurston
Rosalyn kindly dropped me off back in Moulton, ready to continue my journey. On our journey there, we passed some of the Newmarket race track. It was interesting to watch the horses riding past.
I left Moulton via the pack horse bridge and took lanes towards Gazeley.
Whilst walking along the lane, I heard a donkey bray and looked up to see a donkey that had come to say hello. Unfortunately the bank was too steep and too high for me to go and stroke it, but I did admire it from afar.
I then took footpaths through Barrow and towards Little Saxham. I’d left the horses of Newmarket behind, and was back to paths across crop fields. They were all well marked, and yesterday’s rain showers had made them a bit softer underfoot. The weather was cloudy, which made walking pleasant as it wasn’t too hot.
I passed through a woodland on the way into Little Saxham. I have really enjoyed walking through the woodland so far. The boughs of the trees come at diagonals over the paths, forming archways for me to walk through. It feels like nature’s own cathedral!
In Little Saxham, I had a little look around the church. It was really peaceful and quiet. There was a beautiful tree with blossom, just outside of it.
I then took a lane, all the way into Bury St Edmunds. The lane made for straightforward walking. My feet coped well with the hard tarmac. It seems like they’re readjusting after the footpaths of the Ridgeway!
With a slightly shorter day (26km), I had enough time to explore Bury St Edmunds. I started by having a look in the Abbey gardens. Like Glastonbury, the Abbey was destroyed by Henry VIII, but some of the walls and the gardens remain. The gardens were beautiful and really well maintained.
I then had a look around the cathedral. The cathedral staff asked me if I was a pilgrim. I explained what I was doing instead. Looking at the National Trust definition, I guess you could argue that I’m on my own sort of pilgrimage.
I got chatting to the Chaplain, who told me all about the history of the Cathedral. The Cathedral has only been a cathedral since 1914. It was really interesting to hear about its history and it was really beautiful inside. They had a Lego model of the cathedral, which had been built with over 191,000 pieces!
I then sampled the Cathedral cafe. Their scones were lovely! I enjoyed them alongside some Apple and Elderflower juice.
After finishing my explore, I left Bury St Edmunds, via the cycleway to Thurston.
The cycleway made for easy walking. It was separate to the road, which meant that I wasn’t worried about traffic. The flat terrain meant that I walked 4 miles in less than an hour!
Along the way, I passed another of the 1000 mile markers that concentrated the opening of the cycle network. It was nice seeing another marker and reminded me of my first week on the trail.
I soon arrived at Thurston train station. I couldn’t find anywhere to stay in Thurston, so I got the train back to Bury St Edmunds, where I’m staying in an Airbnb for the night.
With that one month of my journey is complete! I can’t quite believe how far I’ve come already! I’ll soon be at Ness Point, Lowestoft, which will feel like a really momentous occasion.
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