Chapter 2: Ancient Paths to The Land of the North Folk

Fri 9th June

Day 6: West Stow Country Park to Knettishal Heath
(Approx 14 miles) – Wild Camping

Dust to dust

Waking to the call of nature 2am, the night was clear, the stars were out. There was a narrow ban of light on the horizon. And the song of a solitary Wood Lark, echoed across the night

Another sunny day greeted me when I woke a second time. It was going to be a hot day on the trail. Thank goodness for the Kings Forest, I hoped for shade

My feet protested at being stuffed into boots again after a day of fresh air. But I needed to decamp and get across the road for breakfast and trail provisions.

Water would be an issue, I needed enough for 2 days. There were no shops or churches on route today. And no shops the next day. The next church is in Little Cressingham

This time last week, I was on an epic bus journey to Ivinghoe Beacon eager to start…

Whilst I waited for the cafe to open, I chatted to the lady who worked at the visitor centre/museum, she loved her job, I was envious, history and outdoors

Breakfast was a sausage bap and coffee. Then I raided the cafe for provisions to last me until tomorrow night, when pub grub awaits. It was food… but not as we know it

Leaving the centre, the trail meanders alongside the River Lark. There was quite the drama, lots of flapping and honking. The swans and geese were having a dust-up. Both parties were trying to keep the other away from their babies

The swans slightly had the edge, making themselves look formidable by puffing out their wings and hissing.

Continuing past the lakes, I wished I’d spent time here yesterday,, instead of going back to my tent

Blue Damselflies darted back and forth as I continued on soft ‘desert’ tracks, into the Kings Forest.

The Kings Forest was named to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary.

Along with being home to fallow deer, I didn’t see any. The chalky soil supports wild flowers, including Wild Thyme, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, and numerous butterflies, such as Dingy Skipper and Brown Argus

Shade and a favourable wind kept the temperature down for a while. But by noon, there was little shade to be had on the wide forest tracks

It was not long before my feet were overheating and complaining. I stopped regularly to rest and tip sand out of my boots. It was an endless issue today

Even the birds looked fit to drop. I wondered where they got water

Kites have been scarce the last couple of days, but with the woodland/forest, now we are in buzzard Country

Had a siesta 1pm on a handy log, listened to the birds, and the wind in the creeking trees. It reminded me of when I was a child, I would take myself off to wild places, sit up a tree, and just be

It was nice to be able to amble along, nowhere to be. It wouldn’t get dark until 10 pm

There are lots of shared trails in the forest, and some parts follow the ancient Icknield Way. St Edmunds Way was a lot greener and more pleasant. Lined with copper beaches

It’s all very confusing how the ancient trail stops and starts, then vanishes completely. I would love to see a map of the whole original route if such a thing exists

After shelterhouse corner, the end of the Kings Forest. The trail crosses the road and continues across desert fields.

The barren landscape, the legacy of prehistoric agriculture

A big sign stated that the byway was closed due to the use of heavy machinery. Closed or not I had to walk across

There was no need to worry. It was referring to the huge watering machines. That sat at the ends of the fields like sleeping giants

Most of today was walking on long sandy tracks. The sand was so deep in places, it was like a day at the beach without the sea or the icecream

Passing cars or tractors blew up clouds of dust, which got everywhere. Its hard to believe how dry it is up here and how they manage to grow any crops at all.

It was hard going in the heat. Water cannons and huge machines spew out gallons of water to grow the crops. I stood and waited for the wind to blow the refreshing mist my way. The giant fountains creating rainbows in the sun

Plodding along in the heat, I came across two dodgy looking guys sitting in a car on the track. They had a big telescope and were gazing across the fields.

They worked for the estates and were looking for stone curlews. Apparently they are quiet rare here and they are recording numbers. They fky over from Egypt and Africa and like to nest in the open fields

They were keen to know where I walked from. One guy didn’t know where Ivinghoe Beacon was. He told me he was Danish. I laughed and said he should know his ancestors raided Wessex.

So I can now say that I met and chatted to a real Viking

Later afternoon  I walked through Euston. There are no facilities, but there was a very interesting wall on the main road. Made of all sorts of building materials and flint

As a made my way through the large estates, I was caught up by Rachel. Raised in the Cotswolds, lives in America, and was here visiting her sister

We quickly found that we had a lot in common and walked together for a while, sharing trail stories. It was nice to have the company. She told me about the Menalon Trail, one to check out. And that the surrounding area was full of Saxon Mines

I think she may have meant Grime’s Graves, which is a large Neolithic Flint mining complex in Thetford

Not far then to Knettishal Heath. The sun was going down, and it was a relief to be out of the heat. I reached the end of the Icknield Way Trail about 7.30 pm and continued along the Peddars Way until the Little Ouse

My feet were happy to have a cooling dip, whilst I ate some supper. The paths narrowed and went through tunnels of Ermine Moth silk. Strange and enchanting, hanging from their long silks

Then, I disappeared into the landscape until morning

A Muntjac just barked near the tent, nearly had a heart attack

If you would like to walk some or all of these stages with me, please feel free to get in touch

If you want to catch up on the story so far see the link: https://wordpress.com/post/fern-weh.uk/753

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