Bury St Edmunds Town Centre

8.30am 6 miles in 50 mins 27 seconds

Week to date mileage 34 miles

Month to date mileage 6

Average weekly rate 30.2 miles

Average monthly rate 131

Year to date 784

Lifetime 10377

I decided on a short easy run as time was limited. With no particular course in mind I decided on a run around Bury. I still find I see things which I haven't spotted before and it is a beautiful town despite all the current changes around the cattle market.

I set off towards town along Out Westgate Street and St Peters Church which is rather hidden behind the fish and chip shop and the Elephant and Castle Pub.

I headed along Cullum Road and into the water meadows to see what the effect of the recent rains had been. Although the water levels are high it didn't appear too flooded and I have seen footpaths flooded recently but not today. Not sure what this bird is but it looked like a puffy youngster.


In Southgate Street is the Abbey Hotel which dates to the 13th century. There is an Oast House here where there was once the Southgate Brewery.

Just up from here is St Mary's Square and the site of the Greene King Brewery boxes in one corner.

There must be a book that could be written about this square there being so much history and famous people who have lived here or have visited. Once the home of the horse market in Bury St Edmunds, it was also the home of Thomas Clarkson the abolitionist, Dorothey Wordsworth stayed here when visiting Henry Crabb Robinson who lived in Southgate Street and in recent times the home of Kelvin Davis once an Ipswich Town goalkeeper now at Southampton.

From here I ran through the graveyard and into the Abbey Gardens. The secret garden with its central sundial, roses and heather was looking wonderful.

As part of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown said to be the birthplace of America there is now a gardening based recreation of the Godspeed one of the 3 ships which sailed to America and was captained by a Suffolk man Bartholomew Gosnold.

Bartholomew Gosnold’s daughter Martha was baptised in St Edmundsbury Cathedral and is said to be buried in an unmarked grave in the great churchyard alongside it. Gosnold named Martha’s Vineyard after his infant daughter Martha who had died before he embarked on his first exploratory voyage to the New World in 1601

Around the Abbey Gardens before back through the town centre past Moyse's Hall.
One of the doorways with the bars must date from the days when this was a gaol and a police station.

I spent the last 20 minutes of the run up and down Risbygate Street and Newmarket Road. An easy run but good mileage for the week totaling 34 miles.