A run at Cavenham in Suffolk

St Andrews Church Cavenham

On a return trip from Cambridge I stopped off in the village of Cavenham in Suffolk. I had a 40 minute run scheduled in my diary and had worn my running clobber in preparation for this.

The name Cavenham derives from Cafa's enclosure or pasture (Ekwall). The recorded population at the time of doomsday in 1086 was 32. At its peak there were 283 inhabitants in 1851 but it is probably half that now.The village dates back to at least 3,500 BC, when the Ickneild Way passed through the parish. In 50AD the Iceni tribe are thought to have lived in the area.

I set of for my run from the car with my heart rate monitor strapped to my chest. At first this felt a bit alien and restrictive but I have soon got used to it and wouldn;t be without it.

I was soon through the line of houses in the centre of Cavenham and heading up hill towards Lackford a village a couple of miles away. I soon spotted a footpath off road and the temptation was too great and I was grateful to get of the road and on to the sandy soils around Cavenham soils. There have been a number of finds from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods in this soft soil which suggest tribes probably hunted and gathered on the land around the village. A number of spearheads axeheads and pottery shards have been found in the area.

We are finally getting some decent weather after 2-3 weeks of heavy rain. The pathway was muddy with puddles in places but added to the fun of the run needing a few leaps in places. I never saw a soul on this run and perhaps this was part of the reason why this quiet location was chosen during the 2nd world war as a site for a dummy airbase. This was established by the RAF and included fake aircraft to confuse German pilots. In 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis at Cavenham Heath, three rockets – each carrying a two-megaton nuclear warhead – were poised and ready to be launched.Thankfully the crisis was averted but it all happens in sleepy Cavenham!

The elderberries are fully ripened and I passed many bushes with a plentiful supply for making wine or cordials After 20 minutes my coach reminded me I was half way through the workout and I turned for home. On the return trip I had St Andrews Church in Cavenham in my site for much of the time.

This was my second run in my 1st week of half marathon training and I was looking forward to a drink when I returned to the car.

A comfortable run and I think the best I have felt since returning from injury. No foot pain at all to day.