Kings Forest West Stow Suffolk

Five miles North of Bury St Edmunds in  Suffolk is the village of West Stow which is known further afield for its Anglo Saxon Village. If you want to experience what it might have been like to be an Anglo Saxon then make a visit to West Stow. There are generally events on most of the year details at the friends of West Stow site.The village has been created on the site where a major archaeological dig in the 1960's revealed a well preserved Anglo-Saxon site saved beneath the sands of the Breckland.

As this was closed for Christmas I parked further up the road at the picnic site known as Ramparts Field. This as the signboard indicates is a reminder of how much of the brecklands once were but after the 2nd world war much was put to forestry.

Ramparts Field survived as it was an  ancient gravel working site and is now used as a  good starting point for walks around the gorse and sandy lanes nearby.

 For my run on an overcast morning I wore layers to keep out the damp cold temperature it being just above freezing at 1 C. A sweat shirt and a techical t shirt over the top along with tracksters , gloves and hat kept me warm enough.

A short distance along the road from Ramparts Field towards the Anglo Saxon Vilage you can pick up the ancient Icknield Way which is said to be the oldest pathway in Great Britain predating the Roman invasion of 43AD.

What immeadiately strikes you when running this pathway is just how sandy the soil is around here with large numbers of flints everywhere. The name Breck derives from broken land and hints at how this area was never considered a great one for agriculture.

This morning there was a heavy frost and the ground even though being sandy was hard. The pathway I followed has been heavily used by forestry vechicles and hence is heavily rutted in places. At times I was running within the ridge formed by the car wheels and going up and down so although running I could imagine how bumpy a drive along here would be.

There are over 200 varieties of trees in the area known as Thetford Forest. My run took me on an out and back 4 miles to the King George the 5th monumnet in the King's Forest. Most of the trees that I could see that predominate are pines, oaks and conifers but there were also birch to be seen.

This certainly wouldn't be every ones cup of tea this run as it lonely and isolated. I say one mountain biker apart from that I was alone in the forest with the odd squirrel and a million rabbits for company.

In one section a local farmer has obviously filled one of the larger ruts in the pathway with broken bricks this provided a different challenge to run across.

At the end of the King's Forest the path meets the B1106 in a clearing, is a stone monument, with the following inscription: "This tone commemorates the silver jubilee of King George the Fifth. The Forestry Commissioners began in 1936 to afforest the King's Forest and to plant with Beeches Queen Mary's Avenue, which follows the course of the Icknield Way. P.L. Robinson, Chairman, W.L. Taylor, Assistant Commissioner."

I ran fairly slowly today but I was happy with my stamina on this run not feeling the urge to stop until around 6 miles. But by this point I was feeling a little cold and picked up the pace to complete my run back at the car. It was at this point that I realised that I had forgotten to use my jelly beans that I took with me to give me a little boost!

Anglo Saxon Village at West Stow Country Park

Although I have visited West Stow Country park I have never been inside the Anglo Saxon Village. So today was a first and a really interesting visit.

Around this area and Lackford much gravel extraction has taken place and back in the 1960's the discovery of West Stow was made. Following excavations an Anglo Saxon settlement dating to the fifth century was uncovered with sufficient rotting timbers to enable some experimental archeology to take place. The experiments are to try and recreate Anglo Saxon life and the type of houses that were built.

In recent years the village is lived in by resident Anglo Saxon villagers in period clothing though not to the extent of somewhere like Kentwall hall as i saw an Anglo Saxon with a Tesco's bag!

You can see some Gloucester shire Old Spot Pigs living a life of absolutely luxury in a big pig home besides some well tended crops of veg that would have been cultivated at this time.

There is also an Anglo Saxon centre with displays illustrating life during the fifth, sixth and seventh centuries.

As a bonus there was a small food market with a range of local food products with some good local honey.

Icklingham Suffolk

9.30am 11 miles in 1 hr 30 mins 01 seconds

Week to date mileage 17

Month to date mileage 47

Average weekly rate 31.7

Average Monthly rate 138

Year to Date 1005

Life time 8783

I drove out to the West Stow Country Park and parked near the reconstructed Anglo Saxon houses,swings and visitors centre. I set of for my run out past the Wideham Cottages and along the road leading to the Ramparts Fields. Before reaching here I took a right turning leading me on to the Icknield Way.

The Icknield Way always brings an air of excitement to step on to an ancient pathway and to think of the many generations of travelers predating the Roman occupation who would have walked here before me.

The Icknield Way is unique among long distance tracks because it can claim to be "the oldest road in Britain". Extending from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Norfolk. The path runs for a 103 miles and dates back at least as far as the late iron age c100bc but may be older dating to the Neolithic period c4500 bc.

Instead of following the Icknield Way through the Kings Forest I took a left to follow the Icknield Way and Lark Valley path to Icklingham.

At Icklingham you can visit 2 churches and 2 pubs. All Saints Church is being restored and is a little bit out of the centre of the village so St James is the focal point for locals.

The Red Lion is the larger of the 2pubs and sits on the River Lark. It is currently being re thatched. The Plough Inn is a smaller flint building which probably gets by passed by visitors who head for the bigger gardens at the Red Lion.

I ran through the centre of Icklingham and picked up a footpath near Church Farm which took me out into the heart of Breckland said to be the desert of England because of its sandy soils and the unique character of the Breckland. This is the home of both rabbit and flint by the millions. Some people would say there is nothing there but that is to miss the beauty of the place its solitude unbroken for me apart from the occasional USAF plane taking of from Mildenhall and Lakenheath.