dog walks Olive, the Australian Labradoodle, leads the way with owner, Sara Green, and writer Lindsay Want, in tow

Wiggly walls & wagging tails An enjoyable set of circular walks around historic Letheringham and Easton down near the

pparently Australian much-loved route does quite the “Please, just ignore her,” Labradoodles can opposite. owner Sara tries to insist, attempt to outsmart Somewhere behind Easton’s but Labradoodles are born A their owners, if left car park, the River Deben heads communicators and amidst the untrained. At just 15 months, down towards Woodbridge, nuzzling cuddles, those big, that’s probably why an astute, meandering like the village’s brown, pleading puppy-dog eyes colourful character-of-a-pup famous 2.5 mile crinkle-crankle look up and seem to say exactly like Olive Green finds herself wall. Today, though, we’ll stroll the same. taking most walks on a rather upstream. Leader of the pack, Sara, gives short lead. A dog’s life perhaps, With a leap of doggy faith, her short shrift and (eventually) but she’s happy to go with the excited Olive is out of the car and a short leash, throwing me a flow. Although on her favourite soon enjoying being made a fuss cheeky, “See? I’m in charge home-territory walk from Easton of by a fellow walking companion really” sort of smile, together near , the in waiting. with the map. Not that we’ll be

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How far?

Distances: From Easton car park IP13 0ED As featured: via Letheringham / Sanctuary Bridge / Martley Hall / long wall walk : Total 4.3 miles

Alternatives: Via Letheringham – Sanctuary Bridge – Martley Hall – shorter wall walk to Easton: 3 miles Left: needing it Olive’s already keenly 18th century serpentine wall of Easton ‘Figure of 8’: total Olive catches up leading the way towards the their vast, 27-bedroom mansion. 4.25 miles with Uncle Ted picture-perfect cottages by the It was half-timbered cottages, Letheringham Loop only: nearby village green. thatched roundhouses, a model 2.25 miles below: New friends to be Easton’s an eccentrically quaint farm and his licence to play Easton ‘Round-the-Wall’ made en route place – a Victorian Duchess’ steamships off distant shores. Loop only: 2.75 miles muse, funded by her wealthy On the triangle of green near Scots husband, William the Easton All Saints’ octagonal Parking: Free public car 12th Duke of Hamilton. Little tower, Olive cocks a snook at park at The Street, Easton interested in his Suffolk estate, the hunting hounds on the IP13 0ED save for its country sports village sign and pulls us over to potential, he kept his wife happy a favourite bench. She jumps Map OS: Explorer 212 by building a fashionable ‘merrie up to take pride of place, then olde ’ just outside the thoughtfully moves along so her Terrain: pavements, quiet lanes, wide grassy verges, field edge public footpaths, fairly flat

Local vets: Saxon Vets (Wickham Market) T: 01728 747427

Ts and Ps: Easton White Horse

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two-legged friends can catch up a while, enjoy the view and make important pub plans for later. Then it’s off down the footpath beside the kennels, where the young pup sniffs at the home of the Hamilton Bloodhounds and turns to her own pack-leader for reassurance. We cross over the Deben, only to be confronted by a second, distinctly narrower bridge. Firmly at heel, Olive takes it in her stride. Down the fenced primrose path, past lambs, an old dovecote and as we turn left along the lane, she stays close, until by Letheringham Mill’s white weather-boarded gantry, something instinctively stops her in her tracks. “Ah, we’re home,” explains Sara. “This is where her sister, Lola, lives with mum, Amber.” ‘The pleasant footpath stroll has plenty of scratch and The gates swing open at the sniff potential . . . open to fields in parts, alongside press of an intercom button and paddocks in others, home to wildlife, sheep. . . ’ Olive has the green light to be let off the leash. Clearly packed full of first- ‘The Woodshed’ to run rings Above: Letheringham Mill turns out class creature comforts, they’ve around our Olive and share a Up and over the to be not just a home, but an won all sorts of awards for spot of communal tail-wagging. Deben in Easton absolute home-from-home. The being not only luxury pads for A happy little holiday-maker if below: Grade II listed mill dating from people, but for their pooches ever there was one, he’s just about Country ways by 1740 together with its mainly too. To a young pup unleashed, to propose a snout about the Sanctuary Bridge 19th century outbuildings have it’s a super-sociable place full of wonderful garden terraces and been beautifully restored and exciting smells and potential new ancient meadows, when white converted into a handful of playmates. and wise English Labradoodle, dream Deben-side self-catering With a skittish sort of scamper, ‘Uncle’ Ted, steps in. cottages. a small terrier-type escapes from A respectful, yet appropriately

60  Suffolk: May 2020 frolicsome family hello later, Sara calls visiting time to a close. Olive scoots off – possibly to tell the terrier to look out for the new Letheringham Mill walk she’s test-driving – then happily takes up the lead again. Beyond moated Old Hall and a brief encounter with Jack Russell near the Mill’s old grindstone on Letheringham’s tiny green. Past poplar-lined water-meadows and a right turn over Sanctuary Bridge, our faithful guide hesitates and looks longingly left up a field-margin footpath. Those big, brown, pleading puppy eyes are up to their old tricks again. ‘Mum’ and map-reader decide it’s dry enough to edge the hedge, the Deben and follow the footpaths up over Road to meet Easton’s crinkle- crankle wall near Martley Hall – not quite as firm-under-paw as the figure of eight walk via the village, but hey. Nose down, tail up, Olive is clearly delighted, and so are we as we look back over the river towards Letheringham’s historic priory church. The last stretch to the right of the footbridge is wide, grassy and popular with dog walkers. The wiggly wall has a wide, grassy roadside verge too, but Olive’s soon pulling us down a footpath which keeps its Suffolk Dog Walks We do wish you all as peaceful wiggles firmly by our side. in association with a June as possible. u Sadly, the Duchess’ stately Letheringham Mill Queen Anne pile is nowhere to We just love this month’s walk, Jacqui Fairey and Richard be seen, even when a crumbling not least because we feature in it Gooding crinkle or crankle permits view but more importantly because we into the old park. are always asked by our guests Letheringham Water Mill, Hall Demolished in 1924, only the for directions for a good (dog Road, Letheringham, Woodbridge, stables by the church survive. friendly) walk nearby. IP13 7RE But the pleasant footpath stroll And most of our guests has plenty of scratch and sniff appreciate a pub visit during or Idyllic, luxurious, riverside, potential (and a ‘dogs on leads after their amble, so this ticks all boutique holiday cottages. please‘ notice). It’s open to fields the boxes. in parts, alongside paddocks in Letheringham and Easton are Visit England Dog Friendly others, home to wildlife, sheep such beautiful English villages. Business of the Year and what Ozzie Olive sees as This time of year usually sees the letheringhammill.co.uk daunting, but equally as auburn annual village fete, although this and exotic as she is, alpacas. year will be different, and there They seem similarly intrigued is nothing more English than but Olive keeps her distance until a mix mash of different sized silent mutual stares mellow and tents selling all sorts of goodies canine concentration times out. on the village green against the After all, it’s only a few more wall backdrop of the church and the wiggles to a full water-bowl and crinkle crankle wall. dog biscuits down on the pub Easton and Letheringham terrace. sometimes appear lost in time, Turning the other auburn they provide a place of peace and cheek, she’s off, with a wag of the escape in a world that may still be tail and leading her two hanger- full of chaos and worry. on-ers behind her.

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