Suffolk, UK: Constable Country

Now that I am taking you all through Suffolk, I thought I should include a map of where we are in the UK. Here is a close up map of the area. Click on the map for a larger image. The area is where the English painter, John Constable, did a lot of his painting in. Each day we are getting up and going out and doing a walk. There are public footpaths in the UK countryside all over the country that run through farms and nature reserves. Farmers do not opt to be in this plan, but are told a public footpath is going through their property. Of course you have to get past horses, sheep, and cows many times and there are gates to open and close and stiles to climb. Some farmers don't appreciate the government making their property a public right of way and put a bull in their field. We have come across this twice in Suffolk and consider our options very carefully. This particular walk has no bulls, but required footwear are big gumboots (or Wellingtons, as the British call them). The ground is so wet and sometimes you find yourself slogging through 6 inches of mud in a farmers freshly tilled fields. This trip is no acception. I thought this was a nice view minus that big metal pipe going through it. I personally think this is the perfect weather for hiking. A bit cold and a bit sunny. Here is the scene that John Constable painted in the "Hay Wain". The Hay Wain, by John Constable. This is my attempt to get the same angle as the painting. Ah, a good book at the end of the day!