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Said goodbye to Sandy and Graham after admiring their lovely gravel garden, inspired by Beth Chatto’s garden in Elmstead (which we are aiming to visit on the way back to Kent).  All the sort of plants we like – Verbena Bonariensis, Lychnis etc.  Bailiff’s Cottage is a really delightful site and one we will surely return to.  Good choice for our first holiday with Bessie.

Not a good day weather-wise as the rain crept in not long after we left and our choice of Sutton Hoo today was probably the best one in the circumstances.  We arrived to find the car park of the National Trust property rather flooded and were directed to park in a nearby field.

Umbrella aloft, we walked the circuit around the mounds where was made the momentous discovery in the 1930s of the untouched burial place of an Anglo Saxon king within his own upturned ship, plus various others that were unfortunately looted in Tudor times.

Nothing unremarkable to look at now of course but it was fascinating to read in the literature about how the discovery came about.

The land was owned by a Mrs Edith Pretty, widow of a WW1 veteran, who lived in the impressive 1910 property looking over the land.  The ground floor rooms of the house are open to visitors and, refreshingly, furnished with furniture you could sit on, and and even a piano you were invited to play (if only I could).  Photographs were encouraged and there was a lovely atmosphere.

The exhibition hall on the main site housed blown up photos of the discovery, along with excellent replicas of the treasure found within the burial mound (the originals were donated to the British Museum by Mrs Pretty).  How exciting it must have been for the archaeologists when they found the jewel encrusted swords and regalia, fashioned from the most beautifully worked gold.

What craftsmanship from so long ago.

Altogether a fascinating place to visit – even in the rain.  After a drink and some excellent sandwiches and sausage roll in the restaurant’s covered balcony overlooking the site, we discovered the rain had abated and we made our way to our next campsite at Mill Farm in Carlton, near to Saxmundham.

Our pitch is in a large field with a small fishing lake and we completed the statutory maximum of five caravans/motorhomes.  We are the only motorhome and have found that in fact another caravan has arrived since.  Hmm…

Ray is a likeable chap, fond of riding around in his little jeep with logs in the back, but reminded me of one of those boot fair men, coming round to collect his pitch fee!

The really good thing about this site is that I am able to get a good 3G signal (sometimes 3.5G!) so we can check the weather forecast and receive emails.

We were desperate to watch the Andy Murray final on the computer and Peter once again managed to get a signal by sticking the aerial out of the roof light.  The match had been on for some time and we joined it in the second set, with Andy having won the first.  Perhaps we brought him bad luck, for we watched Federer gaining ground and eventually winning the match by three sets to one.  Andy choking back genuine tears was an emotional sight and you could see it being echoed by many of the women spectators, including me I have to say.

Played Scrabble in the evening – something we haven’t done for donkeys’ years.