Paddling for water storage tanks at Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre Zimbabwe: day six on the River Stour

An Ode to John - by Charles Yonge October 1979 written after hearing about John's death. Charles is one of John's nephews.

Keeper of leper midst dust and dry heat,

If only I could meet your friends and visit your retreat.

O Franciscan Saint, Martyr, God's fool,

Come rainy season that I may climb your rock and bathe in your pool,

To walk in your footsteps if I might,

An eagle on the wing has heard your plight.

 

Could I drink your cup, nay, and who can?

He gave up all for the Son of Man.

Rest assured guru full of wit,

It is with the King that you shall sit.

Senseless creatures did scatter your flock,

They wait to be with you, running amock.

 

Into their hearts your love you did pour,

So now without you they know your love no more.

 

King of Kings who rules in heaven above,

In John for his lepers there was so much love.

Never in my life did I hear of such a man,

Going about putting others first, like you Lord, and in mind your plan.

 

O reverend monk, keeper of bees,

They now pray for you on their crippled knees.

And you know they'll be with you once more,

When angels trumpets sound to even the score.

 

You've travelled far O noble Knight,

Head held high and armour bright.

All prayers to Mary and Son and Holy Spirit mostly out loud,

You've finally piereed that distant cloud!

 

 

Day 6 - Sudbury to Nayland - 12.6 miles.

And so, it was back to the start of the River Stour again yesterday morning to have another full day paddling down to Nayland. A dear friend Claire came to see us off (with social distancing) at ‘Katherine’s Quay’ jetty at the Granary in Sudbury, and of course my daughter Nicola dropped James (her partner) and me off and kindly came to meet us later in the day at Nayland. It makes it so much easier to have the transport support, especially at the end of the day.

We are doing really well with our mileage and as of yesterday we have paddled 60 miles in total, out of the 134-mile length of the River Thames. So that means that we are 7 miles short of half way which is 67miles.

It was a good day even though the wind was up again, we were grateful for another WSW wind behind us. We came across another recently fallen willow tree which is not surprising as the wind is battering the UK at the moment. We left Sudbury at 9.30am after some chats with Claire and got to Nayland around 4.30pm, including a few breaks for coffee snacks and a picnic lunch. We choose a different spot each time. 

One of the biggest highlights of our paddles is seeing all the swans and cygnets on the river. In the earlier morning they are often still sitting on their nests or snoozing while the wind whirls around them. They have their own perfect timing each day. We came across three cygnets yesterday swimming up river while calling out to their parents, or so it seemed.They were on their own which is unusual as the parents or at least one parent is always quite close by. We paddled on down the river expecting to come across the parents or at least one of them, but none appeared. We hoped that they would be alright and perhaps we had somehow just missed seeing the parents in the reeds.

The River Stour is such an interesting river historically. It has been a navigable, commercial waterway for 315 years since 1705, transporting goods up and down the river as well as inspiring artists! The River Stour Trust was formed 52 years ago in 1968 and its main purpose is to maintain and restore the navigation of the river alongside the Environment Agency. There is always much work and clearing to be done.

The river was also used as a second line of defence if an invasion from German forces got through the coastal defences of Suffolk and Essex, during World War Two. Pill boxes were built along the Essex side of the river between Sudbury and Bures which still remain to this day.

 

There are many willow trees along the banks of the Stour and it is these that keep blowing over in the wind across and into the river. The Willows are actually grown commercially and are cut on a rotational basis each year with the timber being turned into cricket bats.

There is a very grand old red brick house on the banks of the upper River Stour called Smallbridge Hall. Queen Elizabeth 1 stayed at the Hall in its early years in 1561 and again in 1579.The house was much rebuilt in 1874 and further restored by Lady Phylis Macrae, daughter of the Marchioness of Bristol in 1932. During the world war it was briefly used as a home for evacuees from London.

Just as you are coming into Nayland, there is a lovely little tunnel that you have to paddle through with what looks like a corrugated iron roof. It travels under the main road from Sudbury to Colchester. I always love paddling through this as you see different light and shapes and as you approach the end of the tunnel, you get a lovely circular framed picture of the river and its green banks. 

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful day tomorrow.

Teresa and James

 

Teresa Yonge and James Perkins are doing a 134-mile sponsored Paddle on the River Stour in East Anglia, for Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre in Zimbabwe for water storage tanks. You can read their previous blogs chronicling the journey here, here, here and here. You can donate to their campaign here.