England coast path Wivenhoe to Peldon Part 45

 Distance 12.67 miles

Time 4:17 minutes 

Elevation gain 304 feet

After a good hearty breakfast at the Black buoy inn in Wivenhoe with a great view from our Breakfast table. 

We are ready for another day walking starting with a 2.5 mile walk up to Hythe Essex to the nearest bridge across the river Colne followed by another 2.5 mile walk to end up opposite the Black buoy Inn but it's all part of the planned walk.

It's forcast for heavy rain & wind gusts of 40mph but is dry to start with we put our waterproofs trousers on but pack jackets inside our bags. By the time we leave Hythe we are walking head long into 40mph winds with rain in our faces. We have now put our waterproof jackets on but it is really humid totally wrong weather for October. 

Though some overgrown paths & through an ancient woodland coming out past an old converted mill house with fantastic views. 

A short hop on a minor road before turning off across newly planted fields with carrot tops just breaking ground up a hill & then down into a young tree plantation with a woodland class room.

Out of the woods onto a track we come across an articulated truck with a forty foot container on board, the driver asks if we are local as he is at the address he had been given which was supposed to be a commercial yard but was a little cottage & he was concerned about his driving time with only 3 hours left to drop & return to Ipswich. 

We passed by leaving him pondering his situation, we see him later driving further down the narrow road but as for delivery, we will never know as we turn off.

Now in military land red flags down we navigate our way through only to be challenged at the exit point by a man in a very bright orange fleece saying we should not have entered as the path had been closed & diverted, checking the latest on line maps the path is still showing & there were no diversion signs!

We leave him still ranting at us as we walk away. 

It now gets interesting, the path we need seems to have been blocked by a new building project, having walked past to check further along we head back & enter, ready to be challenged but no one came out, past huge picture windows leaving our mud on the white tile path behind the building then turned away Into what i can only describe as a fenced in building yard. 

Scaling the fence out of the yard still on what should be the path over the bridge crossing a full drainage ditch & into a field full of sheep then over a style & into hedge lined fields nearing our destination BUT one final hurdle, a very muddy field where our boots  become 3 times heavier covered in a mixture of mud & straw.

Reaching our destination we head off to the pub The plough at Peldon where we have Thai food it's amazing & totally unexpected end to our walk

Highly recommend Thai food at 

https://www.thepeldonplough.com/

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