Tag: Sutton Hoo

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SUTTON HOO UK to CARDIFF WALES – CARDIFF CASTLE.

The journey from Sutton Hoo to Cardiff is about 4 hours if the Gods are kind. We had a short stopover

Finding the address of your B&B is a bit difficult but we found the GPS in the car extremely good using postcodes to find our goal. However, we never really got a good understanding of the functionality or how to properly use the search function – the space bar could not be found which is ok for post codes awful for an address. The entrance into Cardiff is across a grand bridge but you have to get used to everything being written in Welsh with English subtitles. I found this very off-putting, and I don’t know why – in Europe it is like that everywhere.

The Landlord had organised a parking permit for us which meant we could park anywhere in the street and Neville Street proved to be a major throughfare to the city centre. We ventured to catch a bus – 3 different routes run through Neville St. So when in doubt ask a stranger on the street. This stranger was very helpful walking us to the point where the city centre was at the end of the second street around the corner from our B&B. The castle wall of Cardiff Castle extends to encircle a gloriously wild park, and the former gatehouse has become a coffee shop – very twenty-first century. There are gray squirrels and standing stones and the western gate that is not used anymore.

The wall from the gatehouse to the castle is adorned with animal sculptures but at this time I only photographed the twin lions on a gate to another side entrance being used for a wedding. We planned a visit to the castle and this occasion was a general walk around to learn where we might find various things. The castle walls are intact and dominate this part of town. The following day we went on a more formal visit and bought tickets to go inside. The castle is still in use but not for its original defensive purposes but more of a museum. There is a memorial to all the Welsh regiments raised for King and Country from the Welsh population in one basement area. Very comprehensive and explanatory but equally underlining futility of war. There is a dedication to the 7 VC awarded to soldiers in the Boer War for instance. Along with “modern” memorabilia there is a remnant of the Roman occupation in the form of a wall uncovered in preparation of the basement for this military memorial. The inserted sculptures are modern in the form of Roman sculptures around the time of the construction of the wall.

After that sobering visit Kerry found a friend to share his seat whilst I went across to the most ancient part of the castle- the Norman Keep. The sheltered walkways on the walls of the castle have been reconstructed but where they once connected to the much later constructed residence they are not open into the house unless you pay for the tour. Before visiting the Keep, Kerry and I took in the rooms of the house that are open to visitors. They have been decorated in the style that might have adorned the house when first built.

Kerry returned to her seat with Paddington whilst I challenged myself with a walk up the stairs of the Norman Keep. Rough and uneven, the stairs were a challenge but no defribulator at the top to help me recover. My photos below take you through the remaining parts of the towers (including the long drop that passes for a loo) – and the scenery around the tower and its walls.

Below is the floor plan of sorts for the castle.

2025.10.19 Cardiff Castle brochureDownload

We had both had enough of castles for the day and took time to look around the “High St” of the old town and some of the street art, the church, some of the colourful pubs and a street named “Hayes” Street. On the way home I photographed the walls of the castle decorated with various non-indigenous animals.

Our first day concluded with a walk home and a good night’s rest. The following morning was a new adventure, and you will need to read on to learn about THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SUTTON HOO UK to CARDIFF WALES – CARDIFF CASTLE.

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – LONDON HEATHROW UK to IPSWICH & SUTTON HOO UK

We left the Best Western Chicago and I had forgotten I took this picture of our accommodation for our overnight stay in Chicago for comparison with our Hotel in Ipswich UK. Our accommodation in Ipswich was actually outside of Ipswich in a suburb called Pinewood nestled on a brook surrounded by a suburban setting. Called the Muthu Belstead Brook Hotel it presented as a restored manor with appropriate furniture and appeared very comfortable, but we had lost 1 night of our booking through the American Airline stuff ups. The external appearance reminded me of a health resort, but the internal furniture appeared to be styled in Victorian/Edwardian style.

After checking in we walked around the property and booked dinner in the main restaurant where we enjoyed drinks before dinner then pasta for me and pork belly for Kerry. I had my appetite for a change and emptied my plate. Kerry was unable to finish her dinner. Kerry had been driving for the most part of the day and we were both tired and needed a good night’s rest. Before bed we organised our suitcases for the following morning. A quick walk around at the setting for the hotel, a visit by an inquisitive squirrel then off to bed – tomorrow Sutton Hoo.

We were early to rise ate a hearty breakfast then drove to Sutton Hoo. We had lost a whole day through airline stuff ups so there was some urgency about getting to Sutton Hoo and then to Cardiff.

Where we had been in suburbia, Sutton Hoo was in farmland. We turned up at the front gate at 8.00 am and it was closed. We could see others entering by a side or staff entrance so we worked out we would have to come back. What to do – we decided to go back to Woodbridge the closest village and have a look around and we are glad we did. Narrow winding streets as usual but they had given the entrance streets including the High St some thought and made each one way reducing the road blockage by removing tightly parked cars and only permitting parking by permit holders. We had seen advertising that a restored water mill could be visited near the marina on the river. However, we were too early by a month, so we decided on a coffee stop. The photos following commencing with the Red Lion Hotel, followed by the rail station, a local resident going to the railway station (he volunteered for a photo), a sign board about the village history, the Anchor Hotel in bright colours, the marina, and a sign board about the Tide Mill (an early example of green technology).

Whilst enjoying coffee in the sun a local woman sitting at the opposite table had started talking to Kerry telling her about a local tradesman reconstructing an Anglo-Saxon long boat by hand. It was a tossup – the long boat or Sutton Hoo – Sutton Hoo won.

Arriving for the 2nd time a few minutes after 10.00 am we found that there was already a dozen or more families parking up and headed for the entrance. We joined the rush and were greeted by an enlarged recreation of the dead Kings war bonnet now widely recognised as the symbol for Sutton Hoo. The site and displays are controlled by Britain’s National Trust and most of everyone else were Trust members returning to the site. The ticket office is in one of the restored farm buildings and encircling it are the main exhibition hall, the gift shop and the cafeteria. In the fore court is a reconstruction of the Kings war boat based on the impression of the boat left in the mud of the burial mounds (the boat being made of timber it had disintegrated some time ago leaving only its impression). Our time was divided into visiting all exhibits in 2 hours, so we made our way to the burial mounds about 10 minutes’ walk away. Following a dirt path there are a few exhibits to inspect on the way to the burial mounds, one of which was this up turned bow of a boat and “throne” within it. Trekking through the field gave me a clear view of the farmhouse which we would visit before leaving. There is a viewing tower (4 stories high with no lift) overlooking the burial mounds which you can no longer inspect – they are all enclosed away from prying fingers as there are still some to be opened and things to find. Information stations lead the visitor through the exhibits.

The viewing of the mounds left us about 1 and 1/2 hours to view the exhibition hall and the house. I was feeling some disappointment by this time. I had hoped to have access to the burial chamber. All the mounds are fenced off and the ones that have been opened have been resealed. So, when we got to the exhibition hall the small amount of the contents discovered has been moved to the British Museum and some mint stuff was available on loan. For example, the disintegrating pail shown in the photos below, whilst other imitation relics were on display. My photos follow.

I visited the house owned by Mr & Mrs Pretty, who were the owners when local gardener and amateur archaeologist Basil Brown started unearthing the most important find of 6th to 7th century Anglo-Saxon burial practices. It is filled with artifacts of the time of excavation, newspaper articles photographs and include working rooms for the Trust workers and archaeologists working on the site. A movie of the discovery and excavation has been made, and I believe it is still available, and it is a most interesting story.

Our time was up as we must be in Cardiff tonight. Keep an eye open for my further blogs when THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SUTTON HOO UK to CARDIFF WALES UK.