Where there's a will there's a Hay Wain

The dreich weather had made way for somewhat better conditions, although it was still pretty breezy out. Thanking our Folkestone holiday cabin hosts bestie and I retraced our steps of a few days earlier, motoring up towards London. For a change we took the high road that looks down on the Channel Tunnel terminal and watched enormous, long trains unloading HGV after HGV. The road was very narrow and a bit slippy under our tyres. Presently we rejoined the M20 and sailed northwest for an hour or so, getting blown about as we went.

For a diversion, at Maidstone we turned north on the A229 towards Chatham and its historic dockyard, then headed west to ride through the Medway Tunnel, because tunnels are exciting and fun on motorbikes! Instead of joining the A2 again we rode through Northfleet, Swansconbe and Greenhithe. Because we are niche and interesting gals, we navigated to Galley Hill Road which is built on a high chalk embankment – or rather, everywhere for acres around has been quarried away 20 metres deep. The road was closed a few months ago because water has leaked through, the chalk has become saturated and part of the road bed has fallen away. Auto Shenanigans visited and made some suitably pithy observations about it being a main road and its closure having somewhat messed up getting around.

It was by then time for lunch so we alighted at the lakeside cafe near the Dartford Crossing, and which this time was open. Sitting outside to enjoy the view of the lake, I had a baguette with roast veg, halloumi and crispy onions, and it was excellent.

Recharged we took to the Dartford tunnel which was very very busy. Sensei Africa Twin and little Biscuit made some good noises though, while their riders commented on the noxious atmosphere in the tunnel! We whizzed round some of the M25 without much difficulty, and picked up the A12 towards Chelmsford and Colchester. The road went on for a long, long time and I was getting a numb bum on my seat. But we had a mid-afternoon break coming up: between Colchester and Ipswich. Bestie led me towards Dedham and a tiny place Id never heard of called Flatford, which as any fule kno is John Constable country, and Flatford Mill is where he painted one of his classic pieces,The Hay Wain, in 1821.

After parking up and buying ice creams, because the weather was sunny and warm at last, we walked down to the River Stour and along a bit to the mill. And if you stand in just the right place near the river bank, that's the same view as Constable had. I said to bestie that it was amazing, walking along and all of a sudden you see that very view! We had fun trying our best to replicate the exact composition. It's not quite possible because apparently Constable did the actual painting in his studio in London, and used various sketches to help assemble the vision. This is why at the time, we couldn't get Willy Lott's farm house perspective quite right. But the view is still as bucolic now (and probably more peaceful, and the trees and foliage certainly more grown!) as it was back then. Returning to the bikes we ruined the tranquility for a moment, firing up and rumbling and pop-bang-popping onwards.

Rounding Ipswich on the A11 for a while we then peeled off for the A12 and then the shunpike through Saxmundham and the supermarket for supplies for tea. From there it was just a few miles to our cottage near Leiston, well situated for trips north and south along the coast. Although quite tired we piled straight into cooking our tea and then relaxing for the rest of the evening.