Letter from the Editor

CREETING, ST. MARY, Ipswich — On the overnight redeye flight from Dallas to London, half the passengers chose to place their red American Airlines blankets over their heads to help induce sleep. The view was rather ghoulish. But after nine hours in the air, the plane’s passengers did resemble the walking dead when they passed through customs at Heathrow Airport.
We hurried ahead of a South Korean youth tour, hopped the express train to Paddington Station where we found a “tube” to Liverpool Street Station. It’s a remarkable old station now turned into a cross between a shopping mall, train and subway station. Another train took us to Ipswich, then yet another to Stowmarket where we met up the staff from Cyclebreaks.

Creeting House sits across from a centuries old church near Needham Market.

Our first night was spent at Creeting House, a 150-year-old former Victorian rectory turned into a bed and breakfast by Steve Fernie and Diane Graham. It sits across from Creeting St. Mary Church. Innkeper Steve Fernie recommended The Limes Hotel where we ate the nightly special in the hotel pub.
Traveling with my adult son, Patrick, was refreshing. It occurred to me on the flight over that I haven’t spent that much time alone with him since he left for Southern Methodist University eight years ago this month.
His visits on holidays and breaks were brief and spent mostly with family and friends. Summers were spent working at theaters and camps. Now, he’s lived in Los Angeles since graduating and will marry a Californian in the spring.
As he sleeps off the jet lag in Creeting House’ Jess’ Room, my thoughts go back to all those family trips where we had to tell the kids not to stand too close to the train tracks or to be careful not to fall into the fish hatchery pool. Remember to flush. Eat your veggies. Now, I worry he’ll remember to ride on the opposite side of the road. You never stop worrying about them, even in adulthood.
The rain on the train from Liverpool to Ipswich was a sign our trip may get soggy. We put raingear and dry socks in our daypacks, next to the sunscreen. Orange, flashing lights signaled to cars that we were Americans on tour. We had the full English breakfast, with grilled tomatoes, fried eggs, mushrooms, toast, coffee and juice. We passed on the beans and opted for black pudding (Pigs blood fried with oats).

Most English pubs and shops are bike friendly.

The clouds gathered just as we left the Cyclebreaks barn with our Claud Butler hybrid bicycles. It rained steadily for several miles. We took refuge inside St. Andrew’s Church in Mickfield. The church’s dates from the mid 11th Century. Workers inside cheerfully showed us around as they prepared flowers for Sunday’s Feast of the Assumption service.
We took the long route and planned lunch at The Ivy House, a free house restaurant and pub in Stradbroke. To get there we passed miles of wheat, waiting for some sunshine in order to meet the harvesters. At The Ivy House, Patrick ordered calf liver and onions, something he wouldn’t come within a table length of before living on his own and learning to cook.
On to Framlingham where we checked into the Crown Hotel, just a stone’s throw from a castle. We checked out the rooms then cycled another few miles to Shawsgate Winery. Like most English wine, it’s white and sweet.
We covered the 30 miles in good time Friday and look forward to heading towards the coast on Saturday.

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