On May day bank holiday, at 9.15 people from across the 6 parishes and beyond began to gather in St. Mary's Church hall, West Bergholt, for breakfast, sampling toast from the brand new toaster, bought for Tea and Toast, an after school drop in that starts on the 13th May, anyway, as more and more people entered the church, it looked like we would have a good number of people for our Rogation walk, around 3 of the 6 parishes, keen though we are, a route through all 6 would have been just a bit too long!
By 9.45 we were ready to assemble in the church for a short morning prayer, before starting the first leg of our walk, which would take us from West Bergholt to Great Horkesley, the whole route for the day, following along the Essex Way. The highlight of this part of the walk, was walking across a field of Oil Seed rape before emerging into some beautiful orchards, all in beautiful undulating countryside.
By no small miracle we arrived at St. Johns church, Great Horkesley at 11.00am, exactly as per the plan, something that would continue throughout the day, timings were impeccable, much to everyones surprise! What awaited us there was the most delicious spread of cakes, just what the hungry walkers needed, and of course, copious cups of tea and coffee to wash it all down with.
After our second act of worship, we were ready to be on our way once again, and set off on our next leg of the journey, which would take us through a couple of lakes, some woods, a vineyard and down quiet country lanes to St. Peter's Church, Boxted, arriving at 1.30pm to sample the spectacular lunch that had, once again, been prepared for us.
Midday prayers, yes slightly late in the day I admit, were said before we emerged out of the church only to find the weather had taken a turn for the worst. Gone was the constant threat of rain, now it really was raining. Undeterred, waterproofs emerged from backpacks, and all smiles, we set off once again, aiming to reach St. Mary's Church, Langham at 4.30pm, which of course we did, ready for our tea, but not before walking through some stunning countryside and enjoying some amazing views across the Stour Valley, albeit, slightly dampened by the misty murk. The rain didn't linger for long and thankfully for the worst of the rain we were wandering through woodland, and so managed to avoid a complete soaking. Having enjoyed more tea, cake and cheese scones at St. Mary's Langham, we ended our day with a special Rogation themed Evening prayer.
A walk of just over 10 miles! In total around 30 people and three dogs joined us for at least one leg of the walk, with 11 people completing the whole walk. A fantastic day, with great fellowship along the way, something we hope to repeat in years to come!