Meet Willow.
I am hoping 'Willow's Walks' will be a record of our adventures. I have no idea where we will end up but watch this space!
Willow is a 6 year old rescue dog (middle aged, too) who came to us at the start of December 2023, when this website was quite new and I was still in the midst of trying to understand the next steps in my life and career (I am still in that place).
Having always loved walking and exploring new places, I couldn’t wait to take my new buddy along with me and we would figure things out together.
It hasn’t quite started out like that.
Understandably, Willow needs to go at her pace and isn’t quite ready for the wilds of Britain. In fact, stepping outside the door seems to be frightening and bewildering. We are making progress but it’s slow and at times rather frustrating. Never one to be put off by a challenge however, I am determined to make Willow’s time with our family a success and hopefully this page will chart our journey with all its ups and downs.
I can’t wait to see the dog that she becomes. In the meantime, this is where we are.
Quite a romantic, picturesque start and a world-famous location!
For Willow’s first official walk we used an app (see link) that I recently discovered online. It gives you access to 500 dog walks across England – talk about optimistic! Or totally naïve and unrealistic….
My eldest daughter braved this walk with me and with our matching wellies, we set off from the car park along the high street. I have been to Lavenham before, including to the Christmas market and to visit cafes and the pub. But this walk was to take us beyond the buildings and across fields and farms.
If you have read my page about Abergele, you will know that we walked the morning after Storm Gerrit. Unfortunately, this walk followed Storm Henk and we could only get part of the way around due to flooded fields. But we still burned between 600-700 calories! I think it may have been even more as I don’t think the fit bit calculates carrying dogs. Or does it?
Lavenham is noted as one of England's best preserved Medieval villages with more than 300 listed buildings, including timber framed buildings that date back to the 14th century,
Lavenham has been used as a location for a Harry Potter film, scenes in the British horror movie The Witchfinder General and John Lennon and Yoko Ono used the market place for scenes of a short film called Apotheosis, featuring a hot air balloon.
The crooked house is thought to be the inspiration for the old nursery rhyme 'There Was a Crooked Man'. This house is easy to find situated on the main high street.
Lavenham is widely acknowledged as the best example of a medieval wool town in England.
In Tudor times, Lavenham was said to be the fourteenth wealthiest town in England, despite its small size. Its fine timber-framed buildings and beautiful church, built on the success of the wool trade, make it a fascinating place to explore today.
Although Lavenham goes back to Saxon times, it is best known as a medieval wool town. It was granted its market charter in 1257 and started exporting its famous blue broadcloth as far afield as Russia.
Once you leave the centre of the village, you cross a river (when we went this had flooded the road and closed it) and immediately head through fields. As the route is aimed at dog walkers most of it is across fields and is a circular 4 1/2 miles in total.
This is the view as you look back across Lavenham, with the church of St. Peter and St. Paul visible. If we get to complete the walk in the future, I will add details!
1. Walk through the village on a guided tour
2. Enjoy a cream tea at The Crooked House Tearoom on the High Street
3. Visit the award-winning restaurant ‘The Great House’ and sample the French modern cuisine
4. Relax at The Weaver’s House Spa – a recent addition to The Swan Hotel, located in one of Lavenham’s most iconic buildings
5. Explore the nearby village of Kersey (a 20 minute drive away)
1. Stood looking enviously at the people taking a leisurely stroll with their dogs happily walking along taking in the sights of the high street
2. Carried our dog every few metres or so until we got to a bit of grass (sometimes she just will not move!)
3. Became ankle deep in mud and bog and splatter mud up our legs and backs
4. Carried our dog over the flooded road at the beginning and end of the walk, thus getting mud over the rest of us
5. Walked back to retrieve the car as the dog had completely refused to go any further and we could not carry her uphill to the car park (whilst my daughter waited by the flooded road)
Christopher Morley (American novelist and journalist)
Willow is making progress and the most noticeable change is that we are having to carry her less! She is walking past dogs and people both in familiar and less familiar places without going into complete panic mode. It has taken 3 months of extreme patience and perseverance but we're getting there! Hoping for a longer walk this week - and a bit more sunshine and drier ground - so I will update this page if we manage it.
UPDATE BELOW!
Willow's favourite place by far, is curling up on the sofa and cuddling up to whoever sits by her.
It is going to be interesting to see her personality develop over time. She has shown herself to be a very loving, gentle soul so far and would definitely sofa surf all day every day if she could get away with it!
Gwyn Thomas - novelist. Photo - view from Clare Castle.
Clare Country Park covers 36 acres set in the heart of the Stour Valley. It has something for everyone; castle ruins, nature trails, play areas, café, railway heritage and more.
Willow did really well exploring this new place. Although much of the park was busy with people and dog walkers (we weren't able to arrange exclusive access!) we were able to find quieter areas, including walking to the top of the 60ft high motte to see the castle ruins up close.
See below for more information about the castle.
Founded in 1248, Clare Priory is one of the oldest religious houses in England. It was the first house of the Augustinian Friars in England and is now a parish and retreat centre run by the friars and parish community.
We came across the priory whilst exploring quieter areas of the park grounds. It felt like we had stumbled across an ancient secret garden!
More photos below.
The Park exists on the site of a grand castle that was home to one of the wealthiest people in England. Much of the castle has now gone, but there is a 60 foot high Norman motte, one of the tallest in the country, with the remains of a flint keep at its summit. If you climb the motte you are rewarded with stunning views over the moat, medieval Clare, the former Clare station railway buildings and the countryside beyond.
Click here for more:
The wall that separated the two baileys still stands. The path you can see leads to 'Ladies Walk'.
The motte and bailey from just beyond the car park.
A view from the castle motte. Looking across the medieval church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Clare.
Willow coped well with the new environment. I loved stumbling across the priory and the walk to the top of the motte. One day, we may be able to visit again and sample the dog-friendly café - a step too far for Willow at the moment!
There is a charge for the car park but due to the powers of modern technology, you don't have to remember your coins. I paid via telephone but there is also an app you can use.
One of the most exciting aspects of this trip, was trying my 'Mud Daddy' solo for the first time. It worked a treat! Willow just stood still and let the warm water clean the mud from her white fluffy fur and I even managed to clean my wellies.
In the short video clip, all you can hear is birdsong and the faint tinkle of Willow's tags as she waddles along. A lovely, mindful, interesting walk - highly recommended.
Willow is getting better at sitting with us happily as we have a post-walk coffee!
She has a new harness which is pretty much escape proof and we all feel more confident on walks now.
She also has a yellow collar which has 'anxious' printed on it to help other walkers see that it's best to approach with caution!
The collar was bought via the website below. The yellow colour is part of a campaign to help dog owners identif
She has a new harness which is pretty much escape proof and we all feel more confident on walks now.
She also has a yellow collar which has 'anxious' printed on it to help other walkers see that it's best to approach with caution!
The collar was bought via the website below. The yellow colour is part of a campaign to help dog owners identify dogs that are stressed, nervous, anxious or reactive and generate a better understanding.
Progress is still being made every day and Willow is beginning to enjoy being outside more and more. Today, we passed groups of people, prams, dogs and children on an Easter egg hunt, all without drama!
Willow has had the full dog groomers experience and although this cut was quite drastic, hopefully she will be more comfortable and cleaner after walks.
The hair on her legs and underside had grown so thick we were finding branches, seeds and goodness knows what else in there for days after walks!
You may notice an extra lead, too. This is following another traumatic event where she escaped from me so she is now strapped to me via a waist belt. She still isn't fully relaxed on walks (you can see her tail underneath her body here) but there are glimpses of her coping increasingly well.