I have been to.... Woodbridge

 We recently went to Woodbridge in Suffolk to visit a friend of my wife who ill. In between visits to Caroline, we got out and about a bit. 

We went to the National Trust centre at Sutton Hoo a couple of times (the benefits of being an NT member). I gather the site was swamped after the film 'The Dig' was released, but it was pretty quiet when we were there, although the weather may have put people off.

These magnificent statues/installations are in the site entrance. The skeleton ship is the same dimensions and the Kings ship, and it is huge.

The burial mounds are pretty big and over a largish area, but from up here they blend into the grass. Incongrously the entire site is surrounded by pig farms, some of the pig huts are visible in the distance.

The viewing tower is fabulous, it reminds me of a Siege Tower.

There was the inevitable dressing up area in the museum. Ahem.

The museum really was excellent with some very, very convincing exhibits. A bit less plastic than Jorvik at any rate. 

The reproductions of the treasure were just fabulous.

Very exciting, an Anglo Saxon boardgame!

Board and rules reproduced above. So this is how Uthred whiled away those long evenings at Bebbanberg.

I've seen the original Kings helmet in the British Museum but this was a  beautiful reproduction. I'd never realised the eye piece is a stylised Dragon before.

And from the rear.

Remains of horse furniture.

Reproduction of the ceremonial shield.

And sword. There were some surviving examples of original swords too, and they obviously had really small hands back in the Dark Ages. 

Another trip took us out to the coast. We parked up at this WW2 bunker complex, just like the Airfix Coastal Defence set!

Some of the collapsed roofs had been removed but you could get inside most of it and rummage around. 

The pillbox just behind is a WW2 one, but the observation tower is a postwar addition. The site was used for missile testing after the war.

Massive shingle beaches characteristic of the area.

The coast was also dotted with numerous Martello Towers, this one has been converted into a swanky holiday home.

I'd not been to this part of the world since we lived in London as it is a fair way from Sheffield, so it was nice to visit again even if the main reason for the trip was a bit grim.