River Stour in Nayland

The River Stour seems docile as it runs quietly through the village of Nayland, on the Essex-Suffolk border. It seems like more of a familiar friend than an unpredictable force of nature, meandering through watermeads and gentle pastureland before splitting in two , the lesser branch passing between hedgerows that border private gated gardens of local houses and cottages. A few of these gardens have small private footbridges that span the narrowed river course to reach the other bank where the open green watermeads are. Handy for walking the family dog, no doubt. Ducks paddle and quack, seeming to twirl around as if dancing while unseen fish lurking beneath the surface compete for any scraps of food falling into the murky water. This image is taken from a public commons area where the villagers are entitled by law to let their livestock and/or horses drink their fill from the river. It has been this way since medieval times and there is a plaque announcing this fact beside the spot. Someone had left their Kayak tied off to the little footbridge beside the watering hole. A convenient getaway vehicle for escaping to the solitude of more secluded waters in the beautiful Stour river valley. The two waterways are eventually reunited after the water in the narrower channel has passed through a weir, split again, sped into the turbulent mill race and beneath old masonry arches below street level, wandering through more pasture and watermeads, emptying back into the natural rivercourse east of the village. The other channel rejoined the main river beside the Anchor bridge.

I took this shot looking east towards the church tower, from the spot where the horses drink.

Done