A life by the Deben
The River Deben meandering through rural Suffolk from Woodbridge to Felixstowe has changed little in his lifetime, but retired farmer, sailor and writer Robert Simper says the people using the water are different now. From his seat at the polished mahogany dining table, in his Suffolk-pink cottage, he can look out across the garden to rowers in their sleek sculls, wild swimmers in brightly-coloured caps, fleets of dinghies racing from the club on the other bank, and of course the vast ‘gin palaces’, speed boats and occasional waterskiers.
He grimaces slightly at the thought. There are many more people in the area now with their different interests, he says.
