There’s Nowhere Like Suffolk Summer 2023

There’s nowhere like

SUFFOLK

The e-magazine from Visit Suffolk Summer 2023

10 reasons NOT to come to Suffolk! | Top 10 beaches | Fabulous festivals | Gardens to visit | Vineyard tours | Do The Suffolk Knowledge! | 50 things to do in Suffolk this Summer

There is much to look forward to in the warmer months. From 24 July, we embark on 42 days of world-class entertainment. There are over 80 events to choose from covering concerts, walks, exhibitions, workshops and more. You will find plenty of opportunities to take part, learn a new skill or enjoy the great outdoors. Plus, many of the events are free for families to enjoy.

Independent shops

Snape Maltings is a heritage site, home to independent shops, galleries and eateries, all in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Concerts & performances

A season of great nights out in Snape Maltings Concert Hall returns: outstanding orchestras, sensational soloists and international stars from the worlds of classical music, jazz, folk, roots and rock.

Family events

Many of our events are family-friendly, allowing you to enjoy your day out together. From children’s concerts, skills-based groups, to workshops and walks.

Art & exhibitions

Beyond the natural landscape, enjoy the impressive architecture, many galleries, exhibitions and sculptures. Stay

Info and booking: brittenpearsarts.org

01728 687110

We have thirteen beautiful properties at Snape Maltings, all of which are available to rent across the summer. These range from a one bedroom cottage to a six bedroom family home.

Welcome

Welcome to this latest edition of There’s Nowhere Like Suffolk… and there really isn’t! It’s a unique and magical place, especially in Summer.

Our tongue-in-cheek ’10 reasons why you should NOT come to Suffolk!’ article highlights the fact that we’re different and our ’50 Things To Do…’ article gives you some great ideas about things to do and where to go that you won’t find anywhere else. See how many you can tick off in one visit!

As it’s the Summer, the sun’s shining and days are long and warm, it’s time to be outside so we’ve highlighted our top ten beaches to enjoy, gardens to visit, vineyards where you can tour and have a tipple, and featured some of our fabulous festivals. You’ll all know of Latitude and Aldeburgh, but there are so many more, so whatever musical, cultural or foodie tastes, you’re sure to find something that’s right up your street.

And while Suffolk is a great destination for a day trip, it’s even better if you stay and you get to soak up the laid-back vibe we have here. There’s accommodation types for all tastes and pockets, so we’ll give you a helping hand there too.

You’ll find us a very welcoming bunch so have a great time!

10 reasons why you should NOT Come to Suffolk!

Of course, we want you to come… in fact, we can’t wait to welcome you. But, you know, we may not be for everyone. So here are our top ten reasons why you shouldn’t visit Suffolk…

1 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… BEING OUTDOORS

Being outdoors is one of the key reasons you come to Suffolk – to cycle, walk or just enjoy being in wonderful countryside. We’ve got an enchanting part of the Broads National Park to enjoy a day boat, and there’s rambling for all in the Dunwich Heath AONB.

2 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… WILDLIFE

We’ve mentioned the Broads National Park – they’re great for birdwatching. Likewise RSPB Minsmere, a star of BBC’s Naturewatch, and Carlton Marshes near Oulton Broad. Jimmy’s Farm outside Ipswich has a great range of animals and you can see some really big wild beasts at Africa Alive! near Kessingland. And while they’re not wild, far from it, you can see some of the world’s best thoroughbred racing horses at Newmarket.

4 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… GOOD WEATHER

Of course, it is sometimes inclement in Suffolk, when Scotland, Wales or Cornwall send their rain clouds our way. Otherwise, Suffolk has one of the best overall climates in the country, with more sun than most destinations and more drier days. In fact, Thetford Forest and Brandon, set in a bowl to the west of the county, has the warmest Summers.

3 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… CULTURE AND ARTS

Oh oh, you might be in trouble here because we’ve got loads of that, not least the Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings where in late Summer you’ll also find the region’s best food and drink festival. There’s First Light Festival at Lowestoft, the most easterly point in the UK, Latitude at Henham near Southwold, and Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury is now the largest exhibition space in Suffolk.

5 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… HORIZONS

You won’t need carabiners and crampons when you visit Suffolk. That said, bring a bicycle or walking shoes and you’ll be rewarded with gently undulating coast and countryside and enormous skies. In Suffolk it’s easier to see the horizon. See if you can find where you can’t spot a church tower.

6 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… COAST AND SEASIDE

We’ve got 50 miles of it, including lovely sandy beaches at Lowestoft, Kessingland, Southwold and Walberswick. There’s shingle beaches but fine swimming at Dunwich, Thorpeness, Felixstowe and Aldeburgh. And there are estuaries to explore on the Rivers Blyth, Alde, Deben, Orwell and Stour.

7 IF YOU LIKE… MOTORWAYS

We don’t have any. In fact we’re one of the largest counties in England without one. But we do have two or three lane roads from pretty much anywhere all the way to Ipswich, Suffolk’s county town. After that you’re on thousands of miles of quieter roads which reflect the pace of life here… slower, more relaxing, more mindful.

8 IF YOU LIKE… SERVICE STATIONS

Stands to reason doesn’t it, if we haven’t got motorways. But who needs a BLT with limp lettuce or something delivered with the ping of a microwave when you can enjoy quality local produce at roadside pubs, restaurants and farm shops? Get fresh asparagus, samphire and strawberries from layby shacks. Much better than a Ginsters! Oh, and head to Orford, Aldeburgh and Southwold and enjoy fabulous fresh fish and shellfood.

9 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… HISTORY AND HERITAGE

We’re steeped in it, not least the ancient Anglo Saxon burial site at Sutton Hoo, and the Anglo Saxon Village at West Stow. There’s a Norman castle at Framlingham, stately homes like Ickworth and Kentwell Hall, Flatford Mill will show you the landscapes of John Constable, and you can discover the story of England’s first patron saint in Bury St Edmunds.

10 IF YOU DON’T LIKE… FERRIES

No, we’re not talking about big ferries that go across seas, we’re talking little rowing boat ferries across our many estuaries. There’s Walberswick to Southwold, Butley and Orford, Felixstowe to Bawdsey and Harwich-ShotleyFelixstowe. Have a go, it’s the gentlest way to travel!

WOLSEY’S IPSWICH

14 July - 29 October 2023 10am - 12.30pm or 1pm - 4pm Free entry

As part of the Wolsey 550 project our summer exhibition explores the life and legacy of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey during the 550th anniversary of his birth.

Ipswich born and raised,Wolsey rose from humble beginnings to become England’s most powerful man, working alongside King Henry VIII.

We unearth a story of ambition, aspiration, and the ability for anyone to succeed. Featuring treasures from our own collection as well as spectacular loaned exhibits including Wolsey’s original Cardinal hat on loan from Christ Church College, Oxford.

Suitable for all ages, come and explore the complex and inspiring story of Ipswich’s most famous son.

www.suffolkarchives.co.uk/whatson @suffolkarchives

TUDORS

Every Tuesday from 25 July to 29 August.

10.30am - 12.30pm.

Ages 5 - 11, Free.

WHO DO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP?

Every Wednesday from 26 July to 30 August.

10.30am - 12.30pm.

Ages 5 - 11, Free.

Breathe in the fresh sea air of the tranquil Suffolk coast, walk on unspoiled sand where the kids can build sandcastles, play cricket, have a picnic, walk the dog, look for bird life and paddle in the shallow surf. You’ll find expanses of honeyed beaches backed by marram and dunes. Or lay back and relax and watch the scanty clouds skipping across the big blue sky. Pass the suncream!

Top 10 beaches

SOUTHWOLD DENES BEACH

Backed by low dunes and marshland, find this sandy beach at the River Blyth harbour’s mouth. There’s a large car park by the lifeboat station and a smaller one by the Gun Hill beach cafe. If you have time, peruse the fish shacks (the Sole Bay Fish Co is excellent) and cafes on the riverside. Or take the foot ferry over to Walberswick.

SOUTHWOLD PIER BEACH

You might think Southwold was set in aspic in 1953; it’s like going back to a quieter, slower pace of life in an unspoilt traditional seaside town. If you tire of paddling or frolicking in the briny (as if!), take a walk along the 250m long pier and play the quirky amusements at The Under The Pier Show.

COVEHITHE BEACH

Suffolk’s secret beach, reached down a single lane where there’s a little parking by St Andrew’s Church –as you’ll see it’s a church within a church! Driftwood forms beautiful shapes protruding from the sand near the lagoon. Take a little walk north and enjoy Benacre National Nature Reserve and Broad.

LOWESTOFT SOUTH BEACH

Otherwise known as Victoria Beach, this is the most easterly point in the country so, of course, this is the Sunrise Coast with its own free Summer festival. There’s amusements at South Pier and Claremont Pier plus lots of cafes and kiosks.

KESSINGLAND BEACH

Long, wide, unspoilt and never busy, this beach was saved by writer Henry Rider Haggard, author of King Solomon’s Mines and other Africa-based books, who planted marram grass to protect it. Serendipitously, Kessingland is also home to wildlife park Africa Alive!

ALDEBURGH BEACH

Buy an ice cream, take a walk along the prom and peruse the fish shacks and the wares of the fishermen whose boats have been hauled up on to the shingle. If you fancy a walk head north to Maggi Hambling’s Scallop.

FELIXSTOWE SOUTH BEACH

There’s lots to do here, south of the pier, besides the sandy beach, including crazy golf, amusements, café, ice cream kiosks, the 16th century Landguard Fort, children’s playground, and promenade. The beach north of the pier is mostly pebble and shingle but there’s a beach hut, lovely Seafront Gardens and the swimming here is excellent.

PAKEFIELD BEACH

Pebbled and rustic, strewn with patches of Marram grass and the ideal place for a dog walk or a spot of kite flying on a windy day. You might even spot a seal on the shore. The pretty beach huts which line the promenade are privately owned, but some are available to hire, should you wish to enjoy a taste of Suffolk seaside life!

WALBERSWICK BEACH

Previously the home of the world crabbing championships, you’ll still see families on the bridges over the Dunwich River trying their arm with a bucket, net and line. Dunes that are perfect for shelter and picnics protect the sandy beach and there’s a large car park. The village itself is charming with two excellent pubs, The Bell and Anchor, and you can stretch your legs with a walk through the marshy nature reserve.

DUNWICH BEACH

Sit on the shingle and just imagine that a few hundred years ago in front of you would have been one of the largest medieval ports in all of England. Wow! Two disastrous storms took it to the bottom of the sea, and all that’s now left is the remains of Greyfriars Priory. You can see a diorama of how it was in Dunwich Museum on St James Street. Then head to The Ship Inn.

Fabulous festivals this summer

There are festivals, events and activities throughout the year when you visit Suffolk. But it really comes to life during the Summer months. Put these dudes in your diary...

ALDEBURGH MUSIC FESTIVAL

9-25 Jun | Snape Maltings

Suffolk’s top music and arts festival, founded by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears in 1948, this year’s event features the world premiere of Sarah Angliss’s opera Giant and the UK premiere of The Art of Being Human as well as pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, baritone and composer Roderick Williams and composers Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Cassandra Miller. > brittenpearsarts.org

ALDEBURGH FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL

23-24 Sep | Snape Maltings

Rated one of the UK’s best food festivals, this event celebrates Suffolk’s food and drink producers and its rich farming heritage.

> aldeburghfoodanddrink.co.uk

SOUTHWOLD ARTS FESTIVAL

24 Jun – 1 Jul | Southwold

The eighth Southwold Arts Festival has a rich and diverse mix of music, talks, theatre, poetry and visual arts to this beautiful seaside town.

> southwoldartsfestival.co.uk

FELIXSTOWE BOOK FESTIVAL

16-25 Jun | Felixstowe & Trimley St Mary

Authors and audiences love this festival’s unique intimate, welcoming atmosphere. You can combine author events with seafood suppers, walks along the prom with its colourful beach huts (said to be the oldest in the country) and go for a bracing swim!

> felixstowebookfestival.co.uk

SPA RESTAURANT RECORDING STUDIO PRIVATE FUNCTIONS WEDDINGS B & B

FOLKEAST

18-20 Jul | Glemham Hall

Lindisfarne headline the event of dance, workshops, instrumental, talks, food and drink.

> folkeast.co.uk

PRIMADONNA FESTIVAL

28-30 Jul | The Food Museum, Stowmarket

A festival of books, ideas and inspiration with something for everyone with film, music, comedy, food, drink, DJs and therapies alongside the main programme of talks, interviews and discussions. The line-up gives prominence to women, people of colour, LGBTQI+, working class people and disabled people.

> primadonnafestival.com

FRAMLINGHAM COUNTRY SHOW

19-20 Aug | Framlingham College

A great day out with local food and drink, events for dog lovers, fun activities and entertainment for children. Meet producers and makers, watch rural crafters demonstrating their skills, listen to fabulous music by up and coming talent. Main ring attractions, celebrity chefs, living history, model aeroplanes, tractors, classic cars, horses, and more.

> framlinghamcountryshow.co.uk

BURY ST EDMUNDS FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL

28-29 Aug | Bury St Edmunds

With local chefs, a great choice of stalls and a wide range of street entertainment, Suffolk’s foodie town hosts a free entry event full of treats, displays and family fun.

> visit-burystedmunds.co.uk

JULY FESTIVAL, NEWMARKET

13-15 Jul | Newmarket Rowley Mile Course

Three days of world class horseracing, combined with fashion, food and entertainment. Starting with Ladies Day, a seven-race card headlined by the Group Two Princess of Wales’s Stakes; then Festival Friday, followed by July Cup Day. Run over six furlongs, the July Cup is one of the most valuable and prestigious sprint races in the world. A great family day out.

> thejockeyclub.co.uk

EAST ANGLIAN BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL

23-28 Aug | Bury Saint Edmunds

For six days, the cathedral hosts this amazing event organised by CAMRA with more than 250 real ales, 40 ciders, food stalls, a sound stage and a full entertainment programme with bands, folk singers, choirs and solo musicians.

> burystedmundsbeerfestival.com

LATITUDE FESTIVAL

20-23 July | Henham Park

Pulp, Paolo Nutini, George Ezra, James, loads of comedians, artists, authors and more will entertain you over the three-day weekend. Oh, and maybe painted sheep.

> latitudefestival.com

DRAGON FEST

24-25 Jun | West Stow, Bury St Edmunds

A family fun day out with the AngloSaxon Village transformed into a world of dragons, creatures and characters.

> weststow.org

By visiting you’re helping anyone working with plants, trees, flowers or grass.

ADVENTURE IS CALLING

50 things to do in Suffolk in Summer

We recommend you keep coming to Suffolk until you’ve completed our 50 things to do here. Then you can say you really know our fabulous county!

Ipswich

50. Enjoy a stroll on the waterfront – maybe sit outside one of the many restaurants, pubs and cafes and take in the vibe. Squint and you might think you’re in Monaco. Admire the Neoclassical Custom House. If you really like it, why not stay at the Salthouse Harbour Hotel.

49. Visit the handsome Tudor Christchurch Mansion and Wolsey Art Gallery with its collection of Constables and Gainsboroughs. It’s set in 33 acres of pristine parkland.

48. Ipswich Museum is a wonderfully old-fashioned museum of eclectic displays, from Roman jewellery and Egyptian artefacts to a charming life-sized woolly mammoth and stuffed birds. The kids will love it.

47. Take a river cruise aboard the Orwell Lady. There are also trips to Pin Mill and Harwich, as well as cream tea cruises and themed evening cruises. Or you can go on the Victor sailing barge. By the by, Eric Blair’s name didn’t excite his publisher so he renamed himself George Orwell, yes, him of Animal Farm and 1984, after seeing the estuary name on a map.

46. Like vintage trams, buses, milk floats, and fire engines? Then you’ll love the Ipswich Transport Museum. You can even see a Sinclair C5 electric car, long before Tesla came along.

45. Have a tipple at The Swan and Hedgehog, a live music pub where Ed Sheeran cut his musical teeth.

44. Just outside Ipswich, visit Jimmy’s Farm with its rare breeds, tapirs, raccoons, wallabies and more. Yes, you know Jimmy, Jimmy Doherty, mate of Jamie Oliver.

43. And nearby is The Suffolk Hood Hall, with a butchers’, deli, bakery, restaurant, garden shop, kids’ playground and a beautiful setting overlooking the Orwell Estuary by the majestic Orwell Bridge.

Ipswich waterfront

Heart of Suffolk

42. In Sudbury, don’t miss the revamped and extended Gainsborough’s House, where a new three-storey wing has created the largest gallery in Suffolk. See Gainsborough masterpieces, exhibitions of international appeal, contemporary East Anglian, and a landscape studio with great views.

41. Talking of famous artists, visit Dedham Vale, otherwise known as Constable Country, after the painter John, who was born at East Bergholt and immortalised the local countryside in his work. Don’t miss the National Trust’s Flatford Mill where he painted his most famous work The Hay Wain

40. The Food Museum at Stowmarket, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, is set in 75 acres of countryside in the middle of town and has 40,000 objects and 17 buildings to explore. It’s the UK’s only food museum!

39. The most magnificent of Suffolk’s Wool Towns, Lavenham looks like it was set in aspic in medieval times with its fabulous timber-framed houses, not least the Guildhall on the Market Place. The town featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

38. Not far away, picture perfect Kersey is worth a visit – perhaps the most photographed village in the whole county.

37. Enjoy a relaxing stroll around Clare Castle Country Park – there’s the castle remains, the old railway station and a priory.

36. Moated Kentwell Hall in Long Melford has a brick-paved maze, camera obscura, rare breeds farm and wildflower meadow, plus a programme of shows and events from sheep-shearing to medieval banquets. While you’re here, don’t miss the superb Holy Trinity church, perhaps the most beautiful in Suffolk.

35. Remember the times when the US Eighth Air Force were in Suffolk in huge numbers during the second world war at The Red Feather Club at Horham, home of the 95th Bomb Group.

34. The 390th Bomb Group Memorial Air Museum pays tribute to the 740 servicemen killed or ‘Missing in Action’ from Parham Airfield and the further 754 who were taken as Prisoners of War.

33. Take a tour and tasting at Giffords Hall Vineyard where they produce some of the region’s best-regarded wines (see page 24).

32. Enjoy the Heritage Walk around Hoxne (pronounced Hoxon) and you’ll see the place where Anglo-Saxon ruler of East Anglia, King Edmund, was betrayed and the Danes tied him to a tree and shot him full of arrows. Saint Edmund became the patron saint of England, until St George came along.

Gainsborough’s House Lavenham

41 – Flatford

West Suffolk

31. The world’s home of flat horseracing, Newmarket’s season runs from April to November. Look out for racing dates.

30. Take a tour of the National Stud at Newmarket on foot and by bus. Or choose another from discovernewmarket.co.uk

29. To learn more about the sport’s history book a visit to The National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art in the town. It’s housed on the site of Charles II’s original palace –he moved his court here once or twice a year to enjoy his passion.

28. It’s not all about wine at Wyken Vineyards. Shetland sheep, woodland walks, Red Poll cattle, formal gardens surrounding the Elizabethan manor house, farmers’ market on Saturdays. Oh, and a vineyard!

27. There’s a fine collection of art at National Trust Ickworth House, surrounded by acres of parkland and best-known for its Italianate rotunda.

26. Oh, and while you’re in Bury, take a brewery tour at Greene King.

25. If you want to see how the Anglo Saxons lived, head to West Stow where there’s a dozen re-created houses on the site of what was a late iron Age village. The attached country park has nice walks and a lake.

24. Take a walking tour of Bury St Edmunds and you won’t miss a thing: Moyse’s Hall museum, Neoclassical Corn Exchange, National Trust-run Theatre Royal, the last surviving Regency-era theatre in the country, Angel Hill, St Edmundsbury Cathedral and the Abbey Gardens and ruins.

Bury St Edmunds Abbey and Theatre Royal

© Rebecca Bacon

Suffolk coast

23. Spend some time exploring the National Trust Sutton Hoo, the burial site of Raedwald, 7th century Anglo Saxon ruler of East Anglia.

22. The tiny village of Pin Mill has a busy boatyard and a popular pub, the Butt and Oyster, and you can stroll along the riverbank or explore the footpaths up the hilly woodland.

21. Take the rowing boat ferry across the River Blyth from Walberswick to Southwold and explore the fresh fish stalls. Lunch at the Harbour Inn and spot the high tide marks on the wall.

20. Take the Felixstowe Ferry across the River Deben to Bawdsey.

19. The reedbeds, heath and woodland at RSPB Minsmere. Premier League birdwatching. Enough said.

18. Explore the heathland at Dunwich and then go to the museum where you can see a diorama of the town in medieval times, when it was one of the largest and most important ports in the country… until the sea took over.

17. Framlingham Castle is the best castle in Suffolk and it’s a proper classic, with crenelations and all. You might remember it from Ed Sheeran’s hit ‘Castle on the Hill’. Fram’s market town centre is well worth a walk, as is The Mere in the shadow of the castle.

16. Take a rowing boat out on the Mere at Thorpeness, a quirky mockTudor Edwardian resort village, have a picnic on one of the islands and stare up at the House in the Clouds.

15. Look for the nail marks on the door at the Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh made by legendary Black Shuck, damage done by Cromwell’s Roundheads, and the memorial to Joe Kennedy Jnr, the man who should have been President of the US. Yes, really!

14. Wander around the charming village of Orford and discover the 12th century castle. Across the water is the National Trust-owned nature reserve Orford Ness, the largest shingle spit in Europe. Eat at the Butley Orford Oysterage, or buy some fresh or smoked seafood from Pinney’s.

13. Close to Oulton Broad and Lowestoft, Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve had a £4m investment in the 1000 acres of wildness allowing nature to take over again. Endorsed by Sir David Attenborough, so must be good.

12. Hire a day boat on the River Waveney at Beccles and you’ll be enjoying the Broads National Park. If you fancy a tipple, we recommend the Geldeston Lock pub.

11. Wander the promenade at Aldeburgh with an ice cream and choose some fresh seafood from the fish huts. Or get in the queue for fish and chips on the High Street.

10. Discover the amazing wildlife at Africa Alive!

9. Visit Landguard Fort to appreciate Felixstowe port and harbour. There’s a nearby nature reserve too.

8. Visit the charming waterside town of Woodbridge. Voted one of the top foodie destinations in the UK by Country Living, it’s an easy-going place with lots of independent shops and good pubs.

7. Not far from Woodbridge is Easton Farm Park, a popular day out for families.

6. Go line crabbing in the Dunwich River at seaside Walberswick. And don’t miss the lovely sandy beach.

5. Enjoy the sunset sitting outside the Ramsholt Arms on the River Deben – scenes from the Danny Boyle film Yesterday were shot here.

4. There are lovely walks to enjoy around Snape Maltings, home of the Aldeburgh Festival, created by Benjamin Britten.

3. To see how pubs used to be, head to The King’s Head at Laxfield. Otherwise known as The Low House, the pub has lots of settles and cosy dining rooms, and beer served from barrels in the back room.

2. Take a tour of Adnams Brewery and Distillery at Southwold. Adnams are also now offering tours of the iconic Lighthouse as well!

1. If you’re in Southwold, don’t miss the Victorian Pier with its ingenious waterclock and Under The Pier Show, a series of quirky handmade amusements.

Sutton Hoo

Fivevineyardtours

Wine lovers will love discovering new English varieties in one of the warmest regions in the country. And the great thing is, experts are on hand to ensure you get to sample the best around. Coupled with incredible scenery, places to stay, and things to do, you’ll get more than you bargained for on a wine tour in Suffolk.

2 GIFFORDS HALL VINEYARD

Take a tour at Giffords Hall Vineyard and not only will the wine impress. If its location in the scenic Upper Stour Valley isn’t beauty enough for you, venture a little further and you’ll be transfixed by the picturesque ‘wool towns’ of Suffolk where a visit to a gallery, antique shop, or historic house is compulsory. Join the Grand Tour and learn about grape varieties and how wine is produced, followed by a well-deserved tasting of handpicked wines and liqueurs. Dogs on a lead are welcome too!

1 SHOTLEY VINEYARD

This vineyard is situated on the Shotley peninsula with views overlooking both the Orwell and Stour estuaries. There are several different tours that take place at the vineyard, including a tour and pizza, which is definitely one for the whole family to enjoy.

3 VALLEY FARM VINEYARDS

This vineyard is nestled in an idyllic corner of Suffolk at Wissett near the Suffolk Coast where mature vines produce quality grapes for white, rosé, or a sparkling blush. Take a tour and enjoy a chat whilst tasting some of their favourite wines. The wines can be bought at the cellar door, or delivered.

4 WYKEN VINEYARDS

For a shopping, eating and wine experience rolled into one, this is hard to beat. Its welcoming and stylish homeware shop has carefully selected crafts, clothes, books, and household goods. Its restaurant, The Leaping Hare, is effortlessly stylish, as is its food, and as you would expect offers a great selection of wine straight from the vineyard. You are welcome to venture around the vineyard through beautiful ancient woodlands. Before you head off, don’t forget to select your favourite variety from the shop; top tip – their sparkling wine Moonshine won East Anglian Wine of the year in 2017!

5 SHAWSGATE VINEYARD

If you’re really into your grape varieties, then Shawsgate has experienced help on hand – it’s one of East Anglia’s oldest commercial vineyards. Top up your knowledge and learn about the history and production of wine during a tour of the vineyard – you’ll be blown away by their passion!

MELFORD HALL, LONG MELFORD

Melford Hall (National Trust) is a spectacular Suffolk estate. Home to the Hyde Parker family, this historic hall was frequented by Beatrix Potter, a cousin and a regular visitor. Its landscaped gardens are a perfect place to play croquet and watch some summer theatre, explore the wildlife-friendly woodland or take a walk in the surrounding countryside.

HELMINGHAM HALL, HELMINGHAM

A joy to visit, not least because it won the garden of the year award in 2017. Designed and maintained by awardwinning garden designer and owner of the hall, Lady Xa Tollemache, the gardens include a parterre overlooking the moat and hall, a knot garden, a rose garden, a walled vegetable garden, orchards and walkways. There’s a cafe and shop too.

Gardens to visit…

GLEMHAM HALL, LITTLE GLEMHAM

Built in circa 1560, and later given a Georgian façade, Glemham Hall is a picturesque place to spend time. As well as looking around the hall itself, you can also explore the 300 acres of parkland surrounding it, including a walled rose garden, some 600-yearold oak trees, a topiary, classical urns and a sculpture garden.

CHRISTCHURCH PARK, IPSWICH

Set in 70 acres of rolling lawns and woodland, with a botanical garden of beautiful trees (home to over 100 species of birds) and a pond. At the centre is Christchurch Mansion, a museum and art gallery that holds a large collection of works by artists John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough. The Park is free to enter.

Melford Hall (©National Trust Images – Arnhel de Serra)

THE PLACE FOR PLANTS, EAST BERGHOLT

A sprawling, beautiful place – this 20-acre garden in the heart of Constable Country has flowering trees and wildflowers, an arboretum full of rambling roses, a cafe and a wellstocked garden centre.

WYKEN HALL GARDENS, BURY ST EDMUNDS

These intricate, old-style gardens reflect the Elizabethan nature of the house itself. Wander through the grounds and you’ll find a knot garden, herb garden, nuttery, wildflower meadow, traditional kitchen garden and much more, all bursting with the colours of an English summer. You’ll also find a critically acclaimed restaurant, vineyard and country market, making a great day out.

SOMERLEYTON HALL AND GARDENS

Set in a picture-perfect village, this elegant Victorian hall is surrounded by exquisite gardens. Lose yourself in the yew maze – reportedly one of the finest in Britain, relax in the walled garden, walk through the 90 metre blossom pergola, and admire the ornate greenhouses, built by the architect of Crystal Palace.

NOWTON PARK, NEAR BURY ST EDMUNDS

Over 200 acres of countryside, encompassing an arboretum, and trees from around the world. See bamboo in the China region, and a totem pole in the North American region. There’s a play area for children, and the hedge maze, with over two miles of hedging, is bound to keep you entertained for an hour or two!

RSPB WILDLIFE GARDEN, FLATFORD

Nestled in the heart of Constable Country in Dedham Vale, this garden is a buzzing haven for wildlife. Free to enter, with volunteers on hand to answer questions. Leave enough time to walk up the lane to see Willy Lott’s House and Flatford Mill, where artist John Constable painted one of his most famous pieces, The Hay Wain (1821).

ABBEY GARDENS, BURY ST EDMUNDS

This award-winning 14-acre park is on the site of a former Benedictine Abbey, the Abbey of St Edmund, once a powerhouse of medieval England. Free to wander, explore the abbey ruins, sculptures, hidden garden ‘rooms’ and many quiet nooks and shady corners. Its eye-catching displays attract an international audience.

KENTWELL HALL, LONG MELFORD

Here, you’re likely to find anything from quirky sculptures to a model galleon. And if you happen to visit during one of their famous medieval recreation days, you will travel back in time and meet people going about their business, cooking, gardening and gossiping, Tudor-style. Don’t miss the ancient Yew trees with a modern hedge of ‘Pied Piper’ topiary.

FULLER’S MILL GARDEN, WEST STOW

The founder, and former resident, Bernard Tickner spent over 50 years crafting its seven acres into a diminutive paradise of woodland, flowerbeds and hedgerows, all intersected by the babbling River Lark. A fantastic place to see rare plants that don’t grow wild in England.

ICKWORTH HOUSE & GARDENS, HORRINGER

This House offers a slice of classical Italy in Suffolk: its neoclassical rotunda houses treasures collected from tours around 18th century Europe, while its Italianate gardens are the earliest in England. Set in 1800 acres of parkland, highlights include rolling landscapes, a magical stumpery and a seasonal meadow.

From left: Kentwell Hall (©Coglin Photography), Ickworth House (@National Trust Images), Abbey Gardens

Why Suffolk Kidslove

Wondering where to take the kids for the holidays? Well, Suffolk is that wonderful land of fairytales and magic!

A LAND OF FAIRY TALES AND MAGIC

Suffolk has many folk and fairy tales, but did you know that it also has a whole fairytale village? Thorpeness was transformed into a fantasy playground in the 1920s by a rich Scot named Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie. Ogilvie built mock Tudor and Jacobean houses, created a floating House in the Clouds, built a golf course, and, with the help of his friend J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, designed a magical boating meare with pirate islands, and hideouts for Wendy and the Lost Boys.

Another magical place is Lavenham, one of Suffolk’s beautiful Wool Towns, and the birthplace of the most famous wizard that ever lived: Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling based the fictional wizarding village of Godric’s Hollow on Lavenham, and the Harry Potter cast and crew used Lavenham as their set in 2009 and 2010. If your kids love Harry Potter, show them Lavenham, aka where the Potters lived before the fateful night that You-KnowWho came to find them…

Magic of a different sort can be found in the brilliantly bizarre arcade at Southwold Pier. It may look like a traditional games arcade, but each of its games has been built by madcap inventor, Tim Hunkin. Your kids will love it, and you will, too.

…WHERE TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE

In Suffolk your children can spend a day with the Tudors at Kentwell Hall, meet a warrior king at Sutton Hoo, learn skills from the Anglo-Saxons at West Stow, live the life of a miller at Woodbridge Tide Mill, walk in the footsteps of Mary Tudor along the Framlingham Castle battlements, travel like an Edwardian on the Mid Suffolk Light Railway, meet servants from the 1930s at Ickworth House & Gardens, and descend underground like Neolithic flint miners at Grimes Graves. And why not find your own treasures? Hunt for shark’s teeth, see glass, or fossil corals that are millions of years old by joining one of the beachcombing days this summer on Felixstowe, Bawdsey and Sizewell beaches.

Framlingham Castle

HOME TO CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

Big, small, feathery, furry, scaly, hooved, antlered, even maned –Suffolk is home to creatures of all kinds, and any budding David Attenborough or Michaela Strachan will be thrilled to meet them.

One of Suffolk’s many nature reserves, Lackford Lakes is where kingfishers swoop down to the water, and flocks of starlings create beautiful shapes overhead. Make sure to pick up a wildlife explorer backpack from reception, specially put together for little explorers! Another must-visit reserve is RSPB Minsmere, the past headquarters of BBC Springwatch. This incredible place boasts some of the country’s rarest birds, as well as majestic red deer, and shy otters.

At Needham Lake in the heart of Suffolk, kids can explore the wildlife whilst also enjoying a mini assault course as they walk around the lake.

WILD ADVENTURES

At Africa Alive!, a zoo and conservation centre, kids can come face-to-face with the beasts of Africa’s rainforests and savannah, including lions, giraffes, chimpanzees, white rhinos, zebras and lemurs. At Oasis Camel Park kids can encounter the iconic humped creatures from Africa’s deserts, and even enjoy a camel ride, or learn to be a keeper for the day.

Animals from afar are fascinating, but so are Suffolk’s native creatures. At the Suffolk Punch Trust, kids can meet Suffolk’s only native horses, gentle giants called Suffolk Punches. At the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, your kids will be able to admire over 80 owls and birds of prey, including some incredibly cute baby owls.

Or see beautiful horses and learn all about the exciting world of horse racing at the National Horse Racing Museum. Kids can have a go on the horse simulator and find their inner jockey at Suffolk’s newest attraction.

Finally, at Easton Farm Park and Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park, it’s all hands on deck to care for Suffolk’s farm animals, including the annual new arrivals of all sorts of species.

If your kids are already mini adrenaline junkies, Suffolk has the attractions that will get their pulses racing. At Go Ape, kids of all ages (and adults, too) can act like Tarzan and Jane and take on a thrilling treetop assault course. If it’s speed they’re after, an afternoon’s racing at Anglia Indoor Karting or a day at Southwold Maize Mazewill have your kids jumping for joy. Speed-loving families can take to the sea aboard the Coastal Voyager and zoom around Southwold’s Sole Bay or visit the colony of seals at nearby Scroby Sands. And if it’s simply good oldfashioned competitiveness that gets your kids going, why not hold a family crabbing competition at Walberswick beach?

You’re thinking of coming to Suffolk, so we thought we’d educate you about our wonderful county. Just so you’re paying attention, there are three untruths in our article. Can you guess which ones they are?

(Answers are at the bottom of page 27)

The Suffolk Knowledge!

1 The name Suffolk means ‘southern folk’ and comes from the Angles who settled here in the 5th century and created East Anglia with Norfolk, who were – duh! – the northern folk.

2 From the 14th to the 17th century, Suffolk was one of the most prosperous counties in the country thanks to its cloth-weaving industry. Its legacy remains in the ‘Wool Towns’ such as Lavenham, Clare, Long Melford and Hadleigh.

3 You’ll find marram grass on dunes along the Suffolk coast, especially at Kessingland, Southwold South Beach and Walberswick. It’s to be encouraged as its deep roots fight against sand erosion by high and rough tides. Marram is Old Norse for sea (marr) and straw or reed (halmr).

4 The Norman Framlingham Castle was where Mary Tudor was staying when she heard she’d been proclaimed England’s first queen. More recently, Ed Sheeran sang about the English Heritage site in ‘The Castle on the Hill’.

5 Hoxne (pronounced Hoxon) is where England’s first patron saint, King Edmund of East Anglia, was captured by Vikings, shot with arrows and beheaded. The head was found later, guarded by a wolf, and when put back with the body the two fused together, clearly a miracle. He is remembered at Bury St Edmunds’ cathedral and Abbey Gardens and St Edmund’s Day is on November 20 when flags are flown.

6 Hoxne’s other claim to fame is the 1992 discovery of a huge hoard of late Roman gold and silver, the largest of its kind to have been found in Britain.

7 Suffolk has two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Suffolk Heaths and Coast around Dunwich and RSPB Minsmere, and Dedham Vale, also known as ‘Constable Country’ for the renowned landscape painter who was born nearby.

8 Grade I listed Flatford Mill, now run by the National Trust, was built in 1733 and owned by John Constable’s father. It is notable for appearances in Constable’s work, particularly The Hay Wain (1821).

9 Another famous painter, Thomas Gainsborough, has had his boyhood home at Sudbury turned into an eponymous museum. A recent transformation has given it the largest exhibition space in Suffolk.

10 Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, claims to be ‘the oldest English town’.

11 The highest point of Suffolk is Great Wood Hill, with an elevation of 128 metres (420ft). It’s near the villages of Rede and Chedburgh and is the top of the Newmarket Ridge, 40 miles long which stretches from Hertford to Sudbury.

12 A traditional nickname for people from Suffolk is ‘Suffolk Fair-Maids’, referring to the beauty of its female inhabitants in the Middle Ages. Another is ‘Silly Suffolker’, which isn’t about being dim-witted but is instead a derivative of the Old English word saelig which means ‘blessed’, referring to the long history of Christianity in the county.

13 The most easterly point in the UK is Ness Point, Lowestoft. Nearby, Birds Eye has its largest UK factory, where all its meat products and frozen vegetables are processed. It’s also where the fish finger was invented in 1952!

14 Founded in 1948 by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, the annual Aldeburgh Festival, one of the UK’s major classical music festivals, is actually held at Snape Maltings.

15 Made by Crosse and Blackwell in the village of Branston, Staffordshire since 1922, Branston Pickle is now mixed and bottled in Bury St Edmunds, made with the same secret recipe and traditional methods.

16 Ipswich Town is the county’s only professional football team. They play at Portman Road, are nicknamed The Tractor Boys, and when they play Norwich City it’s called The Old Farm Derby (you see what they did there? CelticRangers – Old Firm Derby). Their crest includes the Suffolk Punch, named for a local version of the Punch and Judy seaside story.

17 The author of 1984 and Animal Farm is really named Eric Blair, not George Orwell. He took the pen name so his family wouldn’t be embarrassed by his time in poverty, described in his first book Down and Out in Paris and London. He chose George as the patron saint of England and Orwell from the Suffolk river which he loved to visit.

18 Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle’s 2019 romantic comedy Yesterday was filmed throughout Suffolk, including at Halesworth, Dunwich, Shingle Street, Ramsholt and at the Latitude Festival.

19 Bernard Matthews has production facilities in the county, not least Holton near Halesworth where turkeys are reared with breadcrumbs on their skin, rather than feathers. They have also developed an added-value three-legged turkey for an extra drumstick, although nobody knows what they taste like – nobody has caught one yet.

20 The most significant archaeological find in Suffolk was turned into the Netflix film The Dig, starring Ralph Fiennes. The story was based on the unearthing of an Anglo Saxon burial site at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge containing a ship and treasure belonging to King Raedwald.

21 Newmarket is in Suffolk despite almost all its border being contiguous with Cambridgeshire. In fact, one of Newmarket’s two racecourses is in the other county. The tiny corridor that connects the world-famous home of horseracing with Suffolk is so thin that one side of the A14 is inside Suffolk and the other isn’t! So if you drive from Bury St Edmunds to Newmarket you don’t leave Suffolk, but when you drive back you go through Cambridgeshire.

22 Visit Orford Castle, built by Henry I, and discover the story of a wild merman who was caught in the nets of fishermen in the early 13th century and imprisoned until finally let back out to sea. According to Cistercian monk and diarist Ralph of Coggeshall, the merman never spoke ‘even when suspended by his feet and tortured’.

23 National newspaper cartoonist Carl Giles has a bronze statue of his character ‘Grandma’ in Ipswich town centre. Nearby is the 5th century Ancient House, notable for its fine example of pargeting, a decorative façade.

24 The most important American air bases outside the USA are in Suffolk – Mildenhall and Lakenheath, where more than 10,000 service people are stationed.

25 You’ll notice many old buildings painted ‘Suffolk pink’. The colour dates from the 14th century when local dyers added natural substances to the traditional limewash including sloe juice, elderberries, and pig and ox blood.

26 Grade II listed Southwold Lighthouse, built in 1889, is one of only two working lighthouses in Suffolk but the only one you can take a tour of! It’s with Adnams Brewery Tours and you get a pint of beer at the end.

27 You’ll think you’ve stepped into a fantasy world at Thorpeness, a holiday village of mock Tudor villas, the House in the Clouds (a red house on top of a water tower) and a shallow mere where you can row to fairyland isles that were all named by the Peter Pan creator JM Barrie, who used to visit the resort’s creator Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie.

28 Suffolk has a strong claim to be the home of the legendary Black Shuck, a huge black dog with flaming red eyes. According to Abraham Fleming’s 1577 pamphlet ‘A strange and terrible wunder’ the dog, ‘or the divil in such a likeness’, killed two people in St Mary’s church in Bungay and later the same day burst into Blythburgh Church – during a thunderstorm – and killed more people. There are still ‘scorch’ marks on the church door, referred to as the ‘devil’s fingerprints’.

29 If you’re in Rendlesham Woods, watch out for the Shug Monkey, a fantastical beast that’s part muscular bear, part enormous ape. One witness, in the 1960s, said she stared at the beast in horror as it shimmered and then shifted its shape to become a winged gargoyle, taking flight into the darkness.

30 There’s also a UFO Trail at Rendlesham following a 1980 incident, dubbed ‘Britain’s Roswell’, when US servicemen on patrol from RAF Woodbridge saw bright lights descend into the woods. They witnessed a glowing object that was metallic in appearance with coloured lights but as they approached, the lights zoomed off and animals in a nearby farm ‘went into a frenzy’. No explanation has ever been found.

How did you get on? Did you spot the made up ‘facts’. They were 13 – Ness Point is true but the fish finger was invented in Bird’s Eye’s factory at Great Yarmouth. 16 – Ipswich Town’s Punch on their logo is a Suffolk Punch horse, not the wife beater puppet. 19 – Bernard Matthews does have a factory at Holton but doesn’t rear breadcrumbed turkeys or fowl with three legs. Well done if you got them!