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3 nights in the Heart of Suffolk
The Heart of Suffolk provides quintessential English countryside studded with characterful market towns, picturesque villages, medieval churches and cosy traditional pubs with county town Ipswich at its core.
Framlingham Market
Ipswich Ancient House
Ipswich Waterfront
Arctic wolves at Jimmy's
Food Museum, Stowmarket
Sutton Hoo, River Deben and Woodbridge
Woodbridge Tide Mill
About 3 nights in the Heart of Suffolk
Base yourself in one place or move around, the Heart of Suffolk is a destination best appreciated by exploration - discover charming nooks and crannies where you're likely to be the only visitors, or head for the highlights that include a magnificent castle, a superb animal park, national food museum and splendid waterfront.
This is a destination to enjoy a slower pace, relaxing and immersing yourself on trails less travelled in big landscapes and under huge skies.
Place to stay recommendations
If you're basing yourself around Ipswich, there are some lovely place to stay, not least waterfront Salthouse Harbour Hotel, Milsoms Kesgrave Hall and Hintlesham Hall Hotel. For Woodbridge and the River Deben, try The Crown at Woodbridge, Ufford Park Resort or Seckford Hall Hotel & Spa.
If you like self-catering, there's a great choice in the Heart of Suffolk including Mirror Houses at Pound Farm, School Farm Cottages, Ringshall Grange, Stanstead Hall, Log Cabin Holidays, The Old Drift House, Partridge Lodge or Nedging Hall.
Itinerary Info
Duration
3 nights
Itinerary Schedule
Waterfront Ipswich
Spend the afternoon and early evening in Ipswich. Take a walk around the old town and marvel at the old buildings - Ancient House, with its intricate pargeting and decorative facade, stands as one of England’s finest examples of Tudor architecture. Christchurch Mansion houses an impressive collection of Gainsborough and Constable paintings.
Relax on the regenerated Waterfront, a hub of restaurants and bars - the University of Suffolk campus give it a youthful buzz.
The Castle on the Hill
Framlingham, known locally as Fram, is a charming market town with the shell of a Norman castle where you can tour the battlements and learn more about its history in the excellent museum. You might know it from Ed Sheeran's Castle on the Hill song.
Tour the Heart of Suffolk
Enjoy perusing antique shops in Yoxford, drool over the delights at Emmetts Smokehouse, Fine Foods Store & Cafe in Peasenhall and enjoy the lovely architecture and museum at Laxfield - don't miss The King's Head pub, also known as The Low House, a 16th century thatched pub that doesn't have a bar and instead serves beer straight from the casks in the Tap Room.
Hoxne has a memorial which claims to mark the spot where King Edmund was martyred by the Vikings and had his head cut off and and Eye has the remains of an 11th century motte and bailey castle.
Take in lovely Stradbroke, Halesworth, Fressingfield, Bungay and Debenham on your travels.
Discover Anglo Saxon history
On your way to National Trust Sutton Hoo, stop in at riverside Woodbridge, a vibrant market town with lively Thoroughfare and Woodbridge Tide Mill Museum. Sutton Hoo you might know from the Ralph Fiennes' film The Dig, telling the story of how an amateur archaeologist unearthed the greatest ever find of Anglo Saxon treasure in a king' burial treasure. Going to the top of the viewing tower will give you an oversight of the whole site and you can learn more about Anglo Saxon life in the excellent museum.
Meet the polar bears
Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park is unlike any other, not least for its excellent conservation work. There's myriad animals to enjoy, many which you can feed, and the highlight has to be the polar bears and Arctic wolves who live in a recreation of their native tundra.
Learn about Suffolk's food story
Before heading home, visit The Food Museum at Stowmarket, the only one of its kind in the UK, and diucover the story of how food is grown, made and eaten. The 84-acre site has 17 historic buildings and puts on hands-on activities as well as food tastings.
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