2 Bedroom Suffolk cottages

The central coastal county in East Anglia, Suffolk is generally low-lying, with hardly any hills to interrupt the flow of its gentle countryside. With few large towns, Suffolk has historically been an agricultural county. Sutton Hoo and Grimes Graves hark back to ancient locals, whilst the ecclesiastical links of Bury St Edmunds are reinforced by the presence of its cathedral and the ruins of the abbey.

Suffolk notables include the leading suffragette, Millicent Fawcett, the first British female doctor, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and the charitable campaigner, Sue Ryder.

Things to do in Suffolk
With Newmarket racecourse, the musical attractions of Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh, RSPB reserves at Minsmere and on the Stour Estuary, the historic villages of Lavenham and Long Melford, coastal wonders including Southwold and Orford, and architectural gems such as Framlingham Castle and Ickworth House - all within the county boundaries, Suffolk presents a wonderfully varied cornucopia of options for visitors.

Grain production is a key East Anglian industry, and this is reflected in the number and variety of brewery companies operating in Suffolk; the UK’s largest British-owned brewery, Greene King, is located in Bury St Edmunds; Southwold hosts the regional delights of Adnams; the rurally-situated St Peter’s Brewery is to be found just outside Bungay, whilst the even smaller Brandon Brewery huddles just inside the county boundary with Norfolk.

Top Destinations
Newmarket – A global centre of thoroughbred horse racing, the town is home to the National Horseracing Museum, in addition to the famous racecourses.

Brandon – Close to the airbase at Lakenheath, and surrounded by acres of Forestry Commission woodland, Brandon is also the nearest town to Grimes Graves, the site of Neolithic flint mining.

Bungay – A pretty market town, with its castle remains, Bungay has an interesting mix of specialist shops and eateries, making it a popular destination for visitors.

Ipswich – On the estuary of the River Orwell, the docks are now primarily devoted to leisure pursuits, with new waterfront developments making it a popular location for residential dwellings.

Bury St Edmunds – The seat of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury, the town is the site of the burial place of King Edmund, slain by the Danes in 869. The Abbey was once a place of pilgrimage, whilst a new Gothic revival cathedral tower, opened in July 2005, makes St Edmundsbury the most recently completed Anglican cathedral in the UK.

Woodbridge – Lying on the River Deben, just across the water from Sutton Hoo, the town of Woodbridge is a pretty mixture of historical architecture, with the Thoroughfare of shops and the close proximity of the old mills and wharfs of the estuary making it a great place for visitors to explore.

Lowestoft – Whilst other towns have declined, the most easterly point in the UK is still a thriving fishing port. Its narrow alleyways, known locally as ‘scores’, were once lined with fisherman’s huts and smokehouses.

Orford – Dominated by two impressive Norman buildings, the keep of a twelfth-century castle and the more complete edifice of St Bartholomew’s church, this tiny village is justly famous for its fresh oysters.

Southwold – Perched on the cliffs, overlooking the lost mediaeval port of Dunwich, Southwold boasts a lighthouse, a museum, a quirky seaside pier, numerous popular eateries, and a renowned brewery.

Aldeburgh – The site of a world famous arts festival, which was the brainchild of its former resident Benjamin Britten, each June Aldeburgh is transformed from a quiet fishing village into an international arts centre. The concert hall at Snape Maltings acts as one of the main sites for the festival. Britten is also remembered by the presence of Maggi Hambling’s striking, but controversial beach sculpture, ‘the Scallop’ – a four metre stainless steel structure of interlocking shells, which sits close to the shoreline on Aldeburgh beach.