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Why dogs love Suffolk

Holidays are meant for sharing. We’ve shown you how you can bring the whole family to Suffolk, and why Suffolk is perfect for kids, but we can’t forget about our four-legged companions. In fact, Bury St Edmunds is now England’s Most Dog Friendly Town!

Here are some of the reasons why dogs love Suffolk, and why here you never have to leave your best friend behind.

girl with dog on Dunwich Beach

Girl with dog on Dunwich Beach

DOG-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION IN SUFFOLK

There’s a huge range of dog-friendly accommodation in Suffolk, from luxurious hotels to cosy campsites. At the top end of the scale is the Ickworth near Bury St Edmunds: set beside 1,800 of National Trust parkland and beautiful family-size apartments, it can be a home away from home for you and your dog. Other dog-friendly hotels include Milsoms Kesgrave Hall and Hintlesham Hall, both just outside Ipswich, and Tuddenham Mill, famed for its exquisite surroundings and having the Best Set Lunch Menu in the UK.

If you prefer a cosy inn to a grand hotel, you’ll love the Westleton Crown and The Anchor at walberswick, two inns on The Suffolk Coast that welcome dogs in their bars and in many of their rooms. The editors of the Good Hotel Guide chose The Crown and Castle in Orford as one of their favourite dog-friendly hotels; while the The Bildeston Crown also welcomes well-behaved dogs (often with biscuits!). Like the Crown and the The Anchor, both have excellent coastal walks on their doorstep (see below for some great dog walks).

There are also countless dog-friendly cottages in Suffolk, such as Suffolk Hideaways properties on the Suffolk coast and further inland, with locations close to Ipswich, The Wool Towns and Constable Country. Located near Framlingham, Windmill Lodges is the ideal location to set your eager pet free. Surrounded by open countryside the coast, forest and heathland are all within easy reach.

Finally, at Suffolk Secrets there’s no difference in quality between holiday cottages that accept pets and those that do not. Office Piece is a truly unique self-catering holiday cottage hidden in the depths of Rendlesham Forest, near Woodbridge – the perfect location for your pet, friends and family.

GREAT DOG WALKS IN SUFFOLK: PLACES TO PADDLE

With rivers, lakes and 50 miles of heritage coastline, Suffolk is heaven for dogs that love to swim.

From October to April, all of Suffolk’s beaches are open without restrictions to dogs, so you and your pup can follow the Suffolk Coast Path from beach to beach and play in the surf wherever you please. During the summer months some beaches such as Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, Lowestoft and Kessingland have restrictions, which will be signposted. However, the beaches at Southwold, Sizewell and Walberswick are free to dogs throughout the summer, and the stunning National Trust site of Dunwich, which offers blooms of heather to play in, cool breakers to paddle in and a tearoom with doggie refreshments, is blissfully open all year round. The only restrictions are on Dunwich Heath during bird nesting time, due to the proximity of RSPB Minsmere. For more information on taking your dog to Dunwich, see the National Trust website.

Many of Suffolk’s gentler waterways are perfect for wild swimming, so why not take your dog along, too? The River Waveney at Outney Common, the River Ouse at Santon Downham and Knettishall Heath, and the River Stour at Flatford are all great places to taking a cooling dip, though always check the weather and strength of the current beforehand to make sure it is safe for you and your dog.

children and dog on Felixstowe beach

children and dog on Felixstowe beach

Ms. Zippy plays in the surf at Lowestoft (c) SirPecanGum

GREAT DOG WALKS IN SUFFOLK: WOODLANDS AND WILDLIFE

Suffolk’s forests and vales are fantastic places for long walks, and with rich wildlife all around there will be plenty to keep your dog’s interest. From Brandon and Elveden in west Suffolk you can explore the Brecks, a mesmerizing landscape of twisted pines, rabbit warrens and Neolithic flint mines, and home to many species of rare bird. The Brecks cover almost 400 square miles across the Suffolk-Norfolk border, and contains many fascinating areas, such as the pockmarked ground above Grimes Graves, and the shady trails within Thetford Forest. A great place to start walking the Brecks with your dog is Brandon Country Park, which has five trails taking you through different types of landscape, flora and fauna.

On the other side of Suffolk near Woodbridge is Rendlesham Forest, site of the mysterious UFO sightings of December 1980. Its eerie history and tall, dark trees makes Rendlesham Forest a fascinating place to go with your dog. Following the circular trails that take you through forest, heathland and wetland, you can discover the story of what happened there one cold night in December 1980, an event now known worldwide as “The Rendlesham Forest Incident.”

Another gorgeous place to take your dog walking is through the Dedham Vale AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), a place now known as Constable Country. This idyllic rural landscape bore the painter John Constable, and was the inspiration for many of his most famous paintings, such as The Hay Wain (1821). Today you can walk through this valley carved by the River Stour from Flatford to Sudbury, taking in the picturesque views of thatched cottages, bridges and flowery riverbanks as you go.

If you enjoy a good walk and then a stop off at a pub, there’s not better place than Pin Mill, on the outskirts of Ipswich.  Here the dogs can also enjoy a cool dip in the river.

Dogs enjoying a cool dip in the River Orwell at Pin Mill