There are many reasons to visit Suffolk and right up there towards the top is very much the county’s beautiful countryside.
Across the county there’s a variety of landscapes, including the forest and heaths of the Brecks, the gently undulating pastures of the Wool Towns, scenic Dedham Vale and Stour river valley of Constable Country, and the lovely market towns and surrounding farmland of the Heart of Suffolk.
Wool Towns
If you want to visit the next Cotswolds, then it has to be Suffolk’s Wool Towns in the west of the county. The signature of this area are the lovely, unspoilt timber-framed medieval houses. Built on the wealth of the wool and textile merchants, this area became a backwater when the Industrial Revolution took that trade to the north.
So you’ll feel you’ve stepped step back in time when you visit communities like Lavenham, Clare, Long Melford, Kersey, Bildeston, Hadleigh and Cavendish. These are places to enjoy a gentler pace of life, while perusing antique shops and galleries, and indulging in excellent local food and drink.
Highlights include Giffords Hall Vineyard, The Crooked House and Little Hall at Lavenham, Kentwell Hall and National Trust Melford Hall and Ickworth.
Places to stay
The Swan at Lavenham
The Black Lion at Long Melford
The Crown at Bildeston
Ickworth Hall at Ickworth
The Mill at Long Melford
Stanstead Hall at Hitcham
Constable Country
Dedham Vale National Landscape is at the heart of Constable Country, the beautiful lowland landscapes that inspired John Constable as well as Thomas Gainsborough.
Relax by the River Stour – good for wild swimming or hiring a row boat – or in meadows, rolling farmland, grasslands, woodlands and amongst a rich variety of wildlife.
At National Trust Flatford you’ll see the thatched roof of a house that featured in two of Constable’s most famous paintings, Willy Lott’s House from the Stour (1818) and The Hay Wain (1821), the second regarded as one of the greatest and most popular English paintings.
Flatford Mill was owned by Constable’s father and Willy Lott was a tenant farmer. It’s said he was born in the house and never left if for more than four days in his lifetime.
Places to stay
Milsoms at Dedham
The Crown at Stoke By Nayland
Talbooth House and Spa at Dedham
The Lion at East Bergholt
The Brecks 
The Brecks has one of the most distinctive landscapes in the UK and boasts its best overall climate with low rainfall and hot summers.
The area comprises historic heathland created by felling trees to make grazing land, huge forests of Scots pines and wide arable fields.
Large market town Bury St Edmunds, with its cathedral, abbey ruins and eclectic mix of shopping and dining, and Newmarket, the world headquarters of flat horse racing, are excellent entry points to the Brecks.
Come here for adventure in Thetford Forest, excellent off-road cycling and aerial fun at Go Ape or get your heart racing at Explore 4×4; descend into a Neolithic flint mine at Grimes Graves; go on the Pingo Trail of prehistoric ponds; or do a spot of wild swimming, observing Dark Skies or take a gentle walk in beautiful countryside.
Other highlights include Tuddenham Mill, Newmarket Tours and National Horse Racing Museum.
Places to stay
College Farm at Thompson
The Angel Hotel at Bury St Edmunds
The Packhorse at Moulton
The Carpenters Arms at Great Wilbraham
Bedford Lodge and Spa at Newmarket
The Pear Tree Inn at Bury St Edmunds
The Heart of Suffolk
Touring the Heart of Suffolk is a delight, with a string of lovely olde world market towns such as Stowmarket, Needham Market, Halesworth, Eye and Framlingham, and picturesque villages like Laxfield, Fressingfield, Hoxne, Peasenhall and Debenham.
Gateway to the Heart of Suffolk is Ipswich, with its stunning waterfront and marina, collection of Gainsborough and Constable paintings at Christchurch Park, and Ancient House on the Buttermarket, a fine merchant’s residence constructed around the 14th century with a façade that includes wood carvings, pargeting (ornamental plasterwork), and the coat of arms given to Ipswich by Charles II.
Highlights include Framlingham Castle, The Food Museum, Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park, Needham Lakes, Easton Farm Park and Helmingham Hall Gardens.
Places to stay
Retreat East at Hemingstone
Salthouse Harbour Hotel at Ipswich
Milsoms Kesgrave Hall at Kesgrave
Hintlesham Hall at Hintlesham
The Farmhouse B&B at Kelsale
