Suffolk has many castles, museums and attractions to visit, but let’s face it, it’s the natural world you’re really here for, isn’t it? Our Seven Natural Wonders of Suffolk will give you great reasons to head to the great outdoors…
River Deben
Start this by heading to National Trust Sutton Hoo, the famous Anglo Saxon burial site, for stunning views down to the river and Woodbridge. Autumn and Winter are the best time to see it, with the leaves off the trees.
And it would be rude not to visit Woodbridge while you’re here, with its gorgeous riverside setting that includes the Tide Mill Museum. The town’s Thoroughfare includes a great mix of independent shops and cafes and for a great meal or to stay the night, we recommend The Crown or, outside the town, Seckford Hall & Spa.
Woodbridge has a railway station and is on the line from Ipswich to Lowestoft.
The Ramsholt Arms is at the end of a very long track off the Melton to Bawdsey road but it’s well worth the trip, with a lovely setting by the river and you can sit where scenes from the hit film Yesterday were shot. Remember it? Our hero Jack sings The Beatles’ Yesterday and one of his friends says: ‘It’s okay, but it’s not Coldplay. It’s not Fix You’.
At the river’s mouth at Felixstowe Ferry you can take, yes you guessed it, a ferry across the river to Bawdsey. The ferry area is a great place to explore, with a number of eateries including the Ferry Boat Inn and, with waterside tables, the Ferry Café.
Shotley Peninsula
In the Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape, the Peninsula is where the River Stour reaches the North Sea. Going inland the Stour Valley and Dedham Vale is also known as ‘Constable Country’, gorgeous landscapes that inspired one of our greatest painters, including Flatford Mill that was the backdrop The Hay Wain.
The Peninsula has good walking routes, opportunities to sail at Alton Water Sports Centre and Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park is a great place to see many rescue animals, including polar bears.
There’s a railway station at Manningtree.
If you’re staying, there’s The Angel at Stoke-by-Nayland and, in Dedham, Talbooth House & Spa and Milsoms.
Orford Ness
Orford Ness, a ten-mile long shingle spit that starts at seaside Aldeburgh and separated from the mainland by the River Alde, is one of the extraordinary places in the country. Now a national Nature Reserve managed by the National Trust and internationally important site for nature conservation, it was once a Ministry of Defence Atomic Weapons Research Centre and site for early experiments in developing radar that were vital in the Battle of Britain. Later, its transmitting station was used to broadcast the BBC World Service.
You can book a ferry trip onto Orford Ness with the National Trust from Orford Quay. Stay a while in the village, with its small Norman castle, Grade I listed church and stores selling excellent smoked shellfish and seafood. There’s great food at the Pump Street Bakery and you can stay at The Crown and Castle. You can also stay at The White Horse or Brudenell, both in Aldeburgh.
River Blyth
The Blyth estuary is one of the great sites of Suffolk, revealing itself as you head along the A12. Head into the Holy Trinity Church at Blythburgh and discover the story of Joe Kennedy Jnr, the man who should have been President of the United States, and spot the claw marks on the door by the fabled Black Shuck.
Blackshore Harbour at Southwold is where the Blyth meets the sea. This is a great place to find fresh seafood and shellfish in the riverside shacks. We recommend lunch at the historic Harbour Inn (spot the 1953 high tide mark… eek!) before a walk to picturesque Walberswick – go across the bridge, take the path across the heathland into the village itself and you can take a row boat ferry back to Blackshore.
The ferry operators also organise boat trips all the way to Blyth Estuary.
If you’re staying, then The Swan at Southwold is a gem. In Walberswick, try The Anchor.
Minsmere
Managed by the RSPB, this national Nature Reserve is one of the best places in the region for birdwatching – watch out for Avocets, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers and Bitterns while enjoying woodland, reedbeds, grassland, heathland and the wild coast. Hey, you might even spot an otter.
The RSPB also organise a red deer safari where you can get close to the annual rut in 4×4 vehicles.
If you’re staying then try The Crown at Westleton – Prince William and Princess Kate once stayed, so you can’t get a better recommendation! There’s also Potton Hall.
River Orwell
You’ll know the name Orwell – an aspiring writer took it for a surname to go with George after his publisher told him nobody would buy books by Eric Blair. In fact, the River Orwell was Eric’s favourite place (at one time his parents lived at 40 Stradbroke Road, Southwold and three other homes in the town).
Where the river meets the sea, you’ll find Felixstowe, a traditional seaside town with sandy beach that’s currently enjoying a bit of a renaissance. There’s a station in the town with regular trains to Ipswich. From Landguard Fort, you can take a ferry to Harwich, from where Stena operates ferries to Holland.
On the Shotley side of the river there are two places to visit for lunch: The Butt & Oyster pub at the National Trust Pin Mill and the Suffolk Food Hall, the restaurant of which has a wonderful view of the river and Orwell Bridge.
Further up river is Suffolk’s county town, Ipswich, with its stunning waterfront of bars and restaurants, and river trips on the Lady Orwell to the bridge or all the way to Harwich.
If you’re staying, we’d recommend Fludyers at Felixstowe or The Salthouse in Ipswich. In Harwich, The Pier has great views.
PS The George was after England’s patron saint.
Carlton and Oulton Marshes
The southern gateway to the Broads National Park, this 1000 acres of wetlands and lowland fen is home to some of the largest populations of wading birds in the region.
Now, when we said this was about natural landscapes, this area is actually part man-made, the result of medieval peat diggings that became inundated when water level roses.
The wildlife reserve is only a few years old in this scale, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, with the support of Sir David Attenborough, being awarded £5m to double the size.
There’s two railway stations at Oulton Broad: South takes you to Ipswich and North is on the Wherry Line between Lowestoft and Norwich that goes through the Broads.
