Just along the River Stour lies Clare, a little town with a great past. Clare College, Cambridge, has its roots here as it was founded by Elizabeth de Clare, daughter of the 9th Earl. The Clare Priory, founded in 1248 by Richard de Clare, is the first Augustinian house in England, and is still run by Augustinians. Unfortunately not much remains of the Clare Castle except a few dramatic walls on a hilltop in the Country Park, but this is still worth a climb to the top for the stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The Ancient House in Clare does remain though and is well worth a tour – see Clare Ancient House for opening details. One look at Framlingham Castle’s tall battlements and it’s easy to see why Mary Tudor chose to gather her troops here before marching on London to claim the throne. Not only is Framlingham’s 12th-century fortress one of the top sights in Suffolk: a walk along its precipitous outer walls gives you some of the best views of the county. The Park has latterly been transformed by the hard work of the volunteer group Halesworth in Bloom. They have added colour to all parts of the town, gaining gold awards four years in a row and Best Small Town in East Anglia. The Hooker Trail (leaflet available from the VIPs) highlights the connection with Halesworth of the Hookers, father and son, who were the first two directors of Kew Gardens. Owners of town gardens host a regular Open Gardens Day showcasing their displays. Halesworth is a small market town built upon a Roman settlement and is full of interesting buildings, from timber framed structures to Victorian former almshouses. The main shopping street is known as the Thoroughfare, which is an East Anglian term for the main street of a town.

Where better to start a tour of Suffolk Villages and Towns than in Lavenham where the streets are timber-framed Avenues, and walking through the village itself is like walking through a Medieval world, one that is better preserved than anywhere else in England. The most convenient ways to find parking places in East Suffolk are either via Find My Nearest, and where parking fees apply the council’s RingGo parking service . By Rail: Halesworth's rail station is located on Station Road, Halesworth IP19 8BZ. Local services run to Lowestoft and Ipswich. From Lowestoft onward travel is available to Norwich and from Ipswich on the mainline service to London Liverpool Street. There where at least 3 different play areas for the children to play in, everything seamed brand new, there's an ice cream shop, coffee shop plus a restaurant and gift shop. The woodland den building area was a great idea ! My daughter would happily stay there all day !.Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, on the River Stour and just 12 miles from East Bergholt, Constable’s birthplace. In addition to Gainsborough’s House, which is the only house in England in which an artist was born and is still open to the public – there is much to see and do in Sudbury. This was the largest of all the old wool towns, and it still has three highly specialised textile mills (spinning silk good enough for Ralph Lauren and Princess Anne’s (first) wedding dress!). Read more on Gainsborough and Constable Country. Lavenham was one of the centres of the wool trade in Suffolk in the Middle Ages, exporting its materials via Ipswich to Holland and Spain. Very successful it was too – in Henry VIII’s reign, Lavenham was the fourteenth wealthiest town in England. The stunning Guildhall in the centre of Lavenham was built c1520 by the Guild of Corpus Christi, one of the town’s four medieval guilds, and is today maintained by the National Trust. Ipswich is the county-town of Suffolk and is one of the oldest English towns, it is home to over 1,500yrs of heritage, a cutting-edge theatre and arts scene, cool waterfront bars, cosy Suffolk pubs, and a vibrant community of independent stores.

Standing at the very heart of historic Bury St Edmunds is Suffolk’s only cathedral. Built within the grounds of Bury St Edmunds Abbey, which housed the relics of St Edmund until his shrine was destroyed during the English Reformation, St Edmundsbury Cathedral began life as a small stone church. After centuries of rebuilds and additions, it became a cathedral in 1914, and is best viewed from the spectacular Abbey Gardens adjoining it. There was a cool painting of the famous and talented Joshua Reynolds and one of Sarah Churchill I believe . A very interesting toy collection shows how to live before play station was around . Now in its fourth year, The Cut is home to the INK Festival which champions new work from emerging and established playwrights, with a host of events including plays, radio plays, films and children's workshops. Pre COVID, the centre hosted the Centre hosted the Halesworth Arts Festival every October and the Tessa Fuchs Chamber Series every spring which will hopefully be repeated. In Long Melford there’s plenty to see and do, with numerous antique shops and pubs, several boutiques, restaurants and cafes, and a growing hub of Art Galleries including The Jessica Muir Gallery, Lime Tree Gallery. Just behind the High Street are the water meadows of Long Melford – bring your wellies as these attractive fields are a joy to splash about in, especially if you have a dog with you!Nonetheless the rest of the house is certainly worth seeing . It was built by one Edmund Withypoll around 1548 . In one room there was some 16th century painted wall panels which caught my eye at least . Thank God for our DIY stores I don't believe I could do as good a job as this . One room also had a collection of musical instruments including a Harp get them . Again my musical talents are zero and my voice even worse . By this time I had realised I would certainly have been divorced had I lived in the 1500s .

Matters were drawn in to focus the next day when we went to the Weavers Spa, and also for lunch at the Crown in Stoke by Nayland, staff were cheerful, helpful and great at both of these local places. Use the layers on the map to find information on local weather and forecast, travel information including traffic conditions showing the latest traffic flow and congestion. From mysterious shingle spits to chocolate-box villages, imposing castles to beasts doing battle, these are 15 of the top sights in Suffolk: HELMINGHAM HALL The town gets its name from ‘Alde’ and ‘burgh’ meaning ‘old fort’ and is a former Tudor port given borough status by Henry VIII himself. The town and its shipbuilders were responsible for the creation of several famous vessels; Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hind and the Virginia Company’s Sea Venture, to name but a few.

Peruse the works of local and national artists including contemporary paintings and sculpture to ceramics and textiles at The Art Gallery, located in ancient Alms Houses (near to St Mary's Church). The exhibitions run between April and December. Perfectly located for exploring The Suffolk Coast and countryside, in Halesworth you are ideally situated to travel to the many coastal resorts, attractions, villages and towns. Did you know? Chocolate-box Lavenham offers everything you could want from a place often called the Best Kept Medieval Village in England: half-timbered merchants’ houses, winding streets, a lavish 15th century church, and an embarrassment of listed buildings. If Lavenham’s picturesqueness wasn’t enough to tempt you, it’s also well known for its restaurants, such as The Great House and the 800-year-old Swan Hotel, and for being the home of Harry Potter: Lavenham was used as Godric’s Hollow, the magical village where Harry Potter was born, during filming of The Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2.

Close by is another weaver village – Long Melford and this is also well worth a visit. ‘Melford’ is derived from ‘mill’ and ‘ford’, and ‘Long’ doesn’t need explaining to anyone who has attempted to walk the main street in Long Melford – all 2 ½ miles of it! The longest in England. There are many interesting sights in Long Melford, starting at the Holy Trinity Church at one end of the village overlooking a substantial green, where there is a Tudor mansion in close proximity – Melford Hall, built in 1450. Search for Suffolk restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, bars, tourist information, visitor attractions including museums, art galleries, historic houses, cinemas, theatres, places of interest and much more. Use the map to better plan your trip to Suffolk using the useful interactive tourist map, learn more about the county and the range of tourist attractions the county has to offer. The Martello tower in Aldeburgh is recorded as the largest in the UK, being made up of four towers joined together, it has been converted into holiday accommodation and is a unique place to stay when visiting the town. Great place for children , you might want to wear Wellington boots if its been raining as the pathways can get quite muddy. Not far from Felixstowe is Woodbridge, a scenic area of Suffolk with plenty of green space, shops, and things to do.

Today Lavenham is a thriving village with a strong community spirit. It has a hub of art galleries, some fantastic restaurants and hotels, plenty of cafes and pubs for pit stops, and lots of interesting buildings to visit. Whether you’re into drama, musicals, dance, comedy, art or music; there’s always something cultural to experience in Ipswich. DanceEast has an incredible contemporary dance and performance program and regularly hosts some of the UKs’ best dance companies and the world’s top choreographers. The New Wolsey Theatre houses exciting drama and comedy from their in-house theatre company, niche touring shows and local drama groups; whilst the Regent Theatre is the venue of big-name comedians, singers and touring shows. Modern art and design exhibitions at Ipswich Art Gallery bring popular and contemporary exhibitions to the town. One of the ‘gems’ in Suffolk’s crown, Woodbridge combines excellent shops with superb pubs and restaurants and numerous activities both indoors and out. On the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Woodbridge is the perfect base from which to explore the Suffolk Coast and its many tourist attractions. Did you know?