The fun bits ...
Local Restaurants and Activities:
Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds have many good restaurants. Ask for recommendations.
Close by, we would recommend The Shepherd & Dog Restaurant in Forward Green and The Crown at Bildeston. Locally there is The Limes Hotel in Needham Market High Street, (good for basic English & brasserie food and a nice private dining room). The Curry Inn, Indian restaurant, is good and provides take-aways as do the two Chinese and the Olive Tree takeaway pizza and kebab house. All of these take-aways are located in Station Yard, Needham. There are also two fish and chip shops. If you bring back hot food to eat, please let us know as we can provide use of the dining room with plates and cutlery, by prior arrangement. Please don’t take hot food to your room out of consideration to the next guests.
The Lion on the edge of the town heading towards Ipswich, has good pub food, and a garden with children’s play equipment.
We are moments away from Alder Carr Farm and its award winning produce. The ices are sold in Harrods and the quality of the fruit, vegetables and meat products is outstanding. They have a really nice café in their courtyard together with other craft shops. There is a Farmers Market on the third Saturday of each month in the courtyard.
There is a Car Boot sale every Saturday morning and Wednesday mornings in summer, at Needham Lake (by the Nature Sanctuary and kids playground), - it is great fun.
The Serious Bits ...
Local Attractions
Health/Leisure:
Stowmaket Leisure Centre has all the facilities and a large swimming pool. Suffolk Cycle Breaks can be found at Alder Carr Farm. There are some lovely walks around here – you will find maps in reception.
Nature: Needham Lake & Wildlife Sanctuary, Flatford Mill, and the Norfolk Broads are good for an afternoon’s boat trip.
The Sea: – Southwold – A lovely town with good swimming. Don’t miss the sailor’s reading room by the lighthouse and the food at The Angel is excellent. Aldeburgh is great for a wander around the shops as well as along the pebble beach. Dunwich has a good beach and fantastic fish and chips at the café on the beach. At Orford you can wander around the castle, look at the little boats and sample the Smoke House fish or eat at their restaurant. The Crown and Castle pub food is great. (All 45 minutes – 1 hour away).
Felixstowe is only about 20 minutes away and is fascinating as it goes from the port to a tacky seaside resort with amusement arcades and a Sunday market, round the coast to the Pier and beyond to the beach huts. We love The Alex café/restaurant here. Drive further into Old Felixstowe and on to Felixstowe Ferry where you can look at the little boats, buy freshly caught fish from the stall and take a ferry over to Bawdsey where radar was tested.
Farm Shops: Alder Carr Farm (Needham), Jimmy’s Farm (as on TV, Ipswich, an half hour drive).
For Foodies: If you are travelling south towards London on the A12, a stop at The Food Company on the Marks Tey turning is impressive - a fantastic food shop and they serve their produce in the restaurant.
The Suffolk Food Hall is similar– it is on the road to Shotley. Bury St Edmunds Saturday market and all the deli shops there are good for a wander and tasting experience.
Suffolk Countryside/Villages/Pubs
A trip to medieval Lavenham and Kersey are a must! Visit Pinmill and try the famous Butt & Oyster pub overlooking the water and barges, or the pub in Laxfield - it has no bar!. The Anchor pub at Nayland and The Angel at Stoke by Nayland serve excellent for food and both villages are pretty. The town of Framlingham is interesting and I recommend a walk around the Castle ramparts.
Shopping: Big - Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester. Small & local – Needham, Stowmarket.
Why not visit an auction? Thomas Gaze & Sons at Diss hold auctions every Friday plus a monthly Saturday morning specialist sale.
Architecture/Sights: Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ely, Norwich, Ipswich.
There is further tourist information in the hall –we hope you enjoy your stay in Suffolk