Exactly what you think this is! The Beauty Barn is set within the popular Stonham Barns Leisure & Shopping Village, and literally around the corner from Woodfarm, the salon is friendly and warm with a wide range of services on offer. It’s even in our Take the Dog section as your pooch can sit and watch if they are well behaved!
The Thorpeness Emporium sits within the heart of village; it is a vintage, antiques, and collectibles market comprising many stalls, tables and cabinets. They have an ever-changing selection which has been collected together by over 30 traders.
The Highwayman is a warm and friendly pub/restaurant, housed in a 17th century grade II listed timber framed Suffolk building.
Suffolk has so much to offer, so if we haven’t given you enough ideas to keep you busy during your stay in Suffolk, then here we have listed some of the Tourist Information Centres across the county that can help provide additional inspiration!
The Shoulder of Mutton is a real free house, set on the Suffolk & Essex border, in the charming village of Assington. They offer a superb range of wine, ales, and lagers, as well as award winning cider from across the county.
Serena Hall is a professional artist, resident in sunny Southwold, Suffolk since she was twelve
She opened her first gallery in 1999 and now has her well-established, Serena Hall Gallery in the popular seaside town. Her style is very recognisable, with broad brush strokes and vibrant colours, the subject matter inspired by Southwold
In addition to her own work, the gallery also plays host to other artists, the full details of which can be seen on her website
Scutchers Bistro was established in 1991 and is an award winning restaurant in the picturesque village of Long Melford, Suffolk. They serve delicious a la carte meals, plus prepared dishes that you can take away to enjoy at home.
An RSPB reserve on what is one of the few remnants of the ancient woodland that used to cover East Anglia
They manage it using traditional coppicing, which means that the wood has a wide variety of birds, plants and mammals
Head over early on a spring morning to hear the chorus of up to 20 species of bird, including the rich, musical song of the nightingale. Bring your wellies as the woods can be muddy
No dogs allowed, except registered assistance dogs
FREE entry but they rely on donations so do dig into your pockets
My favourite river in Suffolk
The Stour stretches all the way from Sudbury, out through the meandering Suffolk countryside of Bures, Wormingford, Nayland, Stratford St Mary, Dedham and then to Mistley and Manningtree where it heads out to the sea. Admittedly it’s now ventured across the border into Essex but it’s still beautiful. The river path is full of stunning landscapes and the river itself makes for some wonderful boating. This stretch is my favourite kayak route
Possibly the most breathtaking part of the journey and closest to Woodfarm is the bit between Dedham and Flatford, with beautiful scenery and old houses, culminating in the National Trust site at Flatford
From its source river, the Gipping, Orwell heads out to the sea on the Suffolk coast
We have named all the barns in the meadow after local Suffolk rivers; Alde, Deben, Gipping, Orwell and Stour. The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell (the barn next door!), and also hooks up with the river Stour
Charles Dickens wrote about the Gipping and Orwell rivers and the latter is where the writer Eric Blair took his pen name ‘George Orwell’ from after his love of the river and the area