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Needham Lake

Needham Lake

This is a great walk around a picturesque lake, whatever the weather

Needham Lake is man-made, having originally been rough, open meadowland. During the 1970s gravel was extracted during the construction of the nearby A14 and the pit was flooded to form the lake, which is now managed by the local council

During the extraction, ice age discoveries were made and numerous evidence of pre-historic life! There’s a board near the car park giving more information on this, which makes a fascinating read!

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Flatford Mill

Flatford Mill

Beautiful river walk with Tea Rooms & Museum – Dedham to Flatford or vice versa. In the heart of Constable Country

Ok, just about dipping our toes into Essex but it still feels like Suffolk and it’s only 20 minutes down the road from Woodfarm Barns and a real hit with many of our holiday cottage guests

Flatford Mill is accessible by road and has a car park. It’s owned by the National Trust so if you’re not a member, it’s about £3 to park. It’s also accessible by foot along the river from Dedham, which is a gorgeous 25 minute walk (pay & display)

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D J Wines

DJ Wines

Wine Tasting with DJ Wines – A Suffolk Winery

DJ Wines is a small, intimate winery set in an idyllic rural location overlooking the historic village church at Monk Soham, just 15 minutes from Woodfarm Barns. Here you will find Derek Jones making delicious hand crafted wines and liqueurs from local fruits. Edged by an avenue of cherry trees the building is only about the size of a tennis court, but he produces 10,000 bottles per year!

Being a winery only, no rows of vine will be found here as all fruit is bought in, mostly from local growers. He will take you step by step through the process to making his delicious range of seven wines, seven liqueurs and my Monks Mead. He uses a combination of traditional and modern techniques, many of which a home brewer will recognise, but on a much larger scale. The small on site laboratory helps Derek control quality. During the visit he will also share some of the more humorous moments and the many trials and tribulations of setting up, what many people claim, is a dream business