Suffolk is made for walking. From our rambling network of ancient footpaths and rights of way, to wild beaches and rolling fields, Suffolk is the perfect place to stretch your legs. Here is just a small selection of the many places to go for a strut while staying with us.
Scroll down the page until you find something that tickles your fancy, then click the title for more information.
Adventure playground par excellence set in Thetford Forest, just half an hour from Woodfarm
Winner of Suffolk Tourism Awards – Best Tourism Experience 2011
With centres around the country, Thetford is their original and still the best. It features 30 miles of bike and walking trails from
which to explore 50,000 acres of forest. You can just have a wander or a meander on your bike or go ape on their classic Tree Top
Adventure or Forest Segways
Perfect day out for adventurous kids of all ages!
A beautiful RSPB garden in the heart of Constable Country
It’s in a beautiful setting, on a south-facing slope beside the River Stour. It consists of flower borders full of nectar and pollen, a small wildflower meadow buzzing with life, a young apple orchard, woodland gardens, and a kitchen garden, all designed with garden wildlife in mind
There are frequent events and activities at the garden, with more children’s activities during the school holidays, and events and workshops for adults in the time between school holidays. It’s a beautiful place to get closer to nature!
Dogs are welcome, but should be on a lead, please
A beautiful wild flower meadow on the edge of the village of Cotton in the heart of rural Suffolk. Given to the village around the turn of the millennium; it was a four acre site that they have worked on as a community over the last dozen or so years and turned into a stunning beauty spot. Continue reading Cotton: Carters Meadow
One of the best known pubs in Suffolk and a firm favourite with Woodfarm guests
Famed for great Adnams beers, fabulous home cooked food and the most stunning location right on the river Orwell
A proper old riverside pub with bare oak floorboards, pints pulled straight from the keg and the smells wafting from the kitchen. This place is popular with locals and visitors alike and in the summer is heaving outside giving it a great atmosphere
A great place to visit when in Suffolk and just a stones throw from the Suffolk Food Hall (see our separate post)
Does what it says on the tin – It’s a guided walk around Needham Market; a pretty little town on the A14 in the heart of Mid Suffolk. Taking in lots of historic buildings, this can easily be combined with a wander round Needham Lake (see our separate post)
Southwold is arguably the jewel in the crown of Suffolk’s heritage coast as far as visitors to our great county are concerned
Home of the Adnams brewery, famous lighthouse and beach huts. Splendid art galleries, fine shops and pubs and the Blackshore harbourside for extremely fresh fish and the ferry across the River Blyth to Walberswick (see our separate post on Walberswick)
Jam packed with great pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, shops and a fabulous beach and pier, with some quirky old things to see and do!
Walberswick lies on the south bank of the River Blyth, a short ferry ride across from Southwold
It is tucked away amidst a thousand acres of coast, heath and marshland listed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The ferry, which transports people across the Blyth in the summer months, is rowed by the fifth generation of the same family. There is also a foot and cycle path where the old railway ran across the Bailey bridge – but the only way by car to Southwold is back up to the A12 and through Blythburgh, making a trip of some seven miles
You’ll find some great pubs around here. See our separate posts on The Anchor and The Bell. There are great little coffee and gift shops too, and rolling sand dunes for a good walk, with or without dogs
Aldeburgh is a beautiful seaside town on Suffolk’s heritage coast, located right by a shingle beach, dotted with colourful boats and the iconic Scallop sculpture. There really is something for everyone, with an eclectic mix of family fun, music and drama, art galleries, fine dining and drinking, sailing, and shopping.
The River Alde
With its source in Laxfield (Great Pub there – The Low House, see our post under Eat & Drink), Initially a stream, it becomes tidal and widens considerably when it reaches Snape. It meanders East past Aldeburgh (You must go there!) after which this part of the river was named. The river then becomes known as the River Ore as it approaches Orford where it once entered the sea; however the mouth of the river has now been pushed some five miles further south as shingle has accumulated over hundreds of years after which it splits to form Havergate Island and is joined by its tributary, the Butley River, before reaching the sea at Shingle Street
The lower reaches of the river passes through marshland and shingle or sand beaches. The shingle spit that blocks the river, Orford Ness is now some 10 miles in length and is owned by the National Trust. The main area through which the River Alde flows is open countryside in private ownership, much of it arable farmland
The 14 acre Abbey Gardens are situated on the site of the former Benedicte Abbey; once one of the wealthiest and most powerful monasteries in England. The abbey was home to the shrine of St Edmund which became a place of pilgrimage, visited by people from all over England, including royalty!