Suffolk Slow Travel

This new, expanded and thoroughly updated third edition of Suffolk (Slow Travel), part of Bradt’s award-winning series of Slow travel guides to UK regions, remains the only full-blown standalone guide to this gentle but beguiling county. Expert local author Laurence Mitchell helps visitors discover what makes Suffolk tick, combining personal insights, enjoyable anecdotes and up-to-date information on the best places to visit, stay and eat. Covering both popular sights and places beyond the usual tourist trail, he caters for walkers, cyclists, families, foodies, culture vultures and wildlife lovers alike. Helped by its proximity to London and Cambridge, Suffolk is a popular holiday destination. Events such as the Latitude festival and the Aldeburgh Music Festival at Britten’s Snape Maltings keep the county’s profile buoyant. Despite being comparatively low-lying, Suffolk boasts varied landscapes, from undulating farmland and sandy heaths to extensive forests, important nature reserves (including Minsmere, for three years the base of BBC Springwatch) and soft, dreamy coastal landscapes comprising river estuaries, remote marshes, reed-beds, shingle beaches (notably Shingle Street, with its myth of World War II invasions) and dunes. Suffolk’s coastal towns and villages – Southwold with its old-fashioned pier and colourful beach huts, but also Aldeburgh, Orford, Walberswick and Dunwich – are steeped in art heritage, with links to artists including Maggi Hambling, John Piper, Philip Wilson Steer and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Venturing inland, you can make for Constable Country and the Stour valley, Bury St Edmunds, Framlingham, Bungay, Beccles or Halesworth. Alternatively, you can visit some of Suffolk’s wealth of medieval churches, learn of Rendlesham’s UFOs or revere Suffolk’s Anglo-Saxon heritage, notably the medieval ceremonial burial site at Sutton Hoo (whose discovery stars in the 2021 film The Dig) and the reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village at West Stow. This guide makes a virtue of being selective, pointing readers to the cream of the area. It is organised into locales to encourage ‘stay put’ tourism and thorough exploration. It suggests options for car-free travel: walking, cycling, river boats, buses and trains. Written in an entertaining yet authoritative style, Bradt’s Suffolk (Slow Travel) is the ideal companion with which to discover this county.

Laurence Mitchell, long-time resident of Norfolk, invites travellers to the region to take a leisurely sojourn around both the well known sights and off-the-beaten track secrets in a personal tour that takes in the coast and villages, remote marshes, beaches, shingle banks, towns and cities of Norfolk and Suffolk. Conservation projects, boat trips, cycle and walking tours, wildlife and bird watching and distinctive vernacular architecture are just some of the attractions which Laurence describes in his distinctive voice, as well as all the practical details you need for an easy relaxing break. What's more, the unique accommodation descriptions from Alastair Sawday mean that you can be sure of a truly 'slow' visit.

Suffolk represents quintessential East Anglia, a region that has locally distinctive architectural styles, regional accents, scenery, culture and climate. The county, which is low-lying but by no means flat, has some of its best scenery along the coast: a soft, dreamy landscape of river estuaries, remote marshes, reed-beds, beaches, shingle banks, sand spits and dunes. Elsewhere in the county can be found undulating farmland, sandy heaths, shady river banks and extensive forests. The area also has much appeal to visitors for its manmade heritage: the distinctive rural architecture of the Stour Valley (with its Constable painting associations) on the Suffolk-Essex border, the ancient town of Bury St Edmunds, the great country houses with their estates, ancient thatched churches hidden away from view and unspoiled market towns. Suffolk is also well known for its Anglo-Saxon heritage - the royal ceremonial burial site at Sutton Hoo and the reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village at West Stow.

Slow Norfolk, although selective, includes the whole of Norfolk from Great Yarmouth and the Broads to the east to the Fens of the far west, from the iconic North Norfolk coast to the Breckland region to the south. The Norfolk landscape is far more variable than many imagine and not quite as flat as it is usually reputed to be. The North Norfolk coast, considered to be one of the most beautiful stretches in England, is also a hugely important habitat for wildlife especially migrating birds. The interior of the county tends to be more overlooked yet also much to offer, especially in terms of landscape, historic monuments and characterful market towns. The county has a rich mix of architectural variety, with numerous country houses, medieval churches, Roman forts and Norman castles. The county capital Norwich is an important centre for art and culture, with its acclaimed Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and the annual, highly rated Norwich and Norfolk Festival.

The three long-distance walks described in this book - the Suffolk Coast Path, the Stour and Orwell Walk and the Sandlings Walk - link together to provide a comprehensive and varied circuit of the entire Suffolk Heritage Coast. The Suffolk Coast Path stretches along the coast between Lowestoft and Landguard Fort, close to Felixstowe in the south, a total distance of 60 miles (97km) depending on whether beach walking or inland options are followed. The Stour and Orwell Walk continues where the Suffolk Coast Path ends, starting at Landguard Point threading for 40 mile (64km) around the estuaries of the Stour and Orwell rivers to finish at Cattawade, close to the Essex border. The Sandlings Walk (59 miles/94.5km) explores the heathland region that lies immediately inland from the Suffolk coast. With the exception of the first stage, between Ipswich and Woodbridge, the route of the Sandlings Walk lies entirely within the confines of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB. With a unique landscape of cliffs, marshes, dunes and shingle beaches, and rare plants and birdlife galore, there is much to attract anyone seeking interesting day walks or longer multi-day itineraries.

The Rough Guide to Norfolk & Suffolk focuses in detail on one of the country's most distinctive and resurgent regions. Now in full color throughout, the guide will inspire you to explore this diverse and enjoyable region. Lively, entertaining accounts cover all attractions, from the stunning coastal resorts and the unique wildlife of the Norfolk Broads to stately homes, medieval churches, and art galleries. Detailed restaurant and pub reviews highlight the area's gastronomic renaissance, and all the best farmers markets, farm shops, and real-ale breweries are included. The guide also has suggestions on the best things to do with the kids, from getting out on the river to visiting theme parks and family attractions. The guide is easy to use, too, with every attraction, pub, and restaurant located on clear, user-friendly maps.