LOCAL AREA ... what to do around here
Antiques - Centres in Clare, Long Melford, Woodbridge Wickham Market and Yoxford as well as an Antiques Auction once a month in Glemsford on Saturdays.
Art Galleries & Museums - Gainsborough's House in Sudbury, Alfred Munnings Museum, Dedham, several galleries in Long Melford, Smith's Row in Bury St Edmunds, the new Firstsite in Colchester as well as the Castle Museum and Hollytrees Mansion, Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, North House Gallery, Manningtree (open at weekends),the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, the Fitzwilliam Museum and Kettles Yard, Cambridge together with several galleries in the coastal towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold.
Boating & Sailing - you can hire sailing dinghies, canoes and rowing boats at Alton Water, near Stutton, rowing boats can be hired at Dedham and punts in Cambridge. There are river trips on the Stour in Sudbury at weekends departing from the Granary and also trips up the Deben from Waldringfield on the MV 'Jahan' and on the Alde & Ore from Orford on 'Lady Florence' and sea trips on the 'Coastal Voyager' in Southwold. Further afield day boats and launches can be hired on the Norfolk Broads.
Castles & Churches - there are many historic churches nearby, including the large wool churches of Lavenham and Long Melford, Castles at Castle Hedingham which is very close, Framlingham, Orford and Colchester.
Coffee Shops & Deli's - The Secret Garden, Sudbury - a French cafe and restaurant; the Food Company, Marks Tey; the Suffolk Food Hall, Wherstead, Ipswich.
Cricket - at Essex County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford.
Cycling - cycles can be hired at Alton Water, Stutton and Thetford Forest - which has cycle routes with different degrees of challenge.
Events Latitude Festival (July), Aldeburgh Festival, Aldeburgh Carnival & Regatta (August), Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival (September), Hadleigh Show, Suffolk Show (May), Tendring Show (July).
Farms: Baylham House Rare Breeds Farm, near Ipswich; Easton Farm Park, near Woodbridge; Jimmy's Farm, near Wherstead; Kentwell Hall - farm; Wimpole Hall Farm (NT)
Farmers Markets - Sudbury (last Friday), Wyken Farmers' Market (every Saturday morning), Snape Maltings (1st Saturday), Hadleigh (2nd Saturday), Long Melford (3rd Saturday), Assington in the Barn (2nd Sunday) Lavenham (4th Sunday) .
Farm Shops - Spencer's Farm Shop and Tea Room with Pick Your Own Fruit, only a short walk across the fields; Assington Farm Shop, Assington, Sudbury; Jimmy's Farm, Wherstead, Ipswich where you can go on trails and see the animals; Hollow Trees Farm Shop, Semer, near Hadleigh; Alder Carr Farm, Creeting St Mary; Tiptree Jam Shop and Tea Room, Tiptree. Food Safari, Woodbridge runs gourmet food to fork days.
Fishing -Foxearth Fisheries, Foxearth; Glemsford Lake, Glemsford; Hermitage Fisheries, Clare (day tickets available at each of these places).
Gardens & Plant Specialists- Audley End Organic Kitchen Garden, near Saffron Walden; Betho Chatto's Garden, Elmstead Market; Cressing Temple, near Braintree; Harveys Garden Plants, Thurston; Marks Hall, near Coggeshall; The Place for Plants, East Bergholt; The Walled Garden, on A12 near Aldeburgh; Woottens of Wenhaston, near Southwold.
Golf - Stoke by Nayland Club has 2 golf courses and a driving range, Old Joe's, Little Cornard has a driving range.
Historic Houses & Ancient Sites - Audley End; Bourne Mill, Colchester (NT); Cressing Temple Barns, near Braintree; Flatford Mill & Bridge Cottage (NT); Melford Hall (NT) and Kentwell Hall, Long Melford; The Little Hall and the Guildhall, Lavenham; Ickworth House (NT) near Bury St Edmunds; Helmingham Hall; Heveningham Hall; Otley Hall; Paycockes Hall and Grange Barn Coggeshall (NT); Wimpole Hall & Farm (NT); Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge; West Stow Country Park & Anglo Saxon Village, near Bury St Edmunds.
Horse Racing - Newmarket.
Horse Riding nearby at Twinstead Riding Stables, Twinstead;High Bank Riding School, Sudbury; Poplar Farm Riding Stables, Hundon; Valley Farm Riding & Driving Centre, Wickham Market.
Markets Sudbury (Thursday & Saturday), Bury St Edmunds (Wednesday & Saturday), Hadleigh (Friday & Saturday), Halstead (Friday & Saturday), Woodbridge (Thursday) Ipswich (Tuesday, Friday & Saturday).
Music - Jazz, Gigs - Jazz at Stoke by Nayland Club (Friday nights), Folk & rock at the Bell, Castle Hedingham (Friday Evenings), Classical Music at Snape Maltings, Choral Music in local Suffolk & Essex Churches, Concerts at Cambridge Corn Exchange, The Regent, Ipswich, UEA & the Waterfront, Norwich.
Nature Reserves - National Trust Reserves at Dunwich Heath, Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, Wicken Fen Ntional Nature Reserve near Ely, Northey Island (by arrangement with NT); Essex Wildlife Trust reserves at Fingringhoe Wick, and Abberton Reservoir and RSPB Reserves at Wolves Wood, Ipswich, Minsmere near Dunwich, Old Hall Marshes near Tiptree.
2012 Olympics - if you have tickets to any events in Stratford, it is an easy train journey from Sudbury to London Stratford - 1 hour 10 minutes, train running hourly with parking available (£2) at Sudbury Station.
Painting & Drawing - lovely places to paint locally and individual tuition available for all abilities, find out more through our enquiry form.
Pubs & Restaurants - The Bulmer Fox; The Crown, Stoke by Nayland; The Great House, Lavenham; Le Talbooth Dedham; Milsom's Dedham; The Rising Sun Dedham; The Crown Bildeston; Hintlesham Hall, nr Ipswich; The Wickham Ship, Wickham St Pauls;The Pheasant, Gestingthorpe; The Bell, Hedingham, ASK Sudbury, Prezzo, Sudbury; The Company Shed, West Mersea.
Seasides at Frinton, Walton on the Naze, Aldeburgh, Walberswick, Southwold.
Shopping with speciality shops in Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and Woodbridge.
Spas - Atlantic, Cavendish; Aqua Springs, Colchester; Aqua Sana, Elvedon Forest, Brandon.
Swimming - Kingfisher, Sudbury; Lido, Brightlingsea; Colchester Leisure World.
Theatres - The Quay, Sudbury; Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds; The Mercury Theatre, Colchester; The Regent, Ipswich.
Walking - there are many footpaths and bridleways nearby (maps provided in the Dairy) as well as walks across the water meadows from Sudbury to Long Melford (see our page 'walks around here').
Zoos - Colchester, Banham and Linton.
Art Galleries & Museums - Gainsborough's House in Sudbury, Alfred Munnings Museum, Dedham, several galleries in Long Melford, Smith's Row in Bury St Edmunds, the new Firstsite in Colchester as well as the Castle Museum and Hollytrees Mansion, Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, North House Gallery, Manningtree (open at weekends),the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, the Fitzwilliam Museum and Kettles Yard, Cambridge together with several galleries in the coastal towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold.
Boating & Sailing - you can hire sailing dinghies, canoes and rowing boats at Alton Water, near Stutton, rowing boats can be hired at Dedham and punts in Cambridge. There are river trips on the Stour in Sudbury at weekends departing from the Granary and also trips up the Deben from Waldringfield on the MV 'Jahan' and on the Alde & Ore from Orford on 'Lady Florence' and sea trips on the 'Coastal Voyager' in Southwold. Further afield day boats and launches can be hired on the Norfolk Broads.
Castles & Churches - there are many historic churches nearby, including the large wool churches of Lavenham and Long Melford, Castles at Castle Hedingham which is very close, Framlingham, Orford and Colchester.
Coffee Shops & Deli's - The Secret Garden, Sudbury - a French cafe and restaurant; the Food Company, Marks Tey; the Suffolk Food Hall, Wherstead, Ipswich.
Cricket - at Essex County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford.
Cycling - cycles can be hired at Alton Water, Stutton and Thetford Forest - which has cycle routes with different degrees of challenge.
Events Latitude Festival (July), Aldeburgh Festival, Aldeburgh Carnival & Regatta (August), Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival (September), Hadleigh Show, Suffolk Show (May), Tendring Show (July).
Farms: Baylham House Rare Breeds Farm, near Ipswich; Easton Farm Park, near Woodbridge; Jimmy's Farm, near Wherstead; Kentwell Hall - farm; Wimpole Hall Farm (NT)
Farmers Markets - Sudbury (last Friday), Wyken Farmers' Market (every Saturday morning), Snape Maltings (1st Saturday), Hadleigh (2nd Saturday), Long Melford (3rd Saturday), Assington in the Barn (2nd Sunday) Lavenham (4th Sunday) .
Farm Shops - Spencer's Farm Shop and Tea Room with Pick Your Own Fruit, only a short walk across the fields; Assington Farm Shop, Assington, Sudbury; Jimmy's Farm, Wherstead, Ipswich where you can go on trails and see the animals; Hollow Trees Farm Shop, Semer, near Hadleigh; Alder Carr Farm, Creeting St Mary; Tiptree Jam Shop and Tea Room, Tiptree. Food Safari, Woodbridge runs gourmet food to fork days.
Fishing -Foxearth Fisheries, Foxearth; Glemsford Lake, Glemsford; Hermitage Fisheries, Clare (day tickets available at each of these places).
Gardens & Plant Specialists- Audley End Organic Kitchen Garden, near Saffron Walden; Betho Chatto's Garden, Elmstead Market; Cressing Temple, near Braintree; Harveys Garden Plants, Thurston; Marks Hall, near Coggeshall; The Place for Plants, East Bergholt; The Walled Garden, on A12 near Aldeburgh; Woottens of Wenhaston, near Southwold.
Golf - Stoke by Nayland Club has 2 golf courses and a driving range, Old Joe's, Little Cornard has a driving range.
Historic Houses & Ancient Sites - Audley End; Bourne Mill, Colchester (NT); Cressing Temple Barns, near Braintree; Flatford Mill & Bridge Cottage (NT); Melford Hall (NT) and Kentwell Hall, Long Melford; The Little Hall and the Guildhall, Lavenham; Ickworth House (NT) near Bury St Edmunds; Helmingham Hall; Heveningham Hall; Otley Hall; Paycockes Hall and Grange Barn Coggeshall (NT); Wimpole Hall & Farm (NT); Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge; West Stow Country Park & Anglo Saxon Village, near Bury St Edmunds.
Horse Racing - Newmarket.
Horse Riding nearby at Twinstead Riding Stables, Twinstead;High Bank Riding School, Sudbury; Poplar Farm Riding Stables, Hundon; Valley Farm Riding & Driving Centre, Wickham Market.
Markets Sudbury (Thursday & Saturday), Bury St Edmunds (Wednesday & Saturday), Hadleigh (Friday & Saturday), Halstead (Friday & Saturday), Woodbridge (Thursday) Ipswich (Tuesday, Friday & Saturday).
Music - Jazz, Gigs - Jazz at Stoke by Nayland Club (Friday nights), Folk & rock at the Bell, Castle Hedingham (Friday Evenings), Classical Music at Snape Maltings, Choral Music in local Suffolk & Essex Churches, Concerts at Cambridge Corn Exchange, The Regent, Ipswich, UEA & the Waterfront, Norwich.
Nature Reserves - National Trust Reserves at Dunwich Heath, Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, Wicken Fen Ntional Nature Reserve near Ely, Northey Island (by arrangement with NT); Essex Wildlife Trust reserves at Fingringhoe Wick, and Abberton Reservoir and RSPB Reserves at Wolves Wood, Ipswich, Minsmere near Dunwich, Old Hall Marshes near Tiptree.
2012 Olympics - if you have tickets to any events in Stratford, it is an easy train journey from Sudbury to London Stratford - 1 hour 10 minutes, train running hourly with parking available (£2) at Sudbury Station.
Painting & Drawing - lovely places to paint locally and individual tuition available for all abilities, find out more through our enquiry form.
Pubs & Restaurants - The Bulmer Fox; The Crown, Stoke by Nayland; The Great House, Lavenham; Le Talbooth Dedham; Milsom's Dedham; The Rising Sun Dedham; The Crown Bildeston; Hintlesham Hall, nr Ipswich; The Wickham Ship, Wickham St Pauls;The Pheasant, Gestingthorpe; The Bell, Hedingham, ASK Sudbury, Prezzo, Sudbury; The Company Shed, West Mersea.
Seasides at Frinton, Walton on the Naze, Aldeburgh, Walberswick, Southwold.
Shopping with speciality shops in Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and Woodbridge.
Spas - Atlantic, Cavendish; Aqua Springs, Colchester; Aqua Sana, Elvedon Forest, Brandon.
Swimming - Kingfisher, Sudbury; Lido, Brightlingsea; Colchester Leisure World.
Theatres - The Quay, Sudbury; Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds; The Mercury Theatre, Colchester; The Regent, Ipswich.
Walking - there are many footpaths and bridleways nearby (maps provided in the Dairy) as well as walks across the water meadows from Sudbury to Long Melford (see our page 'walks around here').
Zoos - Colchester, Banham and Linton.
