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Suffolk
  • Andrew's Travels
Jun 2022 – Sep 2025

Suffolk

Trips to the neighbouring county of Suffolk. Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 20, 2022
    Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Outside Newmarket Stud
    National Horse Racing MuseumNational Horse Racing MuseumThe Jockey Club RoomsJubilee Clock TowerOutside Nell Gwynn's CottageA Day at the Races (2015)A Day at the Races (2015)A Day at the Races (2015)

    Newmarket

    June 20, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Newmarket is best known as the home of English horse racing and is located in a corner of Suffolk that nudges into Cambridgeshire. Originally a small village, Newmarket's transformation in fortunes is due its association with racing and royalty which extends back into the 17th century. The crucial event was the construction of Newmarket Palace by King James and a lodge for what would be the future King Charles I; they both loved the area and made frequent visits - as did grandson / son King Charles II who became a devotee of horse racing. Although the original palace and lodge are gone, a small portion of Charles II's residence still exists in the two lower storeys of the nineteenth century house known as Palace House Mansion (the bulk was swept away in the Regency period).

    Newmarket is an easy 15 mile drive from Duxford and as you enter the town there is a statue on the roundabout outside the National Stud (a thoroughbred horse breeding farm) that gives an indication of what Newmarket is all about. The National Horse Racing Museum in the town centre is an interesting visit and well worth a look around. Back in town, we pass the Jockey Club Rooms - where there is a magnificent statue of the horse "Hyperion" in the courtyard - and see the beautiful clock tower at the top of Newmarket High Street that commemorates Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1887. We also pass Nell Gwynn's cottage where there is an image of King Charles II on the wall; Nell was a "celebrity" actress of the Restoration Period and a long-time mistress of the king.

    Newmarket is all about horse racing though, and a few years ago I took my father, a racing fan, to Newmarket Races to celebrate his 80th birthday year. A couple of pictures of our "day at the races" are included for completeness (and in his memory).    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Abbot's Bridge
    Abbey Gate, from front and rearAbbey ruinsPrecursor to the Magna Carta / View of Cathedral with Abbey ruinsSt Edmundsbury CathedralInside the CathedralStatue of St EdmundResidential home built into original Abbey walls / The Norman TowerCharnel House / St Mary's ChurchRecycled pieces of the Old Abbey

    Bury St Edmunds; Abbey Gardens

    June 24, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Bury St Edmunds, commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a picturesque market town steeped in history; the Saxons founded a monastery here about 633, which in 903 became the burial place of King Edmund the Martyr and the town grew around Bury St Edmunds Abbey, a site of pilgrimage.

    Our walking guide route starts at Abbot's Bridge, which dates back to the 12th century. We then enter the Abbey Gardens, a six hectare park on the site of the former Benedictine Abbey, and walk via the Sensory Gardens towards the Abbey Gate; in 1327 the Abbey was stormed by the townspeople, who destroyed the original Abbey Gate and much of the monastery. We then walk to the ruined buildings of the original monastery; on one of the pillars is a plaque commemorating the spot where, in 1214, the barons of England swore to compel King John to sign the document now known as the Magna Carta.  We double back to the Rose Garden and emerge into Cathedral Close to visit St Edmundsbury Cathedral itself; it only became a cathedral in 1914 and has been enlarged from the original parish church over the decades.

    Outside it is a statue of St Edmund and a small row of residential homes built into the original abbey walls; we then see the Norman Tower which historically has served as the bell tower to the Cathedral.  We pass the Martyr's Memorial to reach the Charnel House, which was built in the 13th century in order to store bones previously buried in the Great Churchyard.  St Mary's church lies to its right; completed in 1427, this has the longest nave of any parish church in England.  We leave the Abbey Gardens and nearby you can see large pieces of the old abbey embedded within a wall which skirts a lane; when Henry VIII dissolved the Bury St Edmund's Abbey in 1539, the towns people moved quickly to re-use the stone flints and mortar - evidence of their recycling can still be seen throughout the town.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Greene King Brewery
    Greene King Brew CafeTheatre RoyalThe Athenaeum / The Angel HotelThe Pillar of Salt street sign / view from the Norman Tower GateThe Corn Exchange (Wetherspoons) / The NutshellThe GuildhallThe Cornhill; a panel on the Market Cross / Moyse's HallSmoking Monkey Antiques shop / St John the EvangelistEntrance to The Old Cannon Brewery

    Bury St Edmunds; across the town

    June 24, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    A short walk away from the Abbey Gardens and Cathedral area is the Green King Brewery; there has been a brewery on this Westgate Street site since 1799 and opposite the Brew Cafe is the Theatre Royal, a Grade I listed restored Regency theatre. 

    We walk down Crown Street past the front of St Mary's Church to reach Angel Hill, where the iconic Abbey Gate is sited.  On Angel Hill are the historic buildings of both The Athenaeum, originally built in the 18th century as Assembly Rooms, and the distinctive facade of The Angel Hotel, where Charles Dickens stayed in 1859 and again in 1861.  There is also a lighthouse-shaped street sign commonly known as the "Pillar of Salt" opposite Norman Tower; built in 1935, the sign is now a listed monument and thought to be the England's first internally illuminated street sign.

    We walk up Abbeygate Street to see the Corn Exchange, now a Wetherspoons pub; opposite it on The Traverse is the famous Nutshell pub, reputedly the smallest public house in Britain.  We walk up Guildhall Street to see The Guildhall (a grade 1 listed building which dates back to the 13th century) before doubling back to reach Bury St Edmunds town centre square, The Cornhill.  The Market Cross building here has four decorative sculpted panels representing music and drama; across the square diagonally is Moyse's Hall, built in around 1180 originally as a town house but now a museum. 

    We walk down St John's Street to reach the quirky Smoking Monkey antiques shop and the St John the Evangelist Church, before turning off to reach The Old Cannon Brewery, an independent micro-brewery selling traditional English real ale since 1845.     Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Thorpenss; The Dolphin / Almshouses
    The MeareThorpeness WindmillThe House in the CloudsThe House in the Clouds / Original access route to the topTour of the house; the loungeThe top levelThe games roomViews of the Meare from the top of the houseLong distance views; The House in the Clouds / Thorpeness

    Thorpeness and the House in the Clouds

    July 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We are visiting the Thorpeness area for the weekend as a friend has rented the House in the Clouds for a family celebration and invited his Devil's Dyke Morris Men colleagues to dance there and celebrate with him.

    Originally a small fishing hamlet, in the 1900s the wealthy Ogilvie family created a "fantasy holiday haven" here by blocking the outlet of the River Hundred, alreadty silted up, to create the Meare - 60 acres of shallow water, ornamental gardens and small islands.

    To hide the eyesore of having a water tower in the village, the tank was clad in wood to make it look like a small house on top of a tower; the House in the Clouds. The windmill outside it used to grind corn at Aldringham, but was moved here in 1923 to pump water up to the tower.

    The Morris Men dance here and we are treated to a tour of the house, which was an incredible experience as it is extremely quirky inside. We also walk round the village and Meare before heading back to our B&B in Aldeburgh. A great day!    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Park Street; Jubilee sign / Water tower conversion
    Views over the River Alde, near to SlaughdenThe Martello TowerFort Green Mill / Aldeburgh Beach Lookout / Houses close to the sea frontLifeboat Station / View backAldeburgh High Street; View / The Golden Galleon fish and chip shopViews along the High Street areaThe White Hart InnMoot HallThe Scallop

    Aldeburgh

    July 3, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Aldeburgh is a coastal town located to the north of the River Alde and was once a leading port with a flourishing shipbuilding industry; this declined as the river silted up and in the 1800s it became a fashionable tourist spot.

    We walk via the outskirts of town and along the edge of Aldeburgh Marshes to reach the River Alde and head to the coast and what was once Slaughden; this was originally a fishing village but was lost to erosion by the sea - the only surviving building is the unique quatrefoil Martello Tower.  From here it is along the promenade to pass some of the town's landmarks; the Fort Greem Mill (a four-storey windmill built in 1824 and converted into a dwelling in 1902), the Grade II listed Aldeburgh Beach Lookout (1830) and the Lifeboat Station.  We then go into town to walk along the High Street to see some of the sights there before returning to the promenade. Later on, we returned to enjoy Adnams beer at the White Hart Inn and fish and chips (the two family-run fish and chip shops here have been rated among the country's best) -

    We see the Moot Hall (a Grade I listed timber-framed building used for council meetings for over 400 years, that now also houses the local museum) and then walk up the Scallop, just beyond the town centre.  This sculpture (2003) is dedicated to Benjamin Britten, who would walk along the beach in the afternoons.

    Aldeburgh is a lovely place.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Snape village sign / Snape Marshes
    Views over Snape MarshesThe Sailor's PathSnape Warren Nature ReserveIken Church / En route to Snape MaltingsOpposite Snape MaltingsSnape MaltingsVisitor Centre and Snape Maltings Concert HallInside one of the shops / Britten Pears BuildingSculptures in the Gardens

    Snape circular walk to Snape Maltings

    July 4, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We start at Snape, a small village on the River Alde, and follow a route along the top of Snape Marshes (a combination of marsh, reedbed and wet woodland with lots of freshwater dykes) to reach the Sailor's Path (a beautiful route walked by sailors for hundreds of years between Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh).  We then cut down through Snape Warren Nature Reserve (an area of heathland, grassland and scrub) to reach the River Alde and walk up to Snape Bridge; there are excellent views all the way as we reach the bridge and cross over to vist Snape Maltings.

    Snape was originally a busy port; the site was purchased by the Victorian entrepeneur Newson Garrett who converted it to a maltings and used the River Alde to transport barley across Britain and into Europe on Thames barges - in 1854 he began malting at Snape, and was soon shipping malt, rather than barley, to breweries.  Malting ceased in 1965, however, and the site was purchased by a local farmer who leased the largest Malthouse to Benjamin Britten, who had the vision to see the building and the beautiful setting as a possible site for the rapidly growing Aldeburgh Music Festival.  From 1971 - 2014, the other buildings were converted to shops, galleries and accommodation and new buildings were developed to create a centre for music.  The complete site is now part of a music, arts and heritage charity - Britten Pears Arts. 

    We have a good look round Snape Maltings - it is well worth a visit    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Moulton; The Church of St Peters
    Moulton; Packhorse bridgeGazeley; The Church of All Saints - outside / ceilingThe Church of All Saints - Tower window / sculptureDalham; The Church of St Mary the VirginThe Church of St Mary the Virgin - font / painting above chancel archDalham HallDalham; malting kiln

    The Three Churches Walk

    May 31, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This walk was done with the Cambridge Rambling Club, and takes in the three churches at Moulton, Gazeley, and Dalham - three villages just east of Newmarket - and much of it follows the Icknield Way.

    We start at Moulton, which is well known for both its church - the Church of St Peter - and a 15th century Packhorse bridge spanning the tiny River Kennet, on the old cart road from Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds. We leave the churchyard, and after a little road walking, take the path between the hedges of the Gazeley Stud to reach the All Saints Church and then the village itself.  From here, we cross the road and join the Icknield Way (a 110-mile route from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk), crossing fields and several woods.  There are views of the 3,000 acre Dalham Hall as we turn off for the Church of St Mary the Virgin; it is a lovely church, and there are traces of old wall paintings above the chancel arch.  The church cuts into grounds for Dalham Hall, and is right next to the viewpoint for it; one of the previous owners of Dalham Hall and stud farm was Cecil Rhodes, the Victorian empire-builder and founder of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but it is now owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE.  As we walk down into the village, we pass an old and large conical red-brick malting kiln.  After a packed lunch in Dalham Village Hall, we double back past the malting kiln and turn off to follow a footpath along the River Kennet back to the Church of St Peter at Moulton

     A good, 7-mile walk.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsTravelerSuffolk
    Ickworth House; overall view from the rear, from a photograph there
    Rotunda; view from the rearRotundaRotunda; front view with corridors to the East and West wingsRotunda Entrance Hall, wirh The Fury of Athamas sculptureUpper floor; Metalled silk dressUpper floor; view of the East Wing, now a hotelUpper floor; Silver fish!Ground floor; curved corridor to the east wingGround floorGround floor; Pompeian RoomGround Floor; Pompeian Room - Marble specimen table topGround floorGround floorBasement; kitchenGrounds; View of Walled Garden and the Summerhouse over the River LinnetGrounds; Church of St MaryChurch of St Mary; interior

    Ickworth House

    April 13 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We are on en route to Caister-on Sea to walk some more of the Norfolk Coastal Path and divert to stop off en route at Ickworth House, near Bury St Edmunds.

    Ickworth House is a National Trust property and is a large neo-classical / Italianate country house set in Parkland. It was built by Frederick Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol, and also the Bishop of Derry, between 1795 and 1829. The "Earl Bishop," as he was known, travelled extensively in Europe and was inspired to build the Italian inspired Rotunda to live in, with galleries in the in the east and west wings to showcase the art and sculptures collected in his travels. It has been the chief dwelling of the Hervey family since then, before being passed to the National Trust in 1956.

    We walk around the rotunda and east and west wings of the house, seeing the upstairs, ground floor, and basement (see captions on photos for details).

    We then explore some of the gardens and grounds, walking the River Linnet trail, with part of Lady Hervey's walk for views of the Walled Garden. We then visit the Italianate Garden and walk the Alabana Wood Trail.

    It has been a great visit.    Read more

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