Suffolk countryside property search
The Suffolk countryside is a very popular place to live with growing families wanting to find space and peace and quiet. It is also often the case that it does not come with the same premium property prices found on the Suffolk Heritage Coast. Many areas of the Suffolk countryside have access to good shopping facilities located in the towns dotted across the county meaning amenities are never out of reach.
Several locations also offer a decent commuting provision to London and Norwich from stations such as Colchester, Manningtree and Ipswich. Bury St Edmunds runs a service to Cambridge where there is an ever-growing tech scene with global tech companies such as Amazon, Apple and Microsoft being major occupiers and employers here. The A14 also provides an ever-improving road network linking the midlands in the west to the coast in the east.
Suffolk towns
Ipswich
Ipswich is located to the south-east of the county of Suffolk and has a traditional high street with well-known names as well as a shopping centre, theatre and leisure facilities. The Waterfront which has been designed to be a place to live, work and enjoy free time with bars and restaurants and is an impressive feature of the town. Ipswich train station sits on the Norwich to London mainline.
Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds is probably the largest town found towards the west of Suffolk and has a magnificent Cathedral and Abbey Gardens. Found on the A14 it provides good proximity to the coast and to the Midlands. The town centre is stunning with period properties and cobbled streets and a vibrant shopping and dining scene. Bury St Edmunds is also famous for being the home of Greene King brewery.
Sudbury
Sudbury was the home town of one of England’s most famous portrait artists in Thomas Gainsborough and there is a gallery and museum in his name and honour. The town is very historic in name and style with the street’s littered with timber-framed properties and the town’s market square remains and is popular with the locals as are the more standard high street brands that form part of many high streets across East Anglia and the UK.
The best of Suffolk
The following highlight some of the very best features of the area and support the many reasons why people choose to move to Suffolk, having ready access to these wonderful places is the cherry on top of the high quality of life available in this East Anglia county.
Dedham Vale and Constable Country
Dedham Vale and Constable Country sits on the border of Essex and the focus of the area is the River Stour which meanders through. Flatford Mill is famous for being a key scene in one of John Constable’s paintings.
The high street in Dedham is a scene from times past with well-maintained period properties, independent shops and a handful of pubs. Very popular is the row boating scene where boats can be rented for an hour or half-day for a row along the River Stour.
On the banks of the river is The Boathouse, a brilliant restaurant. Also popular is Le Talbooth and Milsom restaurants which also offer luxurious accommodation.
The area is abounding with countryside and peace and quiet – all within close proximity of Colchester and Manningtree railway stations which take c. 1 hour into Liverpool Street in London.
Long Melford and Lavenham
Lavenham was once the heartbeat of the regions wool trade. More recently part of one of the Harry Potter films was set in Lavenham. The Guildhall and Little Hall are popular local attractions and The Angel Inn offers comfortable accommodation and good food. The main draw is the very popular Great House Hotel and Restaurant which offers fine dining and boutique hotel accommodation.
Long Melford is well known for being a hub for anything that is antiques and has a very busy shop and market scene trading in this. The town is also very famous for the old BBC drama Lovejoy which was set in the town and the surrounding areas. There are a handful of pubs, shops and part of Long Melford is set around a huge village green.
Kersey and Hadleigh
Kersey is a very small village and has a well-photographed ford which rarely is full but usually has a family of ducks living close-by. The village has a number of period properties and a pub called The Bell Inn that has a traditional pub menu and bitters on tap.
Hadleigh is a small market town and sits adjacent to the River Brett. The town sits in between Ipswich and Sudbury and commuters typically will drive to either Manningtree or Colchester to get into London.
The Upper Stour Valley
The Upper Stour Valley is made up of a number of beautiful villages and towns that sit on or close to the River Stour. The villages also are close to the boundaries of Essex and Cambridgeshire so are found more to the west of the county. Their makeup is quaint, quiet villages with scatterings of pretty period properties ranging from cottages to large farmhouse.
Cavendish is a very small village but has a huge green and a pub popular pub called The George. Clare is a very small town that has a country park, a museum and a deli. Withersfield is a small village and is found well in the countryside – which is quite undulating in this area. London based commuters tend to drive west for the Cambridge to London line.
Nayland and Stoke by Nayland
The village of Nayland has a memorial by the church, a post office and a butcher. The pub found by the river is called The Anchor and serves good food and locally sourced beer. The village is period in nature and has many timber-framed properties and a real community feel.
Stoke by Nayland is another pretty village located near to the Suffolk Essex border, it has a shop and two pubs in the form of The Angel and gastropub The Crown. Commuters living here tend to drive to Colchester to catch the train into London.
Suffolk Property Finders
This blog highlights a handful of wonderful places found in the Suffolk countryside. To find out more about these areas or the broader East Anglia region please do get in touch as would be delighted to discuss your search for a home and our relevant services in greater detail.
