AROUND COOPERS FARM
Being in the heart of Suffolk is a good place to be
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Suffolk has a very rich history and boast a beautiful countryside, therefor there is something of interest for everyone, whether it is to explore the Medieval Wool towns of Lavenham and Long Melford or visit the cathedral in Bury st Edmunds.
We can be quickly and easily reached by road from the A14, the port of Harwich or Stansted airport.
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So why not stay a night (or two) and enjoy the things that our local area has got to offer.
You will have a great time.
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For some examples what is of interest around us, please see below.
LAWSHALL
Lawshall is a beautiful small Suffolk village, about 7 miles south of Bury st Edmunds.
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Life is still a little slower around here, which makes it an ideal place to have a break or a holiday, but also, you are in the middle of an area where there is lots to do, therefore the choice is totally up to you how much you do or don't want to be doing ;-)
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The village has a fantastic pub, The Swan, but make sure to book for a meal, because especially at the weekends, they get very busy. They do a selection of real ales and they have a lovely beer garden at the back.
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There is a riding stables in Golden Lane and a beautiful woodland called Golden Wood where you can walk and listen to all the different birds that it provides a home to and next to it you will find the Green Light Trust, which is housed in the old barn that belonged to my partner Ray's grandfather.
It was taken apart and reconstructed on the site next to the woodland. It used to be a barn in which the agricultural steam engines were maintained and repaired.
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For those of you who would like to cycle around the area, you could visit Maglia Rosso in our next village of Hawstead.
They have a nice little cafe and you can rent bikes for the day.
WOOL TOWNS
I have been extremely lucky to have lived for 14 years in the beautiful medieval Tudor village of Lavenham. It is truly a very special place to visit and I can highly recommend you pay a visit.
The whole village is a beautiful collection of timber-framed houses, positioned in a circular fashion around the central market square.
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Lavenham saw its fame due to the wool trade in the late middle ages, brought to the area by the Flemish weavers of the time. Much of this heritage has been preserved and can be admired whilst you are walking through the village streets.
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There are several good pubs and little shops and many foot paths for a longer enjoyable walk.
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I highly recommend a visit to the church of St Peter and St Paul, the Guildhall and the Little Hall, the latter two are both on the market square.
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Other places to visit are Long Melford, which is similar to Lavenham, but is situated along a very long high street.
Worth a visit is Kentwell Hall. Throughout the year they have themed days / weekends, so have a look at their website to see what is on.
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Sudbury, the home of the painter Gainsborough, is a small market town just south of Lawshall.
The river Stour runs through it and you can hire a canoe to have some fun with on the water or take a boat trip to another great pub, The Henny Swan.
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BURY ST EDMUNDS
History
​Bury St Edmunds takes its name from King Edmund, the original Patron Saint of England and King of the East Angles, who is widely believed to be buried in the town.
The story of St Edmund, who ruled East Anglia from AD 855 to 869, tells of the brave King Edmund who was killed by Danish invaders on 20 November 869 after refusing to denounce his Christianity.
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A wolf is a central figure of his story. The story goes that after being shot full of arrows he was then decapitated. The Danes believed that once a head was severed from its body, that person would not go to a higher plain. The king's body was found but his head was missing. Supporters heard a wolf call to them and they found him guarding the king's head, which was then reunited with his body. Then the first miracle of the future Saint occurred when body and head fused back together.
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Bury st Edmunds today is a lovely small market town that holds markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It has many lovely little shops and plenty of places to eat or have English Tea.
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I love popping into town weekly because it is only 10 minutes away and has a great variety of shops, high street and also a very good traditional butcher for those of you who like a BBQ. We can highly recommend the bacon and beef.
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Great historical places to visit are Moyses Hall and of course the beautiful Bury Gardens down from Abbey Gate Street and the cathedral, which had a new bell tower put on in 2005, which was opened by HRH Prince Charles.
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The Cathedral has a lovely little restaurant and you can take a tour of the tower. Maybe better the other way around ;-)
THE COAST
We think Southwold, Thorpeness and Aldeburgh are pretty special places to visit on the coast in Suffolk.
Basically the whole coastline from Felixstowe in the south to Lowestoft in the north is wonderful to explore.
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It takes about 1 hour to get to Felixstowe and about 1 1/2 to Lowestoft, so traveling out to the coast can be easily done as a day trip.
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Our favourite pub at the moment is the Maybush at Waldringfield between Martlesham and Felixstowe and again, if you would like to have a meal there, book early, because they are very very popular, especially at the weekends.
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Another one of our favourites not far from the beach and opposite the river is the Solebay Fish Company. Very friendly staff and you can pick up some fresh fish there too to take back home to cook the next day. A wonderful place (excuse the pun!).
