Suffolk - Open Skies and Rolling Landscape

With its wide open skies and rolling landscape, Suffolk is the driest county in England, so the weather can be less of a problem here than elsewhere.

Gently rolling countryside beckons visitors to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and discover the ancient woodlands and hedgerows of this beautiful part of East Anglia.

Easily accessible from London on the A12 and the Midlands on the A14, Suffolk is convenient for a week’s holiday or a short break. A County with so much history and varied landscape offers something for everyone, whether driving, cycling or walking.

The British Museum’s Sutton Hoo exhibition is outstanding and there is a selection of National Trust properties to say nothing of the lovely RHS gardens at Hyde Hall.

Nayland is one of the famous cloth towns of Suffolk, having possibly the finest collection of medieval timber-framed buildings in the Country, set in the rolling countryside typical of the Stour Valley made famous by John Constable.

The River Stour meanders through the Dedham Vale and can be explored on foot or by canoe right down to the sea at Manningtree, spotting wildlife all the way! The other ‘Heritage Villages’ of the area – Lavenham, Long Melford and Sudbury, with a thriving weekend open market, are all within a few minutes’ drive and the sandy beaches of stylish Frinton and lively Clacton are within easy driving distance.

Colchester is England’s oldest recorded Town and is famous for its destruction by Boudicea when the Romans occupied East Anglia. The Castle is a reminder of the city’s Norman ancestry. Colchester Zoo has a world-famous animal breeding programme and is well worth a visit by all the family, plus excellent shopping, theatre and indoor entertainment.

Travel a little further and you reach Southwold, home of Adnams famous ales or stylish Aldeburgh with the Benjamin Britten connection and Snape festival.

There’s a huge variety of excellent restaurants in the area, ranging from stylish French cuisine through honest pub English cooking and open-air bistros to local seafood on Mersea Island – Essex’s own tropical island in the sun!

Gladwins Farm offers a selection of cottages sleeping from 2 to 8 people, some have private hot tubs. Winners of the 2003 and 2006 Regional Self-Catering Holiday of the Year Award and 2007 Suffolk Self-Catering Holiday of the Year, their website maintains on-line availability so guests can check availability reliably from around the World.

Robert & Pauline Dossor, Gladwins Farm ©
Listed in Cottage Holidays July 2009

North Yorkshire Moors

The North Yorkshire moors is one of England's best-kept secrets; we have the choicest bits of England's scenery all here on a Lilliputian scale.

There are steep sided secret valleys with crystal clear streams running through them and heather covered moors heavy with the scent of honey. You are never more than a short drive from the sea with its steep cliffs pretty villages and sandy beaches.

We have history in profusion with medieval abbeys and castles, the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe, ancient earthworks and the Jurassic coast with a wealth of fossils waiting to be discovered.

The North Yorkshire Moors provides the ideal base to spend your holiday with plenty to do whatever the weather. It is a walker's paradise with quiet footpaths and bridleways through spectacular scenery with virtually every village equipped with either a teashop or pub or both!

It is no surprise that over the years this area has played host to a number of television and film crews and you can visit Herriot country, Heartbeat country and the Royal not to mention Hogwarts station all in the same day.

You can ride on the North York Moors Steam railway, which winds its way from Grosmont to Pickering through historic villages and open moorland. Visit Pickering or Helmsley and mooch around the shops and market picking up bargains and local produce.

No visit to the area is complete of course without a trip to Whitby for fish and chips, you can hike up the 199 steps to the Abbey and down again to work up an appetite the views are well worth it or follow the Dracula trail round the town in the steps of author Bram Stoker.

If wildlife watching is your choice, you can sit on the terrace here at Plum Tree Cottages, Danby and watch the birds and other visitors to the orchard feeding along with our chickens. The North Yorkshire moors has large populations of curlews and lapwings and if you're lucky you may even see a red kite.

Come and give us a visit us; we have scenery, history, culture, excellent food and after a day enjoying all that, here at Plum Tree we can offer you relaxing complementary therapies to turn your moors break into a spa break
Pam Murphy, Plum Tree Cottages ©
Listed in Cottage Holidays July 2009