SUFFOLK IS SO PRETTY

[Mitchy1nge]

especially in the sun and when there are all new flowers and spring blossom everywhere

in case anyone was wondering

A lot of the bus services were subsidised by the LA and have been subsequently cut back.

We love love love the East Coast Diner in Woodbridge- seriously good beef and pork hot dogs and wicked milkshakes/maltshakes. The staff are lovely too. Definitely the place to book for a kids party- I wish mine were smaller as I would have enjoyed a party there far more. Plenty of grown up Milkshakes too

This thread is making me feel very homesick
I grew up on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and practically spent my whole childhood roamimg free in Thetford Forest.
I now live on the Fylde coast and I miss the trees

Agree about the foodies paradise thing, we're so spoiled having all this amazing food on our doorstep.

Also agree about the transport issue. I'm a CAB advisor and frequently see poverty issues caused by lack of transport. One client I saw lived in a tied cottage on an amazing estate but her husband died and she didn't drive. There was zero public transport and she was literally trapped and relying on neighbours to bring her food parcels.

Would really love it if some of you could pop over to the Local site and review the places /attractions you love. Or even list them. Suffolk is huge (and I cover Norfolk too) and I have typed away my fingerprints trying to develop a site that you'll all find useful. I cannot know everything about my region and having some hidden gems added would make my year (not just my day)

Here is the link.

Can anyone recommend somewhere which would be a good base for a cycling holiday?

Quiet country lanes, pretty village type cycling?

Dunwich, Aldeburgh, Blythburgh all lovely. Others may have other areas.

Suffolkin' Pretty?

Viva There are some amazing designated cycling routes such as The South Suffolk cycle route that takes you from Bures and the Stour Valley through to Lavenham (amazing wool town), Thetford Forest (amazing- the 2nd largest English forest) and the Kings Forest cycle route- two circular routes mostly off-road, through and around forest, heathland and farmland. A cycle link to Bury St. Edmunds railway station is also possible, from where there are regular trains over the East.

All of the off-road routes are on public bridleways or byways and all can be used by walkers, cyclists or horse riders. Routes have been described mainly for cycling and some sections can be quite challenging.

Also the back route from Bury St eds to Sudbury via Whepstead, Hartest, Hawkedon, Cavendish, Long Melford is stunning- rise and fall of hills, woods, historic villages and pubs....This is my favourite.

outtolunch yarn shop?

Posted too soon-

Minsmere Forest has wide and flat cycle routes through open heathland and dappled forested shade. You can track onto the public lanes to Dunwich Heath (beautiful heather covered heath and gorse lined roads) and cycle through Yoxford, Peasenhall, Walberswick onto Orford doing the coastal paths. Intersperse this with walking the Suffolk coastal path around Iken onwards and picnics by the sea. Most of the villages and towns have well stocked delis and village stores for food. The Local Mumsnet site has details of specialist cycling Suffolk organisations Here and holiday cycling companies here.

Do your children have a Suffolk accent? As a means of managing my yearning for Suffolk, I've been trying to imagine my children saying Tooos-dee, instead of Tuesday.

Sadly mine don't - not one tiny little trace. . Love the toosday .

My children have a tendency to do the long 'i' sound.

one, two, three, four, f'ouyi've. But that's it so far.

I'm trying to correct it as we go but I have a Kent accent with a soft 'w' instead of r and DH has a hint of a lisp due to an uncut tongue tie. I think I might save up now for a private speech therapist later

Thanks Dawn and LeSuffolk, will make a note of those and get planning.

There are worst accents though (BIL's put on 'estuary' essex one for starters. None of the rest of his family have one and they're not from the London side of Essex. He sounds like a crapper version of Jamie Oliver. I get stabby listening to either)

Overenthusiastic 'i's I can live with.

Living with a dh who thinks weekends are for housework, I'm actually getting a little bit nostalgic for all the lovely places around me that we never go to.

The dc's are asking if we can go out somewhere today. So far I've had a shower and dh has hung half the washing out and unloaded half the dishwasher and is currently playing a game on his phone. Might have to escape without him.

VivaLaBeaver I will message you!

Viva - I think Debenham would make a lovely base, not just because it's even prettier than your average Suffolk town (without being ridiculous and becoming lavenham or something) but there are so many cycling events, the longest ford in the UK (you can cycle in the actual river Deben, it doesn't often have much water but I ride the horses there often, it's fun and people always whizz past on bikes) and it's so central (heart of suffolk!) you can get anywhere easily (by car). It has a co/op and a few pubs and fish and chips, there are lovely holiday cottages at Boundary Farm next door to the mumsnet pink pony :)

Waves to Ilovemydogsandmydogsloveme

Can I ask a huge favour to all other Suffolkonians?

If you are ever in or near Metfield could you pop in to the Duke Wellington. It is a lovely tea room in what was the local pub.

The husband and wife team that own it are such lovely people. They've had an awful time with the locals who actively slate the place. I went to the local Metfield store and was told to NOT go there and they hoped they went out of business!

Very petty, and I hope the tea room flourishes.

How awful, itsok, I was planning to go to the garden centre over there tomorrow if its nice, will pop in for a coffee.
Have you seen Johnny Depp recently?

Itsok

Is it on the local site? I love the Metfield Bakery and their apricot pork pies.

Why are they slating it other than it being seen as competition? Such a shame as so many of the smaller Suffolk towns and villages really try to support each other and realise that trading associations are the way forward giving them an organising power they wouldn't have on their own.

Oh I read that about the tea room in Metfield. Thing is the bakery doesn't have a tea room so you'd think they'd want to actively join forces and have the tea room as an outlet for their products.