East coast (Suffolk) for a week. What are your top tips on must dos and must avoids?

[PsammeadPaintedTheLion]

We're a family of four, two children aged 4 and almost 2.

There's a pebbly beach near to where we are staying. Any nice sandy beaches? Should we avoid Yarmouth or is it nice?

Are there nice zoos/farms etc? I've heard about a dinosaur park near Norwich - any good for children that age? What's good in Norwich?

Would love to get personal reccommendations.

On our hols in Blythburgh as I type and I just wanted to put a word in for the fish & chip place on the beach at Dunwich. We take the dogs for a nice walk in the woods and finish up there for lunch.

You'll be really close to Dunwich which has a lovely (pebbly) beach with a cafe and the the pub in the village, The Ship, is great and has a garden so good for children. Then there's the heath - forest, really - for walks. We did geocaching there with the children a few weekends ago.

Southwold is great, both around the pier and beach but also by the port bit where you can get fish and chips at the pub (another big garden) or loads of fishy things at the Sole Bay Fish Co.

Beaches in east Norfolk that many friends go to are Waxham (but no loos), Sea Palling which is the next one up with lots of parking, bucket & spade shops & ice cream, and also Winterton which has a nice cafe.

Enjoy your hols!

We're in a cottage near Iken this week and we were at Minsmere today - beautiful day. We are 4 adults and a 12-year old, so haven't been looking for kids stuff this week, but there was a four year old at Minsmere today who walked all the way round the coast trail just in front of us - 1.5 miles and I didn't hear him whine once, and he was beautifully quiet in the hides. There is a discovery centre with kids activities there, though I don't know if they'd be suitable for the 2 year old.

Framingham Castle was good - they had a jester doing circus activities there on Monday.

Last time we were round here we went to Bressingham gardens & steam museum - train rides and other children's activities.

Kessingland is nice and sandy with dunes.

The hill at Muckburgh is great to climb- all forested with windy trails and the most amazing views from the top over the coast and surrounding countryside. There is a military museum nearby if that interests you.

I also love the Covehithe beach with its proximity to the Broads and Holkham is breathtaking- sand and sky and sea as far as you can focus, backed by piney woods and boardwalks running through them. All you pay is parking, take a picnic and spend the whole day. The estate and house costs more so avoid them if you want to economise. The beach also has bird hides nearby. i don't want to keep linking to my local sites but there are reviews and pics on there too.

Mothership

Posted too soon- what places can you recommend in Blythburgh? We also eat at the Flora cafe in Dunwich- adore their fish and chips and ultra convenient for everything.

I can also recommend Old Felixstowe's 'Winkles on the Beach' for amazing views and the pub there too.

Southwold and Aldeburgh are lovely.. Where they filmed grandpa in my pocket if your 4 yr old like that..
Africa alive is nice as is the dinosaur park.. Maybe a little bit expensive.. Can use your tesco vouchers there is you have any to cash in..
In Norwich they have the dragon trail at the moment.. There are lots of giant dragon statues scattered around the city.. You can get a tick map to tick them off as you find them. Each dragon is painted differently. Last year they were gorillas and one was painted in freddy mercury style. Was brilliant. BUT the freddy mercury fan club complained so much they had to redecorate it!!

If it's not quite beach weather there is a little cinema in Lowestoft.. Which is ok. Not odeon style but clean and newly decorated. There's a place in Lowestoft called sparrows nest which often has children's activitys on in the park and a play area, next to a lovely coffee shop and Italian restaurant.

Framlingham castle is lovely.. They have children's activitys too. Orford castle in nice but not as interesting for children as framlingham is.

Lesuffolkandnorfolk..
The blythburgh white hart do a lovely ploughmans.. Sitting looking over the marsh and watching the twitchers ;)

LeSuffolk Nothing to recommend in Blythburgh - because there is nothing here!

Actually I lie, the church is fab, very interesting and it's size shows what an important place the village once was. So if you are into churches it is definitely worth stopping as you pass.

The pub is ok, has a lovely garden overlooking the marshes but otherwise is nothing special.

We've been coming every year for about 5 years because a friend has a house here but DS is 14 now and not as keen, although he still dug an impressive hole on Gunhill beach yesterday - an annual tradition for us.

I live in Norfolk and recommend Thrigby Hall for gardens and zoo.

Boat trip on the Broads is fun. Oulton Broad park is lovely.

I live in and love Suffolk. My tip for one lunch is the Farm Cafe on the A12 just down from Aldeburgh. They do fab food (including a yummy butternut squash and goats cheese pie with chips!) and have a garden for the kids to play in. Go cycling (hire bikes ar Rendlesham Forest or in Darsham) and enjoy Suffolk's flatish beauty. Hire a rowing boat at Thorpeness Mere. Bewilderwood and Dinosaur Land (in Norfolk) are both great for little ones; Go Ape at Thetford Forest in Brandon for older ones. Lowestoft South Beach is nice but the town is run down. Framlingham Castle often has events like medieval fight displays. I really like Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge and have taken many visitors there. Enjoy your holliday

Nothing to add other than I grew up in Knodishall

Yes definitely bewilderwood! !! We took dd when she was a 2yo and aged nearly 4 and she loved it both times. Be prepared to go on the climbing stuff and slides with them!

Lesuffolk I can't link on my phone but if you search on Dani Church on Amazon her Walberswick ferry book shows up. Your page looks interesting, I have bookmarked it to read properly.

Mrs T's fish and chips at Southwold Harbour, crabbing at Walberswick, the walks at Dunwich, Norwich Castle museum, Orford Castle and village, Sutton Hoo

The dragon trail in Norwich isn't on til next year afaik.

Lowestoft fountains are great for kids and the beach is nice.

NT Dunwich Heath has kids' trails, beach and nice cafe.

Just incase you were considering it, avoid Ipswich!

Framingham and Orford are both English Heritage castles. There's a local legend about a merman caught in the estuary at Orford. He couldn't talk, ate raw fish and was imprisoned. He escaped when he was allowed out for a swim and dived under the nets placed around him.

Go to Thorpeness and look for the a house in the Clouds, it's beautiful. Dunwich to see if you can hear the church bells ringing from the sea (village fell in to the sea centuries ago, there's definitely no church there!). Rendlesham Forest is where a UFO was spotted a few years ago.....

There's a tobogganing centre under the Orwell Bridge on the outskirts of Ipswich with a nice food hall/ farm shop thing nearby. That may be a bit far south, depending where you are based- Suffolk has a long coastline and the roads are pretty slow round here.

Agree with all the others especially re Southwold. Also try the camel sanctuary as Halesworth (oasis it's called). Far cheaper than a lot of other day about and my dc absolutely love it. We live in Suffolk.

Depending on when you are going, Ipswich has a maritime festival on from the 11th to the 17th of August. www.allaboutipswich.com/celebrate/

And there is Jimmy's Farm. I've never been but lots of people reccomend it.

Definitely go to dinosaur adventure, it's more fun than is immediately obvious and my kids still love it (now aged 10 & 8).

I am sitting in my caravan looking across Kessingland Beach as I read this
Exploring is a bit tricky for us due to circumstances but we are slowly getting to know the area.

Love Suffolk

Thank you Poppies and Mother - often people want somewhere without huge and costly temptations so will bear all that in mind :)