Why September Might Secretly Be the Best Month to Visit Suffolk

We’re going to say something controversial. Summer might not be the best time to visit Suffolk. Despite all of our blogs saying otherwise. 

Obviously, Suffolk in June, July and August is glorious. Beaches, pub gardens, long evenings and ice cream all have a fairly convincing case, don’t they?

But September? September is the month quietly standing in the wings knowing it might actually be better.

The clever and perhaps most attractive thing about September is that nobody has told the weather that summer is officially over. You can still get beautiful warm days and long enough evenings to make proper use of them.

The difference is that the frantic peak-summer feeling has started to disappear. School holidays have, for many disappointed children, drawn to a close. Popular destinations become quieter and finding somewhere to park becomes less of an Olympic event.

What’s more, destinations such as Aldeburgh, Southwold and Woodbridge are still very much alive, but there’s room to wander around them.

For anyone who prefers their Suffolk with slightly fewer people in the way, that’s one heck of a major advantage.

September is also one of those lovely in-between months.

Early in the month, the countryside can still look thoroughly summery. Gradually, however, the light changes, evenings become cooler and the first hints of autumn appear. Fields are harvested. Hedgerows become heavy with berries. Woodland paths begin collecting leaves.

It isn’t quite autumn, but nor is it summer, and that’s exactly the point.

You can head out for a walk without necessarily needing three layers, waterproof trousers and the grim determination of somebody undertaking a marathon.

And it’s a universally accepted truth that Suffolk is a county best explored slowly.

The Suffolk Coast, Dedham Vale, Rendlesham Forest, Sutton Hoo and the countryside around our Barns for rent all offer fantastic walking opportunities.

September temperatures can make longer walks considerably more appealing than during the hottest summer weather.

At Sutton Hoo, for example, woodland routes combine the landscape with views over the River Deben and the extraordinary Anglo-Saxon burial site.

Similarly, the coast and follow stretches of paths beside marshes, heathland and sea are all fantastically inviting in September.

Take the dog, take your boots and take absolutely no interest whatsoever in your step count.

There is a very specific point each year when sitting outside a pub stops being compulsory and sitting inside becomes appealing again. September delivers it. A sunny lunchtime still belongs in the beer garden, yet a cooler evening makes a cosy corner wholly inviting.

This beer drinking blog writer considers this an important seasonal milestone.

If you’re staying aboard one of our Barges at Woodbridge or Snape Maltings, September is a particularly lovely time to watch the season begin to change from the water, too.

Ultimately, September brings the very best of both worlds. It doesn’t demand anything from you, it simply says “if it’s warm, hit the coast. If it’s a little milder, a walk might be a good idea. If it’s raining, the pub sounds like a great idea.”

And if you do absolutely nothing for an afternoon, we promise Suffolk won’t be offended.

That’s perhaps why we love September so much.

You still get a little bit of summer, you get the first taste of autumn, and Suffolk seems to exhale after the busiest weeks of the year.

Don’t tell August, but we think September might have it beaten.

To test our theory out for yourself, be sure to take a look at the current availability of our Barns and Barges for rent in Suffolk.