We have seven luxury self-catering holiday cottages in the heart of the rural Suffolk countryside.
From our stunning 500-year-old luxurious thatched farmhouse to our six holiday cottage Suffolk barns, we can accommodate anything from a romantic weekend for two, to a full on family celebration for up to 19 adults. All in sumptuous luxury, in a beautiful, rustic country setting.
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Never a truer phrase than on a winter break in Suffolk.
The cooler months are still a wonderful time to enjoy a winter break around here. The landscape takes on a very different but nonetheless inviting feel and of course all of our cottages have bundles of cosy charm and roaring log fires to keep you warm and add that touch of winter cosiness.
The rambling countryside that surrounds us is still appealing in the autumn and winter, with winding country lanes and loads of great public footpaths taking you off the beaten track. You won’t see many people around here whatever the time of year so this time of the year is especially great if you want to get away from it all with your loved one/s.
The beautiful heritage coast is just half an hour away and still very popular at this time. You’ll be treated to a bracing North Sea breeze to blast away the cobwebs but you’ll be fine as long as you wrap up warm.
Suffolk Coasts and Heaths are one of two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty that we have within half an hour of our cottages.
Woodbridge, Southwold and Aldeburgh are all really popular destinations with our guests all year round and you can always pick up some great local beers and wines to warm you up when you get back here.
You’ll need to head off for a good walk anyway after tucking into your hearty breakfast from the welcome basket that we provide in all of our cottages.
Free range eggs from Mill Green Farm, bacon from Palfrey & Hall, mushrooms, jam and marmalade from Fruits of Suffolk, tomatoes, toast and butter, all provided as part of your package, along with fresh coffee, tea, sugar, milk, fruit and some cookies.
Hot Tubs make your Winter Break
With three barns to choose from with your own private luxurious Hot Tub, you can enjoy your Winter Break whatever the weather.
Deben Barn has a Hot Tub on the patio, with Gipping and Orwell Barns having theirs under cover just outside your back door in one of our covered Garden Rooms with opaque roofs letting in light.
Christmas at Woodfarm
This is an extra special time of the year here at Woodfarm and we have always been fully booked way in advance. From the first year when we just had Woodfarm House, the following year when we added the Granary Barn and then the following year when we had the five new holiday cottage barns all up and running.
Our holiday cottages all lend themselves to the cosy charm you would expect from a yule-tide break in the country. With Christmas trees to put your presents under and tasteful traditional decorations all around you, it’ll feel like a home from home.
Book early to avoid disappointment!
Whether you are in Woodfarm House, The Granary Barn or one of the ‘Woodfarm’ barns, you’ll relax and enjoy the oak-beamed ceilings and bags of rustic country charm. Having done this for many years, we have been working hard to strike the right note for our guests, whatever the season. Take a look at the hundreds of reviews from our happy guests on TripAdvisor, Facebook and Google, resulting in the awarding of our TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and our Quality In Tourism Gold Awards for all seven cottages.
The farmhouse has a wonderful open fire and all six of the barns have great wood-burning stoves so if the temperature drops in the evening then you can get a cosy fire going and chill out with one of hundreds of DVDs that we provide, again free of charge.
You’ll find country lanes, thatched cottages, classic out-of-season seaside resorts at Aldeburgh and Southwold, meandering rivers and great pubs & restaurants.
Kids are welcome. Woodfarm House sleeps 2, plus travel cots for toddlers and all the barns have room for a travel cot (provided free of charge). See our ‘Have Fun’ page on our Tourist Guide website “Where Do We?” for some ideas on what to do with the kids, big and small!
Three well-behaved dogs are welcome in all the cottages too – See our separate ‘Pets Welcome’ page at the bottom of this page or have a look on “Where Do We?” at our ‘Take the Dog‘ section.
Winter is defined by the Met Office as December, January and February. Our Winter 2016 prices start from just £248 for a 2 night weekend break.
With the farmhouse sleeping 7 adults, plus toddlers, and all six of our barns sleeping 2 adults, plus a toddler, we can cope with large groups of family and friends, right down to intimate, romantic breaks for 2 so whether it’s a big family holiday or a romantic countryside break for couples, we have a luxurious self-catering cottage to suit you!
Birthdays
We have played host to many special birthdays, from 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th even to 80th. The more ‘mature’ celebrations onwards tend to be larger family holidays in Woodfarm House, with a smattering of children and grandchildren. You are more than welcome to put banners, bunting and balloons up on the oak beams, which are in all the cottages.
First holidays
The ideal first romantic getaway for the new love in your life. Romance is the key here at Woodfarm, with rustic charm oozing out of every oak beam, lavishly equipped and decorated cottages and privacy to simply be together.
Don’t just take our word for it… “A great little barn. Perfect for seeing in our 1st New Year together” – Paul & Penny, January 2012.
We are also a very popular destination for ‘Baby’s First Holiday’ as we provide Travel Cots and High Chairs so we do get a lot of parents coming for their first proper outing as a family with new arrivals.
Proposals
We have had several proposals here and happily join in with setting your cottage up with flowers, champagne, candles etc. in order for you to pop the question. This is what we did for a proposal in 2012 in the Granary Barn, along with Champagne waiting on ice.
Staying here in July 2012, Conor & Amanda wrote: “The perfect balance of hospitality and privacy in a beautiful location. We were so taken by the place we even got engaged here last night! We cant wait to come back.”
Honeymoons
We have had honeymoons in just about all of our barns, as well as the Farmhouse, with some amazing testimonials.
In June 2013 we even had the happy bride setting off from Stour Barn. Congratulations to Stacey & Barry.
Valentine’s
The perfect time to celebrate romance! We are always fully booked for valentines so it’s worth booking early.
Don’t just take our word for it… “It was beautiful, peaceful and blissfully happy on Valentine’s weekend.” – Robbie, February 2012.
Christmas & New Year
This is an extra special time of the year here at Woodfarm and we have always been fully booked. From the first year when we just had one holiday cottage, Woodfarm House, the following year when we added the Granary Barn and then the following year when we had the five new barns all up and running.
Our holiday cottages all lend themselves to the cosy charm you would expect from a yule-tide break in the country.
Book early to avoid disappointment!
Hen Parties
We have had a number of hen parties in Woodfarm House now, which is great as they tend to be more ‘girly weekends’ than rowdy bashes. With a DVD collection in excess of 500 here for our guests, there’s plenty to accompany a few bottles of wine and a roaring log fire in the colder weather.
Anniversaries
Whatever the Wedding Anniversary, we have a holiday cottage for you to celebrate in style. From a romantic getaway for two in one of our Suffolk Barns, to a full family celebration in Woodfarm House, sleeping seven adults, as well as toddlers.
To make it all extra special we have a fabulous team of local ‘Business Partners’
To work with you, whatever your occasion and requirements, we have a number of local small businesses perfectly poised to help out:
Elizabeth Tunstall – Florist
With bouquest & arrangements starting at just £20, see our blog post on some floral displays that she has done for guests here already.
Vicky Dreher – Photographer
Vicky specialises in portrait photography and has taken some fabulous photos around Woodfarm House & Barns. Full Blog Post coming soon but check out Vicky’s Facebook page.
Beautiful Bakes – Bespoke cakes
Local homemade cakes for every occasion. Janette Gibbons makes all her cakes to order for a number of local delis and coffee shops and has offered a range of bespoke bakery treats for our guests. Full Blog post coming soon but check out some of her wares.
Deli hampers
We have mouth-watering Suffolk Hampers put together especially for us, beautifully presented in your holiday cottage, awaiting your arrival. There are options starting at £25 but they will happily discuss your requirements with you. The standard options are on our Blog Post.
Mark Peters – Michelin Star Chef
Mark works closely with us, providing bespoke, exclusive dinner party menus to suit any occasion. He hosted Suffolk’s first-ever ‘Pop-up Restaurant’ here at Woodfarm House in 2013 – check it out.
Tracey Starie
We have teamed up with Tracey Starie, who started her business ‘Fizzy Bubbles’ as a complete career change from accountancy to producing hand-made, 100% natural soap and beauty products (gotta say I would too!). Have a look at our Blog Post on Tracey.
The Beauty Barn – Massage, Hair and Beauty Treatments
Based just two minutes from Woodfarm Barns, the Beauty Barn (there are a lot of barns in Suffolk) are excited about offering some great packages for our guests.
Debbie, the owner has had a good nose around Woodfarm to get a feel for what experience our guests have here, so she can understand what they would want from her and has put together some great ideas for those that love a bit of pampering.
Check out our Beauty Barn Blog Post.
Testimonials | Dogs | Pubs | Beaches
If you landed here after searching for ‘Dog friendly cottages suffolk’ find out why dogs love Woodfarm Barns! Your dog needs a holiday too! Dogs account for a massive proportion of our guests to sunny Suffolk and we even allow some of them to bring their well-behaved owners!
We combine a dog-friendly ethos with the luxury that many don’t expect to find in holiday cottages accepting dogs. We don’t simply ‘tolerate’ guests with dogs, we welcome them.
We welcome dogs in all seven of our Suffolk holiday cottages both our barges as this is a huge part of the ‘stay at home’ holiday cottage market. We normally say a maximum of two dogs but we are happy to discuss other requirements. We are also happy to discuss other pets with you on an individual basis. We’ve had house cats and rabbits before but it’s mostly dogs!
We are also delighted to have been awarded the Pets Welcome accreditation by the English governing body ‘Quality in Tourism’ backing up our approach.
Our library of canine guests is growing! Check out loads of photos of our four-legged guests here.
Taking pets away when enjoying a holiday or break in England is an increasing trend and one of the mainstays of our business. Nearly two million dog owners and around one million cat owners take their pets away when enjoying a break away from home.
In response to customers who do not wish to be parted from their pets, the Welcome Pets scheme gives dog, cat or bird owners the confidence that they are booking quality accommodation that meets their needs and the needs of their pet(s).
The criteria that we have in place to adhere to the guidelines includes:
We are also duty-bound to display the following information at a central, easily accessible information point:
We have a special page on our other website wheredowe.co.uk giving you lots of ideas of places to enjoy dog friendly places and walks in Suffolk.
In addition, we have information for our guests on the location and opening times of the nearest shops, nearest bank/cash machine, public telephone, post office, and more.
There are info folders in all our cottages with lots of details of local dog-friendly restaurants and pubs – again, in addition to all the info we hold here, we have loads of ideas on wheredowe.co.uk
In 2012 we had a fabulous review by October Ward for ‘Out & About’ dog-friendly magazine, which really speaks for itself. October’s dog Roxy is the Dalmatian featured in the below photo, standing on the land outside Woodfarm Barns. This is the lane that leads down to the church next door and it’s perfect for stretching your dog’s legs first thing in the morning. Get a long enough lead and you won’t need to stretch yours!
This is the article:
Dog Walking
There is a great little dog walk straight from our door, popular with all our dog-owning guests. Crowfield Church is next door but one to our holiday cottages and marks the start of an easy 20-minute loop with the dog.
It is one of the last remaining timber-framed churches in Suffolk and is well worth a look. Two choices of public footpaths go from the church across the fields beyond. Instead of turning in by the church you can walk straight on for miles and there are various public footpaths across the fields – so there’s plenty of exploring to do and loads for the dog to sniff out.
This is a great area for dog walking, as is Suffolk in general. There are books in all the cottages on Suffolk walks, with or without dogs, and they are there for you to peruse whilst you are here.
The nearest dog walk in most of the books encompasses Barham, Baylham and Coddenham for a total length of 8 miles. You could cheat a little and start it in Coddenham, which is only a couple of miles down the road. The walk incorporates the Baylham Rare Breeds Centre as well as taking you right past the Sorrel Horse Pub, which is very dog-friendly.
The next nearest one is a five-miler, taking in Cretingham and Brandeston, and past The Queens Head – an excellent pub/restaurant (you can see a theme here!).
There are also lovely lake walks at Needham and Hoppit Wood, both just four miles from Woodfarm Barns, featured our page on ‘Walking in Suffolk’ here.
Dog-Friendly Pubs
Whether you’re visiting Suffolk for the first time, or are a frequent visitor or resident, it’s useful to know where you can eat with your dogs. Suffolk has a wide range of dog-friendly pubs. While some request that you keep your dog in the garden or terrace area, many allow dogs inside the pub as well. Here is a selection of pubs across Suffolk that allows pets either in the pub or garden:
The Star Inn is a cosy and friendly pub in Wenhaston that welcomes well-behaved dogs. It has a large garden and a high-quality menu.
The Tollgate Inn is a lovely restaurant and bar in Bury St Edmunds and has a large garden and seating area where dogs are welcome.
The Queen’s Head, Bramfield is an award-winning pub and dogs are welcome in both the pub and the garden.
The Sorrell Horse Inn in Woodbridge is very pet-friendly and dogs are allowed in the pub and garden. The same goes for The White Horse at Tattingstone.
The Bildeston Crown allows well-behaved dogs in the pub and they have a lovely, dog-friendly, outdoor seating area.
The Kings Head Inn in Orford allows dogs in both the pub, as well as in their rooms and The Cock Inn in Polstead allows dogs in the pub.
The George and Dragon in Long Melford allow dogs, except when food is being served.
The Crown Hotel in Southwold allows dogs in the bar areas, but not in the rooms or dining areas.
The George in Cavendish has a terrace/garden area where dogs are welcome, although they are not allowed inside the pub and the same goes for The Brantham Bull in Manningtree.
The Ship Inn in Woodbridge is dog-friendly, and so is The Angel Inn Wangford.
Please do check with any of these pubs before you visit with your dog as their pet policies may change at any time.
Dog-Friendly Beaches in Suffolk
With miles of beautiful beaches open to the public year-round, Suffolk is a great place to bring your dog on holiday. The good news is that from October through April there are no dog restrictions in force on Suffolk’s beaches so your pet can enjoy the benefits of any stretch of beach you like! In the summer, however, there are dog restrictions on some beaches, so here’s a list of some restrictions from 1st May through to 30th September: Aldeburgh – Although the main beach has restrictions during the summer months, there is a mile of wonderful dog-friendly beach just to the North of Aldeburgh which is well signposted, and stretches from the Wentworth Hotel to Thorpeness. Felixstowe – While the main beach has dog restrictions in place from May through September, there are dog-friendly beaches on either side of the restricted area, stretching from Spa Pavilion to Wheeler Road. These areas are well signposted and easy to spot. However, dogs have to be kept on leads even on these stretches.
Dunwich – With the beautiful National Trust site of Dunwich Heath and a beach that’s dog-friendly all year round, Dunwich makes a fantastic dog friendly location with plenty of long walks and refreshing water on offer. Bear in mind, however, that Dunwich is the home to RSPB Minsmere, so there are occasional restrictions on dogs on the Heath (not beach) during the nesting season. If you’re not sure that your dog will stay on the beach then it’s best to check with nearby Aldeburgh Tourist Information before you make your trip to ensure these nesting restrictions aren’t in place.
Southwold – One of Suffolk’s most famous beaches, it offers a fantastic holiday resort for the family. Although the main beaches of Southwold have dog restrictions in place during the summer months, Southwold Benes, just north of the main beach, is dog-friendly throughout.
Deb, August 2019
Our fourth year at Woodfarm Barns. The dogs walked in and were straight at home, as were we. The purpose of our visit is a week long agility competition so we are out all day from 07.00 but it’s perfect being able to come back to the hot tub after walking 20,000 steps, let the dogs mooch around the garden and light the BBQ.
I’m not sure what more Carl and his team could do to make the cottages any more perfect, the welcome basket means there’s everything for a cuppa when you arrive and a bacon sandwich for breakfast plus loads of information about the area. We had one wet afternoon and the store if DVDs kept us entertained.
Next year is already booked.
Dawn, August 2019
Stayed for 2 nights with our little dog. Fantastic location and accommodation. It has everything you need for all seasons. Hot tub was lovely after a long day out on our bikes exploring the countryside nearby. Dog loved having the garden to wander round whilst we had a drink and dinner in the garden. Carl was very helpful explained where everything was when we arrived. You can’t hear any neighbours other than them walking over the stones.
To get to the meadow on the other side of the lane which caters for all dogs nervous or confident. Our dog didn’t want to come home. Thanks for a great time; see you again soon.
Roger, July 2019
We were delighted with our stay in Deben Barn with our two golden retrievers. Carl was very helpful from the first minute of our stay and the welcome basket was a great touch. Dog exercise field was very handy. The barn was very well equipped, clean and tidy. Excellent hot tub. The location is perfect for exploring Suffolk. Would thoroughly recommend Woodfarm Barns.
