Where to find Suffolk’s best themed tours
By Ollie Pearson
Thinking of people dressed in ludicrous Victorian outfits talking about the past in a slightly silly voice? Think again. Our version of themed tours are much more about thematic links than someone dressed up as Charles Dickens taking you through the sights and scenes of Bury St Edmunds. However, now that we mention it, that might actually be the next big idea…Before getting too distracted by this million pound idea, here are a few themed tours we heartily recommend in Suffolk when staying at our Barns and Barges for rent.
A history tour
Though it may go without saying that enjoying a history tour in Suffolk is a great idea – it is, afterall, an incredibly historic county – it might not be so obvious which destinations to head to. With this in mind, we’d certainly recommend the Medieval Lavenham tour which invites you to follow along to an audio guide explaining the rich history of one of our most striking villages. Similarly, the “Stories Behind the Village Green” audio tour of Long Melford provides insight into one of those most English of destinations; the village green. To get the complete picture, you also won’t go wrong by listening to the Aldeburgh tour which explains how the Suffolk coastline came to be, and what makes it so very special.
A book tour
It’s unsurprising that a county so generously festooned with dramatic landscapes has continued to capture the imagination of writers ever since we decided that was something worth doing. To name just a few writers who have transformed our surroundings to the page, we can count Agatha Christie, George Orwell, and of course, Charles Dickens as the literary greats who have spent time writing about Suffolk. Whilst you might enjoy visiting Bury St Edmunds to get a flavour for the surroundings which inspired many of Dickens’ best known works, we’d also recommend taking a walk through the various villages and walking trails to put yourself in the shoes of the greats who saw fit to mention these destinations in their work.
A food and drink tour
If it is permissible to host a food and drink festival, we see no good reason why it wouldn’t be permissible to suggest a food and drink tour. With many great farm-to-table restaurants and breweries existing across Suffolk, we think it makes good sense to make a proper day (or two) of it and enjoy them all. For food, you’ll find all manner of cuisines on offer around Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, not to mention the traditional pub classics served up in the cosy pubs in the surrounding villages. And for drinks, you won’t go wrong by joining the brewery tours at Greene King in Bury St Edmunds and the Adnams brewery in Southwold.
And just like that, we’ve all but created a three day itinerary for guests keen to get the most out of their stay in Suffolk. To enjoy any or all of these tours, be sure to take a look at the current availability of our Barns and Barges for rent.
