Suffolk Castles, Coast and Country Cycle Tour
3 days | 2 nights
£395pp

After leaving the hotel, we head north out of Ipswich onto the rolling roads of the Suffolk countryside, as we cruise through prime agricultural country with pretty villages & plenty of farmland landscapes to draw your eye, before we reach the historic market town of Framlingham, with its imposing twelfth century castle and the town is home to one of Suffolk’s most famous sons, Ed Sheeran.  

We traverse the country lanes East in search of the north sea and our next port of call, the quaint seaside village of Thorpeness, famed for its wonderful beach, boating lake and “house in the clouds” a former water tower turned into a 5 storey home. After a short sprint along the coast road (no green jersey prizes…maybe an ice cream if you are lucky), we reach Aldeburgh, before heading back inland following the River Alde until we cross the river at Snape and stop for a well-earned lunch break!. 

Suitably refreshed after lunch, prepare yourself to enjoy exploring the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. First we take a spin along the tree lined road through Tunstall Forest, before meeting our old friend again, the River Alde, at the picture postcard village of Orford with its quayside & views out to sea beyond the shingle spit, a medieval castle and grade 1 listed church. 

Our next big hitter is the riverside market town of Woodbridge, after a nice ride through Rendlesham Forest we reach Melton & Woodbridge and then follow the flow of the River Deben to our final coastal destination, the seaside resort of Felixstowe. We first explore ‘Old’ Felixstowe, the home of the fishing fleet of the town & one of four Martello Towers still standing that were originally built in the 1800’s to defend the town against the potential invasion by Napoleon forces. We then venture into the main town to enjoy the views of the seaside resort, pier, sandy beaches and on a sunny day you may just be lured into the sea to ease those heavy legs before we start our final stretch back to Ipswich following the River Orwell.  

After leaving the hotel, we head south towards the Suffolk/Essex border to Constable Country, which retains the beauty as captured by John Constable in his famous 19th century paintings. After traversing the River Stour at Manningtree and finding one of only a handful of lumpy sections of Suffolk roads (we will call this our Queen of the Mountains), we continue through some spectacular country lanes into the Dedham Vale with its rolling valley’s on winding, quiet roads as we zip through the ‘picture postcard’ villages within the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  

Following the Stour Valley path towards Boxford & Edwardstone, which brings slightly undulating terrain but its never long before it flattens out again…It is Suffolk after all!. We then speed our way towards the picture postcard village of Lavenham & Long-Melford, which are well worth slowing to more of a cruise to take in the charming church, medieval cottages as featured in the Harry Potter films and then he head onward to Rattlesden to enjoy a spot of lunch.  

After lunch we wind our way back towards Ipswich through country lanes & B-roads, cruising through the pretty town of Needham Market and then we veer onto quieter roads, exploring pretty villages & hamlets. Our final waypoint before home is Claydon and we hope you have got something left in the tank, as we take on a little climb-up out of the village before settling into our rhythm breezing along tree-lined roads and finally turning south to head for home.