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Saturday, February 11, 2012
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living
travel M
Home: Hintlesham, Suffolk
Manor to which I’ve become accustomed
EPIC: Hintlesham Hall Hotel. Right, from top, the hall’s dining room; one of the bedrooms; beach huts; Felixstowe beach; Newmarket racecourse; Ella plays lady of the Manor
I
T was like driving into the midst of a Jane Austen novel. Or, at the very least, an unusually dark and moody episode of Downton Abbey.
Acres and acres of flat, sweeping fields with swirling seagulls overhead, rolling clouds and steel grey skies . . . welcome to the windswept Suffolk countryside. Who’d have thought the concrete vista of the A14 could lead somewhere so epic? The spiritual home of golfers, gamblers and meat eaters (you will come across more pigs than you could possibly imagine and Newmarket races is just down the road), Suffolk-proper is an hour from Cambridge, unless you get fooled by the winding country roads and end up bogged down in a field somewhere. Whatever you do, don’t forget your wellies and a torch. At night this place conjures up an impressively star spattered sky, but is also as shadowy and haunting as a Sherlock Holmes crime scene, and much muddier. We were headed for the snug and dozy village of Hintlesham, a striking collection of red brick mansions and terraced Victorian houses, seemingly all with wild English gardens and imposing gates (gargoyles not mandatory). Smack bang in the depths of the Suffolk wilds, if hopscotching from pub to pub, kicking off your walking shoes after a countryside trudge and settling down to a fireside pint is enough to keep
travel file F Hintlesham Hall Hot el, Hintlesham, Ipswich, Suf folk, IP8 3NS, www.hintleshamh all.co.uk. Bed and breakfast starts per room, for two peo from £160 Cherry Orchard suite isple. The £550 per night.
Call (01473) 652334 or email reservations@hintlesha mhall.com to make a reservation F For information abo www.visitsuffolk.com ut Suffolk, see
you occupied, it’s impossible to be disappointed. Besides a visit to Hintlesham Hall Hotel, an estate of Pride and Prejudice proportions that I’ll wistfully get back to in a minute, these are your options, unless of course you’ve packed your clubs. The Hintlesham golf club is open to any visitors ready for a heady day of whacking their way through the parkland course. Otherwise, the nearest towns for some not-so-sleepy life are Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. The grey, Anglo Saxon settlement of Ipswich might satisfy your shopping needs but beauty-wise, a trip to Bury is a better bet. St Edmundsbury Cathedral and the Theatre Royal are standing ovations to history and generations of design, while the regular market could fix all your cheese, meat and craft cravings.
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The sea isn’t too far away either. Hintlesham is only 30 minutes from the arcade and pebble strewn stretch coast of Felixstowe. Definitely worth a visit if you’re with the kids and they’re getting restless, or if your vice is a mix of fish ‘n’ chips and 2p machines while further up the shore are some less gaudy Suffolk beaches, dotted with candy coloured beach huts. I’d stick to buttoning up your coat and stalking the rugged plains of the countryside though. Next time I plan to be fully decked out in a floor length gown with a hem that will romantically drag through the mud – Lizzy Bennet and Sybil Crawley would be proud. A stay at Hintlesham Hall Hotel is no less epic than the surrounding landscape, hence why it’s a favourite with brides-to-be. Being pretty new to staying in period-drama worthy houses, we were in giddy shock as we drew up to the hall (sadly not in a carriage, which would have been much more appropriate). Built in the 1400s it’s the kind of architectural feat that’s even grander in lashing rain and howling winds, but drenched in summer sunshine would be perfect for a spot of afternoon tea and a game of croquet. We were staying in the Cherry Orchard suite the room Robert “the first celebrity chef” Carrier filmed his TV programme in when he ran Hintlesham as a cookery school and restaurant in the 1970s and 80s. It
had a shower large enough to keep a horse in and a balcony room with a ‘Princess and the Pea’ sized bed – luckily I just about managed to save running around on the quilt-thick carpet and screeching over the welcome bottle of champagne for when the concierge had left. Taking a tour through the drawing room (think high ceilings and gilt chairs) and bar (all glossy wood and shining bottles), to the long gallery, we quickly realised we weren’t exactly prepared – or dressed – for the grandeur of Hintlesham: gentlemen, remember your suit jackets. Then there was the food . . . dinner was a delicious array of venison with cranberries, followed by duck and an incredible chocolate parfait and if you usually skip breakfast, don’t miss it here. Croissants slathered with jam and a full English (that tasty Suffolk pork), even the coffee arrives in its own dinky cafetiere for one. Post-breakfast, I’d recommend nipping to the spa for a dip in the outdoor pool or an aromatic body massage if you fancy feeling slightly comatose – but in the best possible way. Then there is nothing left to do but slip out of the luxurious white bathrobes, bid farewell to the decadent menu and sumptuous furnishings and daydream about what it would be like being lady of the manor every day.
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ELLA WALKER