5 minute read
Super Suff olk enjoy this beautiful county
We arrive at Toad Hall Caravan Site near Ipswich. It’s a small site, with a large lawn for dog walking and games, surrounded by caravans beside the hedgerows. We pitch up in glorious sunshine and head off to see Felixstowe, with its long seafront and the promise of fun.
The promenade goes on for miles and, over the course of our stay, we walk from end to end, taking in the views of colourful beach huts, waves splashing against the rocks, typical seaside shops, entertainment venues and places to eat.
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Opposite the beach are Felixstowe's beautiful Victorian Seafront Gardens, some terraced, others on the level. We walk through a rose garden and pass ponds with fancy fish. The town has a lot of historic buildings and interesting architecture, with old Tudor-style buildings in some parts of town, and impressive Victorian architecture in others.
There’s crazy golf, a theatre, and a big entertainment area with a fairground behind an amusement arcade. The pebble beach has rocks piled up to act as wave breakers. It’s charming.
SUFFOLK OWL SANCTUARY The following day we visit Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, home to dozens of owls, large and small, from eagle owls, to little owls, as well as falcons and vultures. We peruse the aviaries, admiring a bald eagle, hooded vultures, laughing kookaburras, raptors and glorious owls from around the world.
The sanctuary hospital takes
ATTRACTIONS
Suffolk Owl Sanctuary W owl-help.org.uk
Helmingham Hall Gardens W helmingham.com
Ickworth W nationaltrust.org.uk/ickworth
OTHER ATTRACTIONS NEARBY Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park W jimmysfarm.com
Bentwaters Cold War Museum W bcwm.org.uk MAIN PIC Ickworth estate has extensive gardens
ABOVE Beach houses on Felixstowe seafront
INSET An eagle owl and bald eagle at the Owl Santurary road casualties, injured owls, unwanted pets, surplus from zoos and other unwanted birds. If possible, they'll release them into the wild once they are well, otherwise they give them a home for life.
The sanctuary itself is moderate but charming, with flying displays and exercise flights every day. There are also meerkats, foxes and hedgehogs; although, being nocturnal, the hedgehogs are hiding when we visit.
The first flying display begins at 11.30 with a barn owl, a brown owl, and a peregrine-lanner falcon cross – a breed known for its speed, agility, and cooperative nature. The bird swoops and dives to catch a lure being flung through the air on the end of a piece of string.
The owl's incredible abilities are highlighted during the talk, including their ability to move their head around 270 degrees. Their silent flight, night vision and super-sensitive hearing allow them to hunt with precision at night.
After the display, we have a picnic in the grounds and go to see more of the animals. The silver foxes are having a snooze in the sunshine. Trying to get the kookaburra to laugh isn't working – he didn't find my impressions funny, apparently. The afternoon flying display features vultures and a stunning eagle owl. The plight of vultures in the wild is explained. They're almost all seriously endangered, yet the work they do is very important to people's health – clearing up corpses and helping stop the spread of disease.
They have incredible immune systems, and can eat corpses of animals that have died with botulism and other diseases, without suffering any ill effects. Yet some people dislike them, and they are persecuted in the wild. The vultures are impressive, flying with their massive wings open, across the arena. We attend the meerkat feeding talk and learn about what they eat in the wild. They make really bad pets because they wreck your house, destroy your belongings, ››
and, if they're in the garden, they dig and escape. They are also prone to biting and scratching, says a keeper from experience.
ICKWORTH The following day we visit Ickworth, a National Trust property with extensive gardens and parkland. We explore the Italianate gardens, get lost in the woods, and follow the riverside trail. The river is more like a stream but, overall, it's a lovely experience, with glorious landscapes, beautiful gardens and a historic house.
You can go inside, embark on a tour of the servants' quarters and then follow the visitor route to see the luxurious rooms upstairs.
We've clocked up about five miles walking around the estate by the end of our visit. Families are enjoying the gardens, playing games. People on bicycles are following the parkland trails. There's plenty of scope for an active day here.
HELMINGHAM HALL GARDENS Helmingham Hall Gardens are tranquil gardens half an hour's drive from Toad Hall Caravan Site. We're first ones inside when it opens at 11am.
The gardens are surrounded by a deer park, which is full of beautiful deer with white spots like Bambi. They run and frolic as they see apples being thrown by a member of staff; they're munching on them in no time. In the gardens we see the stunning moated mansion, then continue into the walled garden where vegetables include heritage tomatoes, exotic white aubergines, weird and wonderful squashes, fennel, greens, leeks, beans, sweetcorn, courgettes and onions laid out in the sun to dry.
The walled garden is a vibrant display of colour, with floral borders, sculptures, spiral planting and topiary bushes among the plots of fruits and vegetables.
A pet graveyard is hidden away, beyond the wildflower garden. There's an apple orchard, a collection of crab apple trees, and a waterside walk under trees. Herb plots and colourful roses create a fragrant walk and there's a lake, where ducks are paddling.
The parkland leads to the estate church, which claims to be the only church in the county with a dormer window. Some of the gravestones give snippets about life in the 1800s and 1900s, including the lives of the servants.
We also visit RSPB Boyton and Hollesley Marshes, a delightful home to lots of wildlife.
We watch the avocets and other waders in the pools, then, as a fitting end to our tour, we strolled along the picturesque riverbank.
WHERE TO STAY
PRICES COUPLE, ELECTRIC HOOK-UP, PER NIGHT TOAD HALL CARAVAN SITE Felixstowe Road Nacton, Ipswich IP10 0DE T 07947 180377 W toadhallcaravans.co.uk OPEN April-October PRICE From £18
ALTERNATIVE SITE RUN COTTAGE TOURING PARK Alderton Road, Hollesley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3RQ T 01394 411309 W runcottage.co.uk OPEN All year PRICE From £22 ABOVE LEFT Helmingham Hall Gardens
TOP RIGHT A boat at RSPB Boyton and Hollesley Marshes Nature Reserve
ABOVE RIGHT Felixstowe's Seafront Gardens
