Brilliant things to do… Outdoors

1 Explore Christchurch Park

This park, in the heart of Ipswich, opened in 1985, and extends over 33 hectares of picturesque grounds. The park was officially ‘reopened’ in 2008 after the completion of a £4.5m restoration project. The Tudor Christchurch Mansion houses a public museum and art gallery.

2 Explore Dunwich Heath Aonb

There are lovely heathland, forest and coastal walks to take, and don’t miss Dunwich itself with its friendly pub and tiny museum that tells the story of how this hamlet was once one of the biggest and most prosperous ports in the country. The diorama shows the extent of the port in its medieval heyday.

3 Be In Southwold

It’s a great place to be in Summer, but, you know, busy. Now though you can enjoy the High Street and seafront without the throng and you’re assured of a table inside the pubs and restaurants. Head down to Blackshore harbour where there are shacks selling free seafood, cafes, restaurants and the Harbour Inn. Take a look at how high the water was in the 1953 flood.

4 Take A Boat Trip To Orford Ness

Take a boat trip on the National Trust’s Octavia to Orford Ness. It’s only a short one, but you’ll feel as if you’ve travelled to another world. This remote, wild shingle spit, the largest in Europe, has walking trails through this internationally-important nature reserve littered with debris and forbidding buildings from the time when it was a military testing site.

5 Go Stargazing

With little light pollution on the coast, you can enjoy dark and wide skies. Wait for a cloudless night, wrap up warm, and get set for a magical natural experience. The two Designated Dark Sky Sites in the county are Walberswick and Westleton Common. Other good places are Shingle Street, Dunwich and Covehithe.

6 MEET A POLAR BEAR!

She’s called Ewa and she’s at >Jimmy’s Farm outside Ipswich. Ewa was rescued from a zoo in Sweden that closed, and now lives in a new Tundra reserve on the farm that features grassy plains, lakes fed from natural springs and a large woodland.

7 Take A Boat Trip On The Broads

This National Park has a quieter stretch, the River Waveney, in north Suffolk. Why not hire a boat at Beccles and cruise along the river nosing into peoples’ back yards.

8 Go Birdwatching At Rspb Minsmere

In the reedbeds and coastal lagoons you might see avocets, bearded tits and bitterns, at >RSPB Minsmere. Okay, you’re more likely to hear a bittern boom, but you never know.

9 See The Animals At Africa Alive

>Africa Alive Zoological Reserve, near Lowestoft, is set in 100 acres of lovely countryside. It’s a conservation hub for some of Africa’s most vulnerable species, including the Southern White Rhino, African Lion, Reticulated Giraffe and Blue-Eyed Black Lemur.

10 Explore Felixstowe

Explore Felixstowe seafront and discover >Landguard Fort.

There’s a lovely traditional vibe to the town, with its seaside gardens and pier. Hunt out a great place for fish and chips, whether that’s by the beach or down by the Bawdsey ferry.

11 Visit Sutton Hoo

>Sutton Hoo is the site of one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time – an Anglo Saxon Royal ship burial. The site, near Woodbridge, tells the story of the remarkable excavation and how the Anglo Saxons lived, plus there are lovely walk to take – and great views of the River Deben.

12 See Where John Constable Painted The Hay Wain

National Trust property Flatford Mill within the Dedham Vale AONB is the location and it’s a lovely place to explore. Set beside the River Stour, take a look at the mill and Willy Lott’s House and you might feel as if you’re walking through one of Constable’s paintings.

13 Explore The Wool Towns

Visit Lavenham, Clare, Long Melford and Kersey, possibly the prettiest village you’re ever going to see. At Sudbury, don’t miss the recentlyrefurbished >Gainsborough’s House

14 VISIT SUFFOLK’S LITTLE ITALY

That would be Ickworth House with its fabulous rotunda. But it’s also a great place to stretch your legs, cycle or take your dog for a walk.

15 Check Out Bury St Edmunds

Spend some time bimbling in Bury St Edmunds, our cathedral town. There’s some lovely Georgian architecture in the town centre (as well as lots of great shopping) and don’t miss the Abbey Gardens and Angel Hill, where some of The Personal Life of David Copperfield with Dev Patel was filmed. The town has the only surviving Regency theatre in the country.

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