Large Houses to Rent in Suffolk
RENT A BIG HOUSE IN SUFFOLK
When you want to escape from the world with your favourite people, take a look at Suffolk. This quiet county has a wealth of history, an abundance of cultural hotspots, beautiful natural spaces and 50 miles of glorious coastline. This means when you book a big house for family or friends, there’s something to love for everyone. Visit medieval towns and villages, such as Bury St. Edmunds and Lavenham, and experience cultural hotspots like Aldeburgh, home to one of the world’s most famous music and arts festivals. This is the county of Constable’s Haywain; it’s the county of pretty seaside towns such as Southwold and Lowestoft; it is cycling and walking country and, in Ipswich, it has one of the UK’s oldest - and most underrated - cities. Easily accessible from London and the south east, and well worth the journey from further north, Suffolk makes a great base for a get together, a special celebration or simply to enjoy a complete change of scenery.
Choose your Suffolk holiday house
WHEN TO STAY IN SUFFOLK
Spring
Spring in Suffolk is a time to enjoy nature, and particularly birdlife. Visit the Hen Reedbeds near Southwold where you can listen for the booming call of male bitterns and see swallows, martins and marsh harriers. Treat the children to a day at Easton Farm Park, where they might witness lambs being born and chicks hatching. And visit the South Suffolk Show in May for an insight into farming and country life.
Summer
Summer in Suffolk is suffused with holiday nostalgia. The seaside towns are traditional and unspoilt, with ice creams on the pier, bucket and spade beaches and pretty beach huts. The summer social calendar is dominated by the Aldeburgh Festival and Summer at Snape in July, where you can get your fill of classical music and the arts. Away from the coast, take a canoe or paddle board on the River Stour in the heart of Constable country or enjoy a day at Newmarket Races.
Autumn
Suffolk is one of the best places to witness autumn’s spectacular starling murmurations at Dunwich Heath or RSPB Minsmere. Their evening displays in the skies, in their tens of thousands, forming and reforming shapes is a never-forgotten experience. For autumn colour, visit Abbey Park in Bury St. Edmunds or the Old Railway Walk in Sudbury, or one of Suffolk’s many forest and woodlands.
Winter
Suffolk is known for its wide open skies, and winter brings with it the opportunity for some truly humbling stargazing. Whether it’s from the Dark Skies reserves of Wrestleton Common and Walberswick or from your own hot tub in one of our Suffolk big houses, take a moment to stare at the stars. Plan your big gathering around the Christmas holidays and you can also visit Suffolk’s picturesque villages with their Christmas lights and take bracing beach walks followed by fish and chips to warm you up.
PLACES TO VISIT IN AND AROUND SUFFOLK
As one of England’s historic counties, Suffolk has many interesting and exciting places to visit. A good place to start is Bury St. Edmunds, 1000 years old, it is packed with historical buildings and is now Suffolk’s food capital, boasting many excellent delis and restaurants. Take a tootle though some of Suffolk’s towns and villages, including medieval Lavenham, Cavendish and Hadleigh. Out on the coast, Southwold is the perfect seaside town, while Orford, Aldeburgh and Walberswick all have their own distinct charms. Don’t forget to feast your eyes on the familiar scenes from Constable’s paintings, on the River Stour. And did you know, there is a Suffolk Broads as well as Norfolk Broads, in the Broads National Park.
SPECIAL EXPERIENCES IN SUFFOLK
ORFORD CASTLE
Discover this unusual keep, one of the most complete in England. Explore all the way from the basement to the roof, where you can enjoy views to Orford Ness. The village is also home to Pump St Bakery and Pinney’s Smokehouse, for some regional foodie delights.
RSPB MINSMERE
Some of the UK’s rarest wildlife can be spotted in the woodland, reedbeds, grassland, heathland and the wild coast at Minsmere. There’s enough going on for a whole day out for all the family, including pond dipping, den building, a shop and a café.
FRAMLINGTON CASTLE
Conquer the spectacular wall walk to admire views over the town and countryside, learn the stories of barons, a Tudor queen and Georgian poorhouse children, and wander through parkland overlooking the lake. Framlingham Castle, once a stronghold of powerful earls and dukes of Norfolk, is an English history lesson brought to life.
NEWMARKET RACES
Enjoy a day at the races - or a live music event - at Newmarket Race Course. Home to the National Jockey Club, Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of English horse racing and has a history stretching back over hundreds of years.
SNAPE MALTINGS
Visit this collection of converted Victorian buildings, where you can browse independent shops, galleries, a restaurant and dog-friendly café. Stay for a performance at the Concert Hall, established by Benjamin Britten, for a truly memorable trip.
SUTTON HOO
This beautiful 255-acre estate is home to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries. Discover the history of the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king, find out about the archaeological work that revealed it, and visit the exhibition.
MID SUFFOK LIGHT RAILWAY
Take a summer steam train through the Suffolk countryside on Suffolk’s only standard gauge heritage railway line, the ‘Middy’. With it’s lovingly recreated station at Brockford, a museum, and open days that recreate the golden days of rail, this is an absolute treat for train lovers and nostalgia buffs.
GREENE KING BREWERY
Book a tour at Greene King’s Westgate Brewery, on a site that has been brewing for cask ales for over 300 years. Find out all about the brewing process, catch amazing views over Bury St. Edmunds from the tower roof, and of course, try some famous Greene King Ales.
UK PARACHUTING
Ready to jump from a plane? Don’t worry, you can do it the easy way in a tandem jump, so you get all the thrills with none of the responsibility, at UK Parachuting in Beccles. Go up into those wide Suffolk skies and then drop from them with an experience skydiver.
WILD TRACKS OUTDOOR ACTIVITY PARK
Get your speed thrills at the Wild Tracks centre in Newmarket, where you can choose from quad bikes, karting, motocross and more. Try something slower with archery or off-roading. If you’re celebrating one of the children’s birthdays you can even book the party here.
EASTON PARK FARM
Easton Farm Park is a great family day out, particularly if you have little children. They can meet and feed the animals, enjoy farm activities, climb all over the outdoor adventure playground or have fun in the indoor soft play areas. You can enjoy a coffee at the Cafe.
HEN REEDBEDS NATURE RESERVE
Hen Reedbeds is a blend of reedbeds, fens, dykes and pools. In summer you might see bittern, marsh harrier and Norfolk hawker. Listen out for reed and sedge warblers and, if you’re really lucky, you might see kingfishers, otters and voles.
JET ADVENTURES BOAT TRIPS
Bounce along the waves off the Norfolk coast, go seal watching, or take a sunset cruise along the River Waveney. Jet Adventures in Southwold have a range of exciting options on the water which offer the chance to see Suffolk and Norfolk through fresh eyes.
JIMMY’S FARM
Meet the animals at Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park. This award-winning wildlife park and rare breeds farm, owned by TV presenter and conservationist Jimmy Doherty, is home to Europe’s largest polar bear reserve and you can also meet camels, tapirs and crocodiles.
HELMINGHAM HALL GARDENS
Visit the spectacular Grade I listed Helmingham Hall and wander through the rose garden, down the apple tree walk and into the unique knot garden. The borders change with the seasons and there are events throughout the year, such as the illuminated trail in late autumn.
SUFFOLK OWL SANCTUARY
Enjoy the company of owls and other beautiful birds of prey at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. Watch demonstrations and learn more at the Discovery Centre. There’s a playground and sandpit too for the children and an owl safari to capture their imagination.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SUFFOLK
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Is Suffolk easy to get to?
Suffolk is more accessible than you might imagine. It’s just over an hour by train from central London and a couple of hours in the car. From the north, it’s fairly straightforward too, taking the M6 and then the A14 – 2.5 hours from Birmingham and 3.5 hours from Manchester. It’s straight down the M1 from the north east. It’s worth the journey wherever you come from for the change of pace, the big open skies and the combination of countryside and coast.
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When’s the best time of year to go to Suffolk?
Suffolk is lovely at any time of the year. It’s one of the best spots for birdwatching in the country and each season brings something to delight. Perhaps the autumn and early winter win the top prize though, for the aerial displays by migrating starlings. Suffolk has a thriving festival scene and it comes into its own during the summer month, from the rather cultured events at Aldeburgh and Snape Maltings to the more freewheeling music festivals such as Latitude.
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What’s the county town of Suffolk?
The county town of Suffolk is Ipswich and it’s criminally underrated. Ipswich is possibly the oldest continuously inhabited town in England, with lots of historical buildings that have stories to tell. It’s also a port town and the historic docks have been repurposed recently to become a lively hub of bars, restaurants and cultural venues. Like all the best cities, it has a river (Orwell), a cathedral and lots of green spaces. It’s definitely worth taking the time for a day trip when you stay in Suffolk.
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What’s on the coast at Suffolk?
The Suffolk coast is one of the jewels in the crown of this ancient county. It’s a combination of pretty seaside towns, such as Southwold and Aldeburgh, bustling port towns such as Felixstowe and Lowestoft, and nature reserves, such as Wrestleton Heath and Orford Ness. You can immerse yourself in nature and visit unspoilt, uncrowded beaches or you can enjoy all the fun of the seaside, building sand castles on the beach, eating ice creams and playing the amusements on the pier.
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Where are the best walks in Suffolk?
Your options for walking in Suffolk are limitless. And because it’s a county of gently rolling hills and plains rather than steep mountains and valleys, the walking is relatively easy. Take a walk through Stour Valley and Dedham Vale to see some of the iconic scenes captured by John Constable, including Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's House, the setting of The Hay Wain painting. For a mix of coastal views, nature and history, enjoy a walk through Dunwich, starting at Dunwich Heath. A forest walk with a difference is on offer at Rendlesham Forest, where you can investigate UFO sightings dating back to 1980. Who knows, you may even meet an alien from another planet! Finally take a 5-mile coastal walk that introduces you to Southwold and Walberswick, with views out to sea too.
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Which famous people are from Suffolk?
John Constable is one of Suffolk’s most famous sons, but he’s not the only notable person to hail from, or be inspired by, the county. Composer Benjamin Brittain, of course, founded the Aldeburgh Festival with his partner, Peter Pears. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, advisor to Henry VIII, was born in Ipswich, George Orwell spent many years in Southwold in his youth and crime author Ruth Rendell comes from Suffolk too. Let’s not forget Ed Sheeran, who grew up in Framlingham.