Border Country & Heritage Coast
Enjoy some of the quietest areas of north Suffolk and its Norfolk borderlands en route to the unspoilt Suffolk heritage coast, rich in history, wildlife and natural beauty. Head up to the Waveney Valley to take in the gardens of the famous Bloom family at Bressingham. There are stops near Norfolk’s Diss with its ancient meare and Suffolk’s gentle Halesworth, before the crumbling cliffs beckon at Covehithe and lead down via the nostalgic seaside resort of Southwold; ancient Dunwich and the old fishing town of Aldeburgh; Orford with its royal castle and mysterious Shingle Street to Woodbridge and tales of Sutton Hoo's treasure-rich ship burial by the River Deben. Read More
England
Any Day
Bed & Breakfast
£858.00
7 Days, 6 Nights
Jan - Nov
Grade 2 (Easy)
Overview
The tour takes you to the quietest areas of north Suffolk and the Norfolk borders, before turning to take in the full beauty of the unspoilt Heritage Coast from Covehithe to the River Deben. Highlights include the gardens, Dad’s Army exhibition and steam museum at Bressingham; Thorpe Abbotts airfield museum; the church within a church at Covehithe; RSPB Minsmere; Orford Castle, Sutton Hoo and Woodbridge with its famous working tidemill.
Itinerary
The tour takes you to the quietest areas of north Suffolk and the Norfolk borders before turning to follow the length of the unspoilt Heritage Coast from Covehithe to the River Deben.
Day 1 Arrive & explore
Arrive at Needham Market, explore the area and spend your first night in or near this small market town.
Day 2 Great village greens & glorious gardens
Cycle through pretty Suffolk villages over level terrain to Bressingham Gardens famous for its plant and alpine collections, and its outstanding railway and steam museum. Nearby is Diss, a charming town with a quaint high street leading down to Diss mere. Your hotel for the night is in an historic village close to this market town.
Mileage: Rec 31 Min 26 Max 38
Day 3 From buried treasure to bombers
Today you have many options before spending the night at the thriving small town of Halesworth. You can visit the pretty village of Hoxne where St Edmund was captured and slain by the Danes in 870. Travel back to war time Britain with a visit to the excellent museum at the former US Airbase near Diss. Cycle on through Wingfield with its Old College incorporating a magnificent medieval great hall alongside the impressive collegiate church complete with a Plantagenet tomb.
Mileage: Rec 23 Min 19 Max 28
Day 4 Crumbling cliffs, the brightest beach huts & plenty of nostalgia
From Halesworth you meet the coast at Covehithe where the road ends abruptly at crumbling cliffs. Travel down the coast to Southwold for the night. Exploring Southwold, you’ll find a resort full of old world charm, with broad greens and pantiled cottages under the watchful eye of a towering lighthouse.
Mileage: Rec 21 Min 13 Max 21
Day 5 Haunting heaths, feathered friends & fishermen’s huts
A day by the sea, through Dunwich the onetime capital of East Anglia now lost under the waves, across the heather clad Dunwich Heath, through the RSPB reserve at Minsmere to Aldeburgh for the night. Here fisherman haul up their boats onto the beach of this fine old styled resort with its wide high street and smart restaurants.
Mileage: Rec 21 Min 21 Max 28
Day 6 Creeks, concert halls, waves & warrior kings
Going inland to gain river crossings you can visit the Maltings at Snape, home of the Aldeburgh Festival, climb to the top of dramatic Orford Castle, reach the tip of Orford Ness at quiet and beautiful Shingle Street, visit Sutton Hoo the site of the rich Anglo-Saxon ship burial and cycle down into the market town of Woodbridge for the night.
Mileage: Rec 37 Min 16 Max 43
Day 7 A colourful route homeward
An opportunity to explore the river and Tide Mill at Woodbridge before cycling through rural Suffolk to return to Needham Market, possibly stopping at the beautiful Helmingham Hall Gardens on the way.
Mileage: Rec 19 Min 18 Max 28
Gallery
Dates & Prices
Download PricesFor tour start days/dates, seasons and all prices, please click on the PRICES button above
PRICE INCLUDES
Ensuite accommodation as described with full English breakfast (prices based on two adults sharing)
Hire of hybrid bicycle and ancillary equipment (single pannier and handlebar bag or map holder, pump, basic tools, spare inner tube & puncture repair equipment, helmet if required)
Luggage transfer between hotels
Local assistance on call (we will attend for puncture repair in Suffolk)
Detailed itinerary with meticulously planned and researched routes following quiet country lanes with a choice of routes available each day (usually recommended, long and short)
Route notes, descriptions and use of good OS mapping (maps available on arrival). We pride ourselves on our detailed level of documentation which includes plenty of top tips for places to visit or for relaxing and sampling the local fare along the way. We send electronic versions of these documents by email approximately two weeks before your stay so you can plan ahead and look forward to your gentle cycling adventure
We have now switched the default navigation system to GPS – in our opinion this is now the most convenient method as it eliminates the need for frequent stops to check the map
- We provide you with access to a premium GPS smartphone navigation app (IOS or Android) and send you links so that you can download all of the route options before you leave home. We will provide a handlebar bracket for your phone if required; it is also recommended that you bring a spare battery/powerbank to make sure that your phone lasts the day
- We can also provide GPS tracks in whatever format if you prefer to load them into your own GPS Unit.
- Finally, we can provide a limited number of GPS units with the routes preloaded – this is on a first come first served basis – please let us know as soon as you can if you would like to use one
- We will also provide OS 1:50,000 mapping on arrival as additional support to allow for any impromptu route changes
- Traditional map-based navigation (using marked OS maps) is still available as an alternative at extra cost upon request (at least two weeks in advance)
Please note that the price EXCLUDES
Costs of getting to and from the start point
Accommodation Options
Selected 4 star inns in Rickinghall and Halesworth and 3 star hotels in Southwold, Aldeburgh and Woodbridge.
Weekend supplements are payable if your stay in either Woodbridge or Aldeburgh falls on a Fri or Sat night.
We are pleased to discuss details on request.
Request Booking
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