Castles & Constable Country

Head through the lanes to Debenham, a pretty village with its over-hanging houses and antique shops, then on to Saxtead Green. Here you can visit the beautifully restored 18c post mill and, perhaps, take refreshment at the inn nearby. A detour to one of the vineyards in the area is well worth the visit.
You spend the night in the quiet market town of Framlingham where the 12th century castle, the one-time home of Mary Tudor, and church are both superb.

Mileage: Rec 22 Min 21 Max 38

Cycle to Snape Maltings where the Aldeburgh Festival concert hall sits among the little arts community on the banks of the river Alde.
Those with plenty of energy left can continue on the recommended route to both Orford, with its impressive castle keep, quaint quayside and boat trips, and Shingle Street, a quiet spot where the River Ore meets the sea. Mere mortals can amend their route to exclude one or other, bringing the mileages down to 28 and 30 miles respectively.
Just outside the lovely maritime town of Woodbridge where you stop for the night, you can visit the site of the rich Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo.

Mileage: Rec 39 Min 13 Max 46

Take time to explore Woodbridge and visit the Tide Mill before climbing back onto your bikes and pedalling along quiet Suffolk lanes and passing through Little Bealings,Tuddenham and other pretty villages, each with its own character, church and village inn.
You may choose to splash through the ford when you visit the classic village of Kersey. Then cycle on through beautiful Chelsworth with its narrow bridge and weavers’ cottages, before your overnight stop in Hadleigh. Here, in this once important “Wool Town”, you can explore the streets lined with overhanging, timber framed houses.

Mileage: Rec 22 Min 21 Max 35

Cycle the lanes to the prosperous “Wool Town” of Hadleigh with its fine old High Street and pretty riverside walk. Continue through the tiny riverside hamlet of Shelley into the heart of ‘Constable Country’, you’ll explore East Bergholt his birthplace, Flatford Mill where a guided walking tour visits seven sites painted by Constable including the ‘Haywain’.
Continue on to Stoke by Nayland, whose church tower is featured in many of Constable’s paintings, and finally to the famous ‘Wool Town’ of Lavenham for the night.

Mileage: Rec 38 Min 8 Max 38

Time to explore the medieval splendour of Lavenham before a gentle ride back to Needham Market. There are options to visit the Museum of East Anglian Life at Stowmarket and, for the energetic, to visit Ickworth near Bury St Edmunds.

Mileage: Rec 24 Min 16 Max 40