Living in Suffolk

Army

Club Member
How do Guys n Gals from Region 27 i was just after your opinion on areas of Suffolk that you would recommend for a new life on the East Coast. i often look at forums that folk write up about the good and the bad in the county where they live, you often get folk who are cheesed off with life in various areas so they are totally negative on where they live. i looked at villages in the Bury St Edmunds area but i have no personal knowledge on Suffolk i.e. traffic, Villages, coastal areas and places to swerve so any information would be gratefully appreciated :cool:
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

Hi Andy
I'm surprised no one has answered you yet, but I guess it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want, what sort of infrastructure you need around you, and how much you want to spend... I'm in South Suffolk, on the edge of Constable country, near the market town of Hadleigh. Been here nearly 16 years and love it. It suited us for the wife's commute to London and mine to Chelmsford, now it suits us for a super little community and easy access to wherever we want to go, coast or country... People rave about the coastal villages, but tourist traffic and road congestion put me off...

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Re: Living in Suffolk

How do Geoff cheers for the reply, we currently live in a rural village in Cumbria and we fancied a move to possibly Devon or Corwall but the weather is one of the deciding factors in the move and having toured the west country for the last 2 years it became fairly obvious that Cumbria and Devon have very similar climates so we thought let's try the East coast I.e. Suffolk. So we are looking for a rural village that we can enjoy but also be within a few Miles of a rail link into London. I noticed a few really nice properties that were within a few miles of Bury St Edmund's which seems to be a decent town. If im not mistaken Suffolk seems to have plenty of picturesque villages so any ideas would be gratefully recieved especially on places not to live or any areas with high traffic volumes
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

Well, Coddenham is the place of the moment... everything you're looking for but at silly prices. Cavendish (near Sudbury) Kersey (near Hadleigh) and Woolpit (near BSE) are all worth a look. I'm quite fond of Grundisburgh (near Woodbridge) and East Bergholt has a lot going for it. Traffic on the A14 can be an issue, as it's the only route for container traffic from Felixstowe to the Midlands, and when that combines with the sugar beet harvest it can be a nightmare. On the other hand, the short ride to Harwich gives you easy access to the mainland. For trains into London, there seems to be a Suffolk premium, and many people seem to drive to Colchester. We use Manningtree. I don't think BSE has a direct train to London, its a branch line into Ipswich or Cambridge ... Places to avoid, for me, would be the seaside resorts, but that's just me, I've friends in Felixstowe and Southwold who adore the places, although I've never met anyone who likes living in lowestoft...Best you book a few airbnb's and come have a look around. (Mark Dunford (club member) has a cottage in his garden in Stradbroke that he rents out,https://www.facebook.com/woodpeckerlodgesuffolk/) ...
Best of luck, Geoff

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Re: Living in Suffolk

Cheers Geoff, we don't mind branch lines to aid our adventures and i will have a look at areas that are close to the A14 so that we can swerve them. Finding a traditional Suffolk village that still resembles a village and not an expanding mass of new builds is a must, we are walkers so areas of interest are important. As i previously said the weather has played a big part in deciding where we move to, we have lived all our lives in North Cumbria and even though its a stunning part of the country its not called the Lake District for a reason so we looked at a warmer dryer area and Suffolk does seam to have a warmer and dryer climate with a lower percentage of rain fall than most places and more hours of sunshine i know its not the South of France but it has to be better than what we currently experience. i will check on the cottage availability but it all sounds promising anyway any further information will be gratefully accepted
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

'although I've never met anyone who likes living in lowestoft.'

Allow me to be the exception. Granted, the town centre isn't the most salubrious but construction of a new river crossing - commencing in the New Year - will solve the only real traffic hang-up and provide the catalyst for planned regeneration. There's on hourly direct train to London on Greater Anglia's new fleet and Norwich is near enough for a city pub crawl. Plenty of work in the offshore renewables industry, though Oil & Gas in the doldrums; CEFAS just finishing construction of their national base, and with Sizewell C planned down the road, there's skilled work aplenty. Hand on heart, it can't compete with Bury in terms of 'quintessential Englishness '. Oulton Broad is the jewel in the crown, house prices are lower than the rest of the county and, being pressed against the sea, there's limited scope for large scale development to accommodate city escapees. Pakefield has the best selection of pubs. Kessingland also worth a look at. Southwold nearby, but best avoided unless you like to share your overpriced pint with London luvvies drinking white wine and complaining about the dreadful locals who voted for Brexit - still. North of the river, Blundeston and Corton are quiet little backwaters, if lacking in character. Generally speaking, it's a place on the up and Covid is generating an influx of early retirees looking to downsize and settle by the coast.
From a riding point of view, Harwich is only 60 miles for a ferry to the Hoek of Holland, but local roads offer pretty boring riding and you have to do the miles to get to most rallies etc. Weather's generally good, and dry, but those winter Easterlies cut to the bone.
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

Well a big thank you to Steve and Geoff you have both gave us plenty of food for thought. Now the easterly wind cant be as bad as working up at Shap in mid winter which often experiences minus 10. I'm led to believe Suffolk is dryer and a few degrees warmer and with a variety of quintessential English villages that may have properties for sale and decent transport links
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

Well a big thank you to Steve and Geoff you have both gave us plenty of food for thought. Now the easterly wind cant be as bad as working up at Shap in mid winter which often experiences minus 10. I'm led to believe Suffolk is dryer and a few degrees warmer and with a variety of quintessential English villages that may have properties for sale and decent transport links

Now that the serious stuff is over, I will offer you one useful piece of advice........








.....don't buy locally knitted gloves.
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

How do Kev you been on the mushrooms or is there something I'm missing about local gloves
 
Re: Living in Suffolk

Not too fond of Beccles. There is a clock on three sides
of the church tower. One side points over the border.
 
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