Sun and sand in Cornwall

Continuing with the 2020 trend of lockdown UK airbnb vacations, I spent 5 days around the August long weekend in the UK county of Cornwall. Cornwall is one of the few popular British tourist spots which I have visited only once and that too for a very short time. So I was quite excited about exploring it well this time. And the whole holiday turned out to be much better than I had imagined.

View of Polruan village

For one, the weather was expected to be cold and rainy the entire 5 days we were supposed to be there, and it turned out to be exactly the opposite! It was sunny and hot each of the days. Secondly, the airbnb we had booked had looked too good to be true. It was a lavish Cornish manor set in its own grounds and we had a whole guest suite to ourselves. I was actually expecting it to be a fake booking but it turned out to be real and fabulous. And both these happenings made the holiday a lot more fun than expected.

We did treks, went to beaches, stopped at quaint Cornish villages, ate at some awesome places with stunning views, watched some spectacular sunsets and generally had a fabulous time. No wonder a lot of my friends were also visiting there the few weeks around when I was there. Cornwall doesn't just have a lot of activities to do, but also very friendly people and is warmer than the rest of the UK. All adding to its charm.

Our itinerary during the trip was as follows:
Day 1 - Drive to Cornwall, stop at Dartmoor national park on the way, do a short trek at Belston near River Taw
Day 2 - Drive to Penzance (visit Kynance and Praa Sands beach) and enjoy sunset at Senner, Lands End
Day 3 - Beach hopping at Tregantle cove, Tregonhawke cove, visit Millbrook village and enjoy sunset near Downderry beach
Day 4 - Trip to Fowey village
Day 5 - Drive back to London, stop at the English Riviera 


Day 1 - Drive to Cornwall, stop at Dartmoor national park and trek at Belstone near River Taw

It is a long drive to Cornwall, and even though Google Map shows about 5 hours, given delays on long weekends, time to get out of London and much needed stops on the way, it generally ends up taking about 8 hours to get there. So we left early in the morning, renting a Virtuo car (by the way, they have a seamless digital rental process which is ahead of all other rentals. I have become a big fan of it!) and were off.

View of Dartmoor Park

I wanted to get out of London as soon as possible, so we got out before the weekend traffic started but then stopped on the way for a McDonalds breakfast in Slough itself 😆. Then we drove all the way West, aiming for the Dartmoor National Park where we were planing to have a late lunch and do an afternoon trek. The weather was sunny and gorgeous all along. We drove through Bristol but missed driving on the famous suspension bridge as it was closed. And after Bristol, as we left the motorways, the drive turned beautiful - we were driving on small roads in the countryside, it was green everywhere and looked bright and lovely. There was a lot of traffic everywhere and we had some delays, but it wasn't as bad as holiday traffic could have been.

Lunch at Tors

We reached the car park in the village of Belstone quite quickly, within 3 hours. It was a cute little village, and we walked in, past a small little tea house to the Tors restaurant. We had a very tasty burger lunch there, sitting outside on the benches and enjoying our view of the moors. There were quite some tourists around which surprised most of us as we hadn't done a proper holiday for a while. And didn't realise that everyone except us had already been out and about for a while.

Views on the trail

We then went on a short 1.5 hour walk around the River Taw. We went down the valley in front of the restaurant to River Taw, and then walked up and down the hill through the woods, all along the river. There were some nice bridges on the way, lot of trees around and it was all green and fresh everywhere. Very quickly, we got lost I think, so we couldn't really do the full walk. And somehow we made it back to our village, using logic to find the right path. Even though we didn't get to see all the sights on the walk, it was nice to stretch our feet in the open. My friends hadn't got out of London after lockdown yet, and this already felt like a good way to start venturing out.

First view of Cornwall

We then drove around the Dartmoor park, towards Devon, onto Cornwall. We drove past a beautiful viewpoint which offered us our first views of Cornwall. And just looking at it, we felt a difference, that we were entering a different place. The houses are painted white and look different from England houses. The roads also got narrower by now and it felt like we had left the city and fast life behind.

We reached our airbnb at Torpoint just before sundown at 730 pm. It was good to reach before dark as our place was out in the woods and would have been tough to find at night. We were staying at the Sconner House in the village of Polbathic near Torpoint. And the house was breath-taking.

It was a huge Cornish manor on a small hill-top, with grounds and fields all around. And we had the guest suite, with a huge living room, huge kitchen and lovely bedrooms looking out into the gardens. It had an interesting history of ownership, passing through major families till the current one who converted it back into a home. It almost felt like we were living the high class life there 😊. As it had been a long day, we just enjoyed exploring the house and called it an early night.


Day 2 - Drive to Penzance (Kynance and Praa Sands beach) and enjoy sunset at Senner, Lands End

We had not planned much for the trip, so we took every day as it came. Since our house was so amazing, we had very lazy starts to our days. We would just come in to the conservatory and sit there for sometime every morning. It was a room in the manor, filled with sofas and surrounded with glass all around, overlooking the gardens around. It used to be sunny and green outside and very hot inside. It felt perfect just to sit and read something there, or just laze around. And we did that every morning, spending a few hours there after breakfast. We also walked in the grounds and the gardens, enjoying the views of rolling hills covered by fields all around. One day when I was walking outside in the grounds, I even found an old abandoned tank nearby! I never got a chance to explore that again though. 

We had tried to book a few activities to do nearby, like kayaking, surfing, cycling etc.. But it turned out that everything was booked out by the time we started making the bookings, as everyone was visiting Cornwall in the summer! Apparently the restaurants were also fully booked out by now, and required early bookings to get a spot. So we spent most of our time visiting places nearby which didn't need a booking, though trying to avoid crowds as much as possible. We would wake up in the morning and decided what we would do during that day and then be off.

Kynance beach

Today was the day we drove the most and farthest. We first went to Kynance Beach which was about 2 hours away. There were green rolling hills all around and we drove lazily through them. On the way, there were lot of small picturesque white villages. We passed a very scenic town called Penruth on the way, which I liked. There was a lot of traffic all day though, on all the big and small roads. And the traffic never let things slow down. 

Kynance beach is supposed to have a turquoise colour to the water there. That day though when we reached the cove, the sun hid behind the clouds and the water didn't sparkle as much as we expected. Also, there were lot of crowds everywhere, kayaking, surfing and swimming, but especially at the cafe. So we just walked down to the beach and sat on the rocks for a bit, with our feet in the water. It felt nice to be there for some time but as we were looking for food, we drove to our next stop which was the Praa Sands beach, about 30 mins drive away.

Praa Sands beach (crowded)

Praa Sands beach was a good spot and we spent a long time there. There were lot of homes in white on the cliff there. The beach wasn't very long and there were lot of people there. The water was not too cold, so we went into the waves for a bit. The tide came in a bit too while we were there. After spending some time on the beach, we went to the Sands Bar and spent some time there.

Praa Sands beach (empty)

The food was tasty there, and it had an outside seating area with a gorgeous view of the beach and the sea beyond. After such a long time, it felt nice and normal to sit in a restaurant again like this. I was eating out after so many months, just the the feeling of being in the open at a place like this was enough to make me like the restaurant. Also by the time we finished our late lunch, the crowds had left and the beach looked a lot better than when we had come in, in the early afternoon.

Sunset at Lands End

Our next and last stop of the day the end of UK, the village of Senner at Lands End. We saw a glorious sunset there and walked on the beach and harbour for a bit. The reflections of the sun in the sand were stunning. By then it had got late and we started our drive back which was about 2 hours. Also the petrol in our car was about the finish and we were starting to get a bit anxious having heard earlier that places in Cornwall generally shut down early. We were already getting ready to being stuck somewhere and having to call for an emergency rescue! We somehow found a petrol pump open till 10 pm near the town of Penzance, and raced there before that time. Thankfully it was open and we were saved from the ordeal.

The drive back at night was also quite delightful as we could see the lights of the villages on the hills on the horizons. The moon was out at night and we could see all the constellations in the sky, given how far we were from city lights. From far, Penzance looked like a pretty harbour town with some impressive buildings on the beach. We also saw Newquay lights far off on the sea. Soon we were home and ready to retire in our comfortable accommodation. It had been a fun day of exploration, made even better because of good weather.


Day 3 - Beach hopping at Tregantle cove, Tregonhawke cove, lunch at Millbrook village and sunset at Downderry beach

This day, we decided to spend in and around our airbnb as it was a weekend and the typical far off Cornwall places would have been very crowded. Again, we had a late start to the day, sitting in the conservatory and enjoying the sunny views outside in morning. The rest of the day, we did beach hopping nearby, in the Whitsand Bay area. It is apparently a hidden gem of Cornwall, with a long coast, lined with cliffs, leading into some excellent beaches.

Holiday homes on the cliffs

The first place we went to was Tregantle cove, which was about 30 mins away from Tolbathic. The cove is named after the Tregantle fort on one of the cliffs. The drive was all along the coast, with steep cliffs all dropping below. I think this is the typical Cornish coast, right? There is a funny parking rule in this area, that you can park all along the road, as long as the tires do not touch the gravel. In fact, we also ran into a policeman who was checking each car's tyres and giving them parking tickets if they even touched a single gravel stone. After parking our car, we checked with him if we were in the clear, before getting out. 

Tregantle cove (from above)

From the parking, we walked all the way down a steep descent to the beach. It was quite a long one, with loads of people there. We sat on the sand in the sun for a bit, and then I went into the water and swam for an hour or so. The water was not deep till very far. It was also very calm with very less waves. The water was cool but not too cold. The perfect place for a long swim. Surprisingly, after 11 years in the UK, this was the first time I had ever swum in the sea within the UK, and that too with it being an island! Clearly, Cornwall was a more warm place than the rest of the country.

There were lot of paddle surfers and some jet skis in the water. I also saw some stalked jellyfish while swimming. The beach has a division in between where the rocks jut out outside. And when the tide comes in, the other beach becomes inaccessible. While we were still there, a car came and was announcing to people to shift into one of the beaches if they wanted to leave or be ready to be stuck on the other, till the tide went back. It felt quite dangerous honestly.

Tregonhawke cove (from above)

After that, we started looking for a place to have lunch and drove to Tregonhawke cove which again had a beach. There were a lot of holiday homes on the top of the mountain here. We walked 30 mins, all the way down the steep cliff but the cafe was closed by then. It was a beautiful location though and had a big beach too which had all but vanished in the tide by the time we went there.

Sunset at Downderry beach

After icecream and a short break at the cafe, we got back up and drove to the nearby town of Millbrook, hoping to find something to eat. It was a small village but had a co-op and an open pub to serve us a very late and well deserved lunch. We had lunch at the Devon and Cornwall pub (finally!), bought some much needed groceries and then drove on to find a good sunset.

I searched for a village on the coast and we started driving towards Downderry. Once there, it turned out they had a beautiful beachside restaurant - Inn on the Shore - and we plonked ourselves there for a few hours which we watched the sun go down over the beach. It had gotten cold outside, so we couldn't sit out but it was still wonderful to enjoy the sun going down, from the warm inside.

Sunset drive

And then we drove back with the full moon out in the sky. On the way, we saw some divine reflections of the moon on the sea as we drove by. It somehow always felt appealing driving in Cornwall, with all its small green hills, dotted with small villages, cows and other farm animals. I think Cornwall is the only warm and idyllic place you can find in the UK. The closest a place here comes to the Spanish or Italian coast.


Day 4 - Trip to Fowey village

Lunch at Fowey Hall Hotel

We had a very lazy day today and took a trip to a nearby village of Fowey which was supposed to be a picturesque Cornish village. It was a 45 mins drive away, and we reached there around lunchtime. We first went into the Fowey Hall hotel, which is built on a hill, with a 180 degree view of the Fowey river in the valley and a fabulous view across the river of Polruan village. It was a sunny and gorgeous day and we had a long lazy lunch, while enjoying the sun and the view.

Walking in the village

Then we walked down to the village, through the main street and spent some time on the waterfront. There were lot of coloured yachts in front and it felt like a bustling village centre. It was full of people walking around without a mask, which felt a bit unsafe. 

To avoid the crowds, we then started walking along the mountain towards the edge of the land, towards the St Catherine's castle. We first stopped at a small beach on the way and then walked in the woods to come to the edge of the land. There wasn't any real castle here, just remains of an old watch tower. But there were lot of impressive views from here, all around of the bay and the two villages. And I loved every minute of the time we spent there.

Panorama of the bay

We were back home early that day and were as usual looking for a place to eat, given most popular places were booked out for dinner as we were booking last minute. So we went out in the evening to our neighbourhood pub, The Halfway House which was the only one open and with available bookings. It was not great at all and the food was also just about okay. But we didn't mind as we got to eat!


Day 5 - Drive back to London, stop at the English Riviera towns

Beach at Torquay

And soon it was time for us to bid goodbye to our vacation. While driving back, we passed by the village of St Germans which was very near our accommodation, and it was a charming little village filled with stone houses and looking very ancient. It is sad we missed exploring it. Then we crossed the Tamar river, on the Plymouth bridge, crossing back into England. After that, most of the drive was through Devon. It wasn't a great day today as the weather was rainy and dark.

Waterfront at Torquay

While driving back, we decided to visit one of the 'English Riviera towns', from Torquay, Brixham, Babbacombe and Paignton. We picked on Torquay and walked around an hour on the waterfront there. We could see the whole bay and a couple of towns all around it. There was a small beach there, but it was not as impressive. 

The place looked just about ok, but not the Riviera I was expecting. When it was sunny, it felt a lot better though. I could also see a lot of old people and yachts all along the bay, so the place was clearly popular. After this stop, we headed back to London. On the way we stopped for lunch at La Champagna, near Buckland St Mary which we liked. There wasn't a lot of traffic today and getting into London was very easy.

And just like that, the trip was over. I loved our time in Cornwall, it turning out way better than I expected. The sun was hot, the waters were warm and I loved the beaches in the coves. And there was a chillness in the air which is very rare in UK. I can see myself going to Cornwall again for sure.

Maps

From London to Lands End

Around Polbathic

Exploring the UK countryside - Walk in Chiltern Hills AONB

This fall, on a surprisingly sunny day in the middle of rainy and cloudy days, me and a friend decided to go on a walk in the UK countryside. It didn't take a lot of planning, as we decided on a walk, downloaded the map, booked a train ticket from Paddington to and from the starting point, and we were set. Except the forecast changed on the last day and it was supposed to be rainy all day. Anyways we still went ahead with the plan and it was a good call. As the day turned out to be extremely warm and sunny - the perfect weather for any walk.

Route map

Our plan was to take a train to Didcot, walk around 16 kms mostly along the Thames in the Chiltern AONB, stop for lunch in the village of Dorchester-on-the-Thames and finish the walk at Cholsey, from where we would take the train back to Paddington. It mostly went as per plan except the walk turned out to be 25 kms long, and our legs had started paining by the end. But it was all worth it, for a day out on a sunny day.

We took the train to Didcot Parkway, and the fast train was about 35 mins or so. We started our walk around 1030 in the morning. The first part of the walk was mostly through the town. The town had a lot of construction going on at a few new developments. It felt like lot of people from London are moving there 😊.

First view of Thames

Then the walk took us through some farms, all of which had already harvested their crops and were empty. We walked over some hills and passed the Wittenham clumps. One hill there apparently has the remains of a Celtic fort on the top, or they say. As there is nothing there now. There was a school picnic going on when we reached there. So we wore our masks and avoided them as we kept walking. And while going down that hill, we got our first view of the Thames. The river wasn't very wide here, meandering lazily among the greens all around, but it did look very enchanting from up top. 

We then walked towards the Dorchester-on-the-Thames village which apparently has its own little history. It was a cute little village and we had lunch at the White Hart hotel. They had outside seating which was helpful given the pandemic. After a long and lazy lunch, we started walking again and kept walking all along the Thames for the next 4 hours till we got to Cholsey.

Most of the path was along the Thames, with some detours far away from it. There were lot of rowing clubs on the banks and students practicing rowing on the river. We passed by some fascinating bridges on the Thames. There were some quaint pubs and cafes on the river in the village of Wallingford. And they were full of people sitting and enjoying the sun outside. It would have been lovely to stop at one of these places and read a book while looking at the waters passing by, but we were trying to reach the end point before dark, so we kept walking on.

There were lot of newly constructed holiday homes all along the Thames. And all along, there were lot of boats moored on the sides, of the rich and famous. And trailer parks full of people who enjoy life on the water. We walked through the Benson lock and saw some boats making their way through the locks which is always fascinating to watch. 

Bridge on the Thames

It was almost a continuous walking path all the way, covered with trees and mostly in the woods. And we saw some early autumn colours at one place. The sky was deep blue and the clouds added to the beauty of the sun. It was a nice sunny walk all day, and got warm during the day too. And there were benches all along to stop and rest, while enjoying the sun. 

Early fall colours

There were lot of people on the walk and most of them were walking their dogs 😊. Tons of people were sitting and fishing on the sides. People were generally more talkative and friendly here. An old man was going for his walk and stopped and talked to us for a bit. It finaly turned out to be a long 25 kms walk, over 5.5 hours. And we loved the whole experience.

At Cholsey Marsh, we turned right and walked towards the town, away from the river. Cholsey felt larger than the previous towns and less cute too. We walked into one pub and they had no food. Then we somehow made it to the next one, the Red Lion which was better and had a dinner menu too! It was cute and had tasty food thankfully. We had a heavy burger dinner and some hot chocolate. They didnt know how to make good chocolate though, clearly no one walks into this pub asking for hot chocolate!!

There were trains coming back to London every hour which was convenient. We got late coming back to London and took the 840 one. The station was empty by then. And the trains were all running empty. It did make me wonder why does the government waste so much money running empty trains?

Anyways I loved this day out in the countryside, and look forward to doing a few more during this lockdown period.

Exploring the UK countryside - Kettlebaston in Suffolk

Our first holiday in 2020 after the lockdown in March was in the UK itself, spent in a gorgeous English country house in Suffolk. Our house was located in the village of Kettlebaston, with the nearest town being Ipswich. To be honest, when we first heard that it was near Ipswich, we had very low hopes of the holiday being an exciting one. Ipswich is one of those British towns which has a poor reputation as a tourist destination among UK towns. In fact, we even started telling our friends we were holidaying in Suffolk, rather than Ipswich, so no one could judge us 😜.

The golden hue of wheat fields

The holiday turned out to be just the opposite of what we expected, though. Given it was the year of Corona, we learnt and started to appreciate how to spend a holiday without visiting touristy places. We spent our time enjoying the simple countryside pleasures of living in a comfortable grand country house and exploring the nearby areas. Which were as fun as any tourist attraction, with the added benefit of being safe as there were no crowds there. It was immensely enjoyable and relaxing by itself, and it did not impact us which was the nearest city at all (even if it was Ipswich!).

Getting there

The village of Kettlebaston where our country house was located is part of Suffolk county and quite close to London. The drive took us about 3 hours to get there, of which 1.5 hours were spent in getting out of London onto the M25. The rest of the drive was through huge fields, some still full and a lot of them already harvested. 

On the way, we saw a few animals like deer, rabbits and foxes, sometimes in the fields and sometimes crossing the road. There weren’t a lot of villages on the way, but the ones we crossed had some picturesque houses. But for us, anything would have looked magnificent. It felt awesome just to get out of London after 4 months of not leaving the city!


About our house, The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory

The country house we were staying in, known around as The Old Rectory, was a welcome surprise. None of us had stayed in such grand houses before and were awed by it. The house was huge and had a long driveway leading up to it through the woods. It used to be run as a B&B earlier but after the lockdown, the owners had converted it into a single family airbnb to enable people to come without fear. There were many rooms in the house but only 6 were available for us for use. It had many living spaces plus outside sitting areas, a huge garden in front with a trampoline, an aga oven (which I had seen for the first time ever) and many other spaces to have a comfortable and luxurious stay.

The gardens of the house were huge, with tennis grounds and a trampoline within its area. One of the days when it was supposed to be raining, we spent most of our time in the home grounds. We jumped for two hours on the trampoline which was pure and simple fun. And some of us made use of the tennis grounds too.

The owners of the house also stayed nearby, shifting to the outhouse when guests were over. They maintained some animals on the grounds, like hens, pigs and lambs. One of the days, we even went to see those animals and see the hen laying eggs. All in all, it felt like a real country houses with a farm-ish feel to it and we loved being there. Eating home cooked everyday in the cosy kitchen or the outdoor eating spaces. And just lazing, without a plan in mind. It was the perfect lockdown de-stresser vacation 😀.


Wheat fields around The Old Rectory

First view of wheat fields

The weather was supposed to be rainy over the 5 days we were there but it turned out to be sunny for most of the parts. The first day turned out to be a sunny and glorious day. Before we had decided the plan for the day, I went for a walk to the wheat fields right next to our grounds. You could just walk past an old abandoned boat next to a pond, cross a bridge on the stream and turn up into wheat fields stretching till where the eyes can see. I didn’t really realise till this trip that wheat farming was also popular in the UK. I walked for an hour or so through the fields, walking through them while touching the golden grains. There was something very uplifting, very freeing about it. It almost felt like being back at my village in Haryana, where we have similar wheat fields. 

The wheat fields

Some of the fields still had green-ish unripe grains, some were ripe and golden, and some had already been harvested. We got a few of the wheat stalks back to our house too, to make paranthe with those 😜. The next day again, we went for a short walk into the fields in the morning and it was as stunning as the first day. And a great location for a photoshoot too. 

The village of Kettlebaston

House in Kettlebaston

One of the evenings, after the rains were gone, I went out for a short walk to our village, Kettlebaston. According to Wiki, it has a population of 30 and I can attest to it. It was very small and lovely. I went on a 1.5 hour walk, through narrow roads and huge fields, crossing some huge picturesque houses nearby, the local church and a few stud farms around. There were some more wheat fields around it which gave some scenic views on the walk. It’s on this walk that I realised that Suffolk could easily be an easy holiday destination for weekends out of London. Maybe for next summer if lockdown doesn’t finish! 

Boating in Dedham AONB and Hadleigh riverside walk

One of the days we visited Dedham AONB, which was about 30 mins drive from our house. The villages on the way were small, and had colourful houses like they have in Italy. The villages weren’t too picturesque but still refreshing. We drove to the boathouse where we sat for some time in the grounds next to the river. We had picnic biryani lunch there as the sun had also come out for a bit.

Boating in Dedham

After that, we did a bit of boating in the river. You can hire rowing boats for £16 per hour there. The boat ride through the narrow river was fun. And quite bumpy too, with people bumping into each other. There were a few children swimming in the river too which felt quite inviting. It felt nice to be there but honestly we were surprised by the number of people around given it was still July and corona hadn't subsided yet. And they were not really maintaining any social distancing. So we decided the rest of the week to not go to any such touristy places and stay near our house only.

While driving back to our house, we stopped at the riverside walk in the village of Hadleigh and walked there along the stream in the woods. It was a nice walk and not many people were there either. The ones who were there weren't following social distancing though. But it still felt safer and less crowded.


Walk to Monks Eleigh and Kersey

Walk through the farms

One of the days, I decided to explore the villages around and went for a walk on the country footpaths, with no real plan or map in hand. I just followed the yellow footpaths, wherever they went and had quite an interesting day. Initially I walked through lots of wheat fields, again burning like gold all around. I walked through farms, farm houses and on random roads. Then I came across fields of ‘fali’. And at some places, there were loads of berries and wild flowers. I tasted some of the blackberries too. And then I walked through huge pea fields. I ate a lot of them too, they were fresh and tasty. But a lot of them were drying without being plucked and I later read that there weren’t enough workers that time to harvest ripe crops.

Views on the walks

Continuing on this walk, I reached a picturesque village Monks Eleigh Tye and kept walking past it. And I was near Swingleton Green when it started raining. I had to stop and wait at the village for the rain to stop. I searched for the nearest pub to sit and wait and found one 10 mins walking from there, Swan Inn in the village of Monks Eleigh. But even to get there, I had to take a lift for the 2 mins drive as the roads were too narrow and dangerous to walk on.

By the time I reached the pub, the sun was out and I sat outside in the sun, reading a book and waiting for my friends to pick me up as it was too long to walk back to my house. I chatted with the locals when I was there. A couple I was chatting with knew the owners, Paddy and Maggie of our airbnb. They talked about Suffolk and how much they loved being there, how it wasn’t well know among people in London and how lot of people from Suffolk commuted for work to London daily. Also apparently, Coronavirus was less here and things were open and safer most of the time. 

Village of Kersey

After my friends picked me up, we drove to the village of Kersey. It was a lovely village with a beautiful church on a hill. We stopped there for a bit and it felt nice to be there. Just being out of London and being able to walk in the open in a village felt like a gift to be valued and enjoyed. After eating a light snack there, we were off back to our house. On the drive back, we saw some stunning sunsets and enjoyed the cool breeze around after a long day. 

Coming back to London

The day we were coming back was quite a dampener. It started raining (finally), so once we checked out we just drove back and were back in London within 2.5 hours. We could have explored some more areas around if it hadn’t been raining but we couldn’t.

We enjoyed our time at the house without really exploring a lot of touristy places around. But there are a few places which are worth a visit in more normal times. Below are a few we read up about but never visited

• Grounds of Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds, 34 mins from KB 
• Lavenham - 15 mins drive from Kettlebaston, with a very pretty 1 hour walk across country footpaths that is generally empty. 
• East Bergholt, known as Constable country is beautiful with a lovely walk along the river Stour 
• The sandy beaches of Frinton, Walton and Felixstowe are just under an hour’s drive away while Aldeburgh, Walberswick and Southwold are near enough for a day’s excursion. 
• Medieval wool towns of Long Melford, Cavendish and Clare