Car-free Summer adventuresin Suffolk
Seal-watching near Lowestoft, boat-building in Woodbridge, bird-watching at Minsmere or bathing in Beccles… these are just some of the things you could get up to in Suffolk this summer. Getting there without a car means helping the environment, enjoying a scenic train or bus ride, having time to rest, read or have a drink. It could get you a car-free reward too like money off entry, a free cup of tea or a guidebook. Read on for more!
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1. Seal-watching near Lowestoft
Britain’s most easterly town, with sandy beaches and classic seaside attractions, Lowestoft is also close to huge colonies of grey seals. You can take a boat trip from the South Pier to see hundreds of grey and common harbour seals swimming and basking around Scroby Sands near Great Yarmouth. And you can get 5% off if you arrive at Jet Adventures without a car.
- Jet Adventures leaves from the Heritage Quay on South Pier near the railway station. The jet boat heads out of the harbour and speeds over the waves at up to 20 knots for an exhilarating ride past Ness Point (Britain’s most easterly point) and lots of coastal resorts before heading for Scroby Sands Windfarm and its seal-friendly sandbanks. Dropping anchor, the boat can drift silently so that the curious seals will come up close.
- How do I get to Jet Adventures without a car? It’s just a ten-minute stroll from Lowestoft’s railway station to the South Pier. Turning right out of the station, you have to cross the moveable bridge, which opens regularly for up to fifteen minutes to let boats through so allow plenty of time. You can get there by bus too. There are more details in Good Journey’s directions.
- Is it a scenic journey? Yes! The railway lines from Norwich to Lowestoft are some of the most beautiful in the UK. These Wherry Lines run straight through the Norfolk Broads, past miles of reeds and water, windmills, wild birds and gently-grazing cows. The East Suffolk railway line from Ipswich to Lowestoft is also lovely, passing places like Woodbridge and Saxmundham (see 2 and 3 below) with views across the River Deben and the flowering Suffolk countryside.
- What about afterwards? Check out our car-free guide to Lowestoft for more suggestions. And Lowestoft has lots of great places to eat and drink. You could have fish and chips on the beach or a Turkish feast at the Lavash Kitchen.
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2. Explore the river at Woodbridge
The lovely River Deben rises inland at Debenham and meets the sea, twenty miles later, near Felixstowe. The salt marshes and mudflats are home to numerous birds like oystercatchers, curlews and even avocets. Head to Woodbridge by train to explore the area’s wildlife and heritage.
- Over the centuries, the river has been harnessed to transport East Anglian kings or turn mill wheels to make flour. You can visit a royal Anglo-Saxon burial ground at Sutton Hoo, a very unusual Tide Mill at Woodbridge that still grinds grain into flour, and the nearby Longshed, a home for some extraordinary creative projects.
- Across the river from Woodbridge, a seventh-century king was buried along with a huge ship and lots of treasures like an ornate helmet (now in the British Museum). Sutton Hoo has a fabulous museum, lots of walks, and a viewing tower above the atmospheric burial mounds. If you arrive without a car, you get 20% off entry and a free hot drink in the café!
- How do I get to Sutton Hoo without a car? Follow Good Journey’s directions. You can walk, in twenty minutes or so, from Melton station. Or walk from Woodbridge itself, beginning with a pleasant two-mile stretch along a riverside path to Wilford Bridge. There are buses or taxis too.
- Back in Woodbridge, the lovely riverside area is well worth exploring. You can visit the fascinating eighteenth-century Tide Mill, just a short walk from the railway station. Rising tidal water gets trapped in a big pool, which then works the machinery. Arrive without a car and you’ll get a free guide book.
- Nearby, a former boatyard has become a smart focal point for visitors. There’s an interesting free museum, cafés, restaurants, shops and great views of the Tide Mill and the reconstructed half-size long ship floating in front of it. Step inside The Longshed to see an amazing full-size replica being built by the Sutton Hoo Ship Project. Upstairs in the gallery, you can see the Kings River Tapestry, telling the story of the ship and more. It’s another place that’s easy to reach car-free.
- There are several cafes nearby. If you stroll down the river towards Melton, with the water on your right, you will find the Deben café bar on board HMS Vale and can stop for a cream tea with strawberries before you catch the train.
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3. Seabirds and steam tractors near Saxmundham
The market town of Saxmundham is full of character and cafés. It also makes a great hub for adventures in the Suffolk countryside nearby. You could head to the RSPB reserve at Minsmere or the Long Shop museum in Leiston.
- In summer at RSPB Minsmere, seven miles east, you can see all kinds of terns, gulls, waders, warblers and all kinds of other birds including spoonbills, marsh harriers and bearded tits. The 2,500-acre site is full of wild flowers and butterflies.
- To get to RSPB Minsmere without a car, follow Good Journey’s directions. Prebook the Connecting Communities minibus to reach RSPB Minsmere from Saxmundham train station and get £2 off entry as a reward for arriving car-free.
- In the town of Leiston, there’s a unique museum, where you can explore the town’s pioneering heritage. Richard Garrett’s factory put together ploughs, threshing machines, trolley buses, steam engines, tractors and other farm machines. The Long Shop Museum is in the building where the world’s first assembly line built these machines. Arrive without a car and you’ll get a free guidebook.
- How do I get to the Long Shop car-free? Follow Good Journey’s directions. Several regular buses run from Saxmundham, 15 minutes away.
- Leiston also boasts Suffolk’s oldest surviving purpose-built cinema, Leiston Film Theatre and some great cafés like Rosie’s Coffee Lounge and Tiffin’s.
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4. Boats and bathing in Beccles
Another stop on the scenic railway between Lowestoft and Ipswich, the little riverside town of Beccles has cobbled streets, lined with independent shops and cafés. The area is great for walking and cycling. You can follow the Angles Way to neighbouring Bungay or walk along the winding River Waveney to Gedleston.
- How do I get to Beccles without a car? Catch the hourly trains from Ipswich or Lowestoft.
- Beccles is a peaceful place, full of riverside history and faded Georgian brickwork. An old sign on a Dutch-style gable advertises a local staithe (landing stage for cargo boats), promising: “wherries constantly attend the steam vessels”. In the marshes nearby, the relics of a centuries-old seagoing civilisation give way to an ancient calm on a waterside walking route, past an Iron Age causeway.
- You can still travel by boat. The bookable Big Dog Ferry runs from Beccles Lido to the Locks Inn community pub at Gedleston Lock.
- Beccles has several summer festivals including Open Gardens in June, a Music Festival in July and the Duck Race and Carnival in August.
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5. The Suffolk Coast
For more about Suffolk’s seaside towns and villages, check out our car-free guide.
