Suffolk is a county in East Anglia and became part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom after being settled by the Angles in the 5th century BC. Suffolk shares borders with the counties of Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. It is a remarkably flat and low-lying county, with large areas having been reclaimed from the sea over the centuries.

Parts of these areas are made up of marshes and wetland; towards the northern extremities of the county, on the border with Norfolk, is an area known as the Broads – collectively the Suffolk Broads and the (perhaps more famous) Norfolk Broads make up the Broads National Park, which was established in 1989 in order to preserve the unique wetlands and their inhabitant birds and other wildlife for future generations.

The scenery and quintessential charm of Suffolk has inspired many artists over the years; in fact the southern regions of the county are sometimes referred to as Constable Country, due to the affection shown by artist John Constable to the area (it is often overlooked, however, that many of Constable’s works are in fact of scenes in neighbouring Essex). The Suffolk seaside town of Southwold was often visited by 20th century author George Orwell, although it is noted that he left this rural idyll behind for the industrial north when writing his classic commentary ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’.

Suffolk’s county town is Ipswich, and this is the largest city in this part of the UK. Other notable towns and cities in Suffolk include Bury St Edmunds and the ancient towns of Stowmarket and Woodbridge. The East Anglian county is also home to the UK’s most easterly town; Lowestoft occupies a rather remote spot on the coast, between the Broads and the North Sea. Further down the coast is Felixstowe, a rather small town but nevertheless the UK’s largest container port. Another lovely medieval village in the area is Lavenham which has somewhere in the region of 300 listed buildings, doubling up as eye-catching sights.

Much of Suffolk’s coast is secluded and uninhabited, except by the many rare species of seabirds whose habitation of the area has seen much of the Suffolk Heritage Coast designated as NSPB nature reserves. As well as its unique scenery, Suffolk also offers a host of attractions and family days out, and the county has more than its share of excellent hotels, restaurants and country inns.