Group Travel Tour Operator and DMC for Suffolk and Essex
Constable Country and the Suffolk Villages
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Willy Lott's Houses and the River Stour at Flatford ©National Trust Images, James Dobson
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Bridge Cottage at Flatford ©National Trust Images, Richard Martin Scott
Visit Suffolk, a county of pastoral views and picturesque villages with thatched, colour washed, timber framed cottages. On this tour we find out more about one of the county’s most famous sons, the 17th century painter, John Constable, with visits to Flatford, the location of Flatford Mill, and Christchurch Mansion, home to the largest collection of paintings by Constable and Gainsborough outside of London. We also search out some typical Suffolk towns and villages. These include visits to Framlingham, Saxtead, Sudbury, where Thomas Gainsborough was born. WE also visit Lavenham, one of the best preserved Tudor villages in Britain.
Dates
Dates throughout 2024 & 2025
Suggested itinerary by coach
Day 1
Travel to your hotel
Day 2
Christchurch Mansion and Framlingham
This morning we visit Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, the home of the largest collection of paintings by Constable and Gainsborough outside London. Explore the period rooms from the Tudor kitchen to the sumptuous Georgian saloon. We then travel to Framlingham where the 12th century castle dominates the market town. The rampart walk offers views over the town and the surrounding countryside. In neighbouring Saxtead, the Green Post Mill is one of many corn windmills built in Suffolk from the late 13th century, whose whole body revolves on its base.
Day 3
Constable Country
A real highlight today as we visit Flatford, the location of Flatford Mill and the thatched Bridge Cottage. The cottage dates from the 16th century and houses an exhibition on the life and work of John Constable including his ‘Flatford’ paintings, ‘The Hay Wain’ perhaps being his best known. We then take a circular tour of the pretty Suffolk countryside including Sudbury, where the painter Thomas Gainsborough was born. We then stop in Lavenham, one of the best-preserved Tudor villages in Britain where there may be time to call in for a drink at ‘The Swan Hotel’, one of England’s finest historic coaching inns.
Day 4
Return home
Time to say farewell to Mr Constable and Mr Gainsborough and return home.
Greatdays offer a selection of quality hotels in Suffolk and Essex.
| Dates | 4 days / 3 nights |
| 2024 dates | From £258.00 per person |
| 2025 dates | From £296.00 per person |
Single room supplement available upon request.
