Things to do in Suffolk

The Norfolk Broads are one of England’s best-loved tourist attractions – but with so much focus on the Broads, some of the area’s hidden gems are easy to miss. We asked our teams at Corton and Gunton to recommend some of the best things to do in Suffolk that might be a little off the beaten track, and the results include a classic stately home and one of the most underappreciated nature reserves in the country.

Oulton Broad

10-min drive, NR33 9JR

Just a mile west of Lowestoft, Oulton Broad offers year-round watersports, family-run cafés, fishing sports, and Nicholas Everitt Park, an Edwardian garden that’s ideal for watching the sailing and powerboat racing (Thursday evenings, Apr – Sep).

Orford Ness National Nature Reserve

59-min drive, IP21 2NU

Well worth the drive, take a short boat trip to this wild and remote shingle spit (Europe’s largest) to enjoy quiet walks by the lagoons and spot some truly unique wildlife, including Ness hare (larger than their mainland relatives) and Chinese water deer, escapees from local deer parks.

Somerleyton Hall and Gardens

9-min drive, NR32 5QQ

One of the UK’s finest stately homes, Somerleyton Hall boasts some of the finest gardens in East Anglia, now being reimagined into a series of interconnected ‘rooms’, each garden different from the last. Somerleyton also features its own tea room and gastro-pub.