Tag: orford
Orford Castle
Today we returned to Orford Castle, a distinct and unique polygonal tower keep in Orford.
Orford Castle dates back to the 12th century and considering the age of this tower keep, it’s in great condition.
From 1 April to 4 November 2012 you can visit Orford Castle every day of the week from 10am to 5pm.
There’s a wide selection of family friendly places to eat in Orford. We like the Pump Street Bakery, The Jolly Sailor and Ruth Watson’s The Crown and Castle.
You can discover more on Orford Castle at English Heritage.
Orford Castle
A rather spooky view of Orford Castle from the grounds
Imogen and I near Orford Castle
Imogen gets a good view of Orford Castle with the help of Daddy
Planning a Summer Staycation?
Everyone will tell you that having a baby is life changing.
What also changes is the ability to easily, if at all, book a last minute break to Europe or beyond.
Since having our beautiful baby in March last year, we’ve decided to summer staycation for all but one of our holidays when we ventured to Brittany in France.
We’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easy and fun a staycation is compared with travelling overseas.
Now we look for a family friendly place to stay, open countryside to visit, local farm shops around the corner and all within relatively close proximity to London to ease the driving time for ourselves and baby. We often have family and friends join us when we staycation so being able to select a large self catering holiday home is essential.
There’s nothing better than hiring a cottage in the countryside where we know we will be guaranteed peace, tranquility and the joy of beaches, forests and bridal paths for walking and cycling on our doorstep.
We love being able to have a home away from home and enjoy the simple things in life, especially time together as a family outside our busy London life. We like to cook our own meals, have a BBQ in the garden and visit local pubs within walking distance of our holiday cottage.
We had our first holiday with our baby in Orford and it was truly wonderful. We’re back there soon for another summer staycation and we can’t wait!
Our favourite summer staycation destinations are Norfolk, Suffolk, Devon & Cornwall.
For a relaxing and family friendly summer staycation visit the vast Norfolk coastline and countryside on the East Coast. Norfolk Country Cottages offer a choice of over 400 self catering country cottages in a wide variety of settings.
There’s plenty of information on what to do and places to go at Visit Norfolk.
Suffolk Secrets offer the finest choice of self-catering holiday cottages and holiday homes in Suffolk. Choose from:
Find out what’s on in Suffolk this summer at Visit Suffolk.
Marsdens Cottage Holidays feature a superb selection of holiday cottages for all sizes of family in desirable locations:
Find what’s on and where to go at Visit Cornwall and Visit Devon.
There’s sure to be something that suits you and your family in one of these beautiful locations, providing you with the comforts of home away from home in stunning surroundings with activities for all ages.
Where are you planning a Summer Staycation this year?
Share your family Summer Staycation plans using the Comment box below.
First Holiday with Baby in Orford
We ventured to Orford on our first holiday with our baby when she was just 8 weeks old.
Suddenly it was no longer about throwing a few clothes into a bag, it was now about making sure we had absolutely everything we needed for our precious little one!
The car was laden full with baby gear including her baby monitor, moses basket, baby bath, activity play mat, numerous outfits of clothing to cover all eventualities of weather, Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier, breast pump, pram, Moby Wrap (we were still in the fourth trimester) and my parents!
We weren’t even going very far, staying within the confines of the UK so we could drive a reasonably short distance. Up until this point our baby had only travelled in a taxi home from the hospital.
Travelling from London to Orford near the Suffolk coast was going to take at least 2 hours. We were certain we’d need to take several breaks to ease the journey (and calm ourselves should our baby take an extreme dislike to her car seat or the car or her Daddy’s driving)!
Pump Street Bakery
Thankfully I’d remembered to include her soothing classical baby music which helped her to sleep almost the entire journey (we were shocked) and kept us relaxed during the busy drive out of London.
Orford is a stunning small town, dominated by the 12th century Orford Castle and Orford Church.
It has some of the best restaurants in the area including Ruth Watson’s Crown and Castle and the Butley Orford Oysterage.
Orford Castle
Suffolk is an amazing and fairly untouched part of England.
It has a stunning coastline and some of the most beautiful inland forests suitable for walking, horse riding and cycling with plenty of walkways and bridal paths.
You can find out more about this amazing location for family holidays at Discover Suffolk.
For somewhere to stay visit Suffolk Secrets which has some of the most beautiful cottages, houses and beach huts for holidays in Suffolk. These are available for rental by the week or for a short break.
