
Enjoy breakfast at the Blue Rabbit Cafe...
Make an early start and a visit to the unique and innovative Blue Rabbit Café & Smallholding. This unusual café delivers a ‘farm to fork’ experience for anyone who like to know the providence of the food they eat. Chef Claire has created a sustainable and delicious menu where every item has been grown or produced on site- even the honey! Choose from bacon, egg and sausage sandwiches, a full English and even French toast with homemade seasonal fruit compote. After eating, you can stroll around the smallholding and visit the animals who live there- including pigs, chickens and alpacas. Don’t forget to take some of Claire’s lovely home baked goodies with you on your adventures.
Paddle up the River Deben...
Now that you’re set up for the day, head on down to Iken Canoe Sailing centre where you can hire out a range of paddle crafts and take to the waters of the river Alde to explore several routes, all with fantastic views and wildlife in abundance; you might be lucky enough to spot a Marsh harrier or even seals and otters.
Get the family working as a team to paddle together and you can make it all the way to Snape Bridge, stopping for refreshments at Cafe 1885 at Snape Maltings before making your way downriver to where the estuary widens and you can see the historic Blackheath Mansion and Yarn Hill Wood. Prices start at thirty pounds for a Kayak for two hours and buoyancy aids are provided.
If you’re looking for something a little grander than a canoe or kayak you absolutely must climb aboard Sailing Barge Victor, a majestically rigged 19th Century vessel complete with a bar and striking original features. Victor is an Ipswich dock built ship, which was used during the Second World War, loading munitions out of Chatham Dock- she even survived a direct bomb hit. Nowadays you can book onto one of the popular public cruises and float along the Rivers Orwell and Stour at a relaxing pace, enjoying the peace and quiet and watching the birds.
Spend a night under the stars...
Settle down for the night in one of the luxury glamping pods set on the private estate at Wantisden Park, be at one with nature and enjoy all the excitement of camping under the stars safe in the knowledge that you can climb into a warm bed with everything you need for a comfortable stay.
Inside the pods you have everything you in in a small but perfectly formed home-from-home complete with kitchen (including wine cooler!), bathroom with toilet shower and basin and a bed decked out with luxuriously soft linen. The cosy ambience of the oak interior as well as the wood fired hot tub on the decked area ensure that you can find a moment of true relaxation in amongst the ancient woodland and wake up refreshed the next day.
There are other options too, such as the compact and stylish Birch Lodge which includes futuristic bunk beds set into the walls as well as a double bed room and sofa bed, allowing it to sleep up to six people.
Take a look at the fantastic range of places to stay on The Suffolk Coast with our 'Where to Stay Guide'.