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Framlingham guide

The ancient market town of Framlingham is nestled in the Suffolk countryside and is a firm favourite with visitors and locals alike. Home to an array of independent cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops, here you can step back in time and enjoy a slower pace of life.

Did you know?

Framlingham is a small market town and home to the magnificent twelfth century castle belonging to the Earls and Dukes of Norfolk through the centuries. It is said that Mary I spent time here in 1553, before going to London to reclaim her throne from Lady Jane Grey.

Visit Saint Michael’s church where you can see the tomb of Henry Fitzroy - the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. You’ll notice the tomb is decorated with heraldic iconography, showing how important he was to his father.

Famously the multi-award winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran grew up in Framlingham and began writing songs inspired by the local area. His 2017 single ‘Castle on the Hill’ was inspired by the castle in his hometown.

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Location

Framlingham Highlights

1. Shop and stroll

Framlingham Market Hill - Suffolk

Framlingham is the perfect town for a stroll, shop and glimpse of history – there’s even a Town Trail marking all the primary sites of historic interest. Market Hill is the Town’s centre and still hosts markets on Saturday and Tuesday offering great local produce together with trinkets and collectibles. There are excellent shops too, for gifts, food, fashions and antiques and mouth-watering selection of cafés, tea shops, pubs and restaurants.

You can download this great little Town Trail Guide and Framlingham Pocket Guide here for more information:

Framlingham Town Trail

Framlingham Pocket Guide

2. Discover the Kings and Queens of years gone by

Framlingham Castle - Suffolk

You can’t visit Framlingham without taking in its magnificent late 12th century castle. It is surrounded by parkland and estates and was once at the centre of a vast network of power and influence. The castle is a great place for young and old to explore – a historic treat not to be missed.

3. Spot plants and birds

Framlingham Castle - Suffolk

Surrounding the Castle is The Mere, a natural haven full of wildlife and popular with walkers, where dogs are allowed. The Mere is property of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and contains nearly 300 species of plants and 80 species of birds. It lives up to its name, though – Mere means ‘lake’ – so remember your wellies if you’re going to walk its banks during winter months.

Useful Information

Public Conveniences and Baby Changing Facilities

Public toilets with disabled access and baby change facilities can be found on Crown & Anchor Lane, IP13 9BL

Get information on Framlingham market here

Accessibility

Check out AccessAble's detailed access guides to Suffolk and work out if a place is going to be accessible to you.

The access guides cover multiple locations and venues across Suffolk, including places to stay, attractions, places to eat, stations, shops, trails and more.

The access guides are 100% facts, figures and photographs, checked by AccessAble's trained surveyors in person, people who know everyone's accessibility needs are different and understand how important it is for information to be detailed and accurate.

Free town wifi

Free WiFi is available within the town's WiFi zone, making it easy for you to get online during your visit.

See maps of where it is available in eleven East Suffolk towns, as well as instructions on how to access the free WiFi here.

How to Get to Framlingham - Public Transport

With Suffolk on Board you can plan journeys using public transport from and to a town or village, named station or stop, or point of interest.

As many destinations along the Suffolk coast are rural there can be limited public transport services on many routes, but there are journey solutions through various local community transport services that will get you to where you want to go/your final destination. These tend to need to be booked in advance but you can find out more and plan your journey at Suffolk on Board.

By Bus: Local services run to Woodbridge, Stradbroke and Eye and on to Ipswich and Norwich. Timetables and further information can be found at www.suffolkonboard.com

By Rail: There is no rail service to Framlingham. The nearest main line station is Ipswich with connections to Norwich and London Liverpool Street. Wickham Market Train Station in the village of Campsea Ashe, which is on the Ipswich to Lowestoft line, is the closest station to Framlingham. It's approximately 20 minutes from Campsea Ash to Framlingham by car or taxi.

Greater Anglia operates frequent train services. All train tickets can be purchased via the Greater Anglia Website or the app.

Katch is an on-demand bus service connecting the East Suffolk Line at Wickham Market rail station with Framlingham, Wickham Market and Snape. The service runs Monday – Saturday and on Bank Holidays.

Katch serves fixed stops along the route including the popular destinations of Framlingham Castle and Snape Maltings. Fares are in line with a normal bus service. You can book on the phone or via their new app.

For more details on the service, zones, fares, how to book and the mobile apps see the Katch website www.katchalift.com

Car Parks in Framlingham

To find parking places in East Suffolk and where parking fees apply, visit the council’s RingGo parking service .

The free RingGo app allows drivers to locate a parking place before starting their journey, receive navigation to it, see how busy car parks are within an area, pay for your parking session and extend it if you need to. Signing up to RingGo is as easy as entering your car’s registration and your payment details. Find out more about registering and using the service on the RingGo how it works page.

Fore Street, Framlingham, IP13 9DD

New Road, Framlingham

Walking in Framlingham

Walking in East Suffolk has just become easier. In partnership with East Suffolk Council, walking app Go Jauntly has launched a collection of East Suffolk walks.

Go Jauntly is a free community-based app to promote walking, wayfinding and nature connection. You can find local walks created by people who know and love them, discover the greenest walking routes from A to B, create your own jaunts and enjoy outdoor adventures with friends and family.

Go Jauntly is available to download, for free, on the App Store and the Play Store.