Full of eastern promise

This, as we came to learn, couldn’t be further from the truth – Ipswich, we are reliably informed, officially has less rain than (you’ll never guess) ... Jerusalem. Yep, it’s true.

A fine place, then, to spend a few days relaxing without constantly reaching for the umbrella. This, to our delight, is exactly what we had – three days of exploring and pampering ourselves, away from the usual British tourist traps.

We were put up at the uber-posh Seckford Hall in Woodbridge, a glorious 16th century country seat that has played host to royals and political leaders from Elizabeth I to Margaret Thatcher.

The hall’s imposing facade promises a wealth of historical charm and, unlike so many hotels these days, actually delivers.

Through the weighty wooden door with its suitably aged knocker and latch, the reception opens into a glorious expanse of oak panelling and period furniture that feels as homely as it does majestic – even to those of us not blessed with blue blood.

The furnishings are grand but comfortable, the rooms well-appointed but unfussy and, blissfully, there isn’t a whiff of corporate colour-coding anywhere in the place. With a decent indoor pool, small lake and other features befitting a quality hotel, it’s the perfect indulgent sanctuary, while price-wise, Seckford Hall is actually pretty reasonable, with single rooms starting at about £80.

As a base from which to explore the area, the traveller on a moderate budget could scarcely hope to do better.

First stop for us was Ipswich, the nearest major town to Woodbridge and a well established trading port.

To non-Easterners, the name Ipswich tends to be associated with its middling football team, speedway and, in 2006, a high-profile serial killer – not tourism fodder by any stretch of the imagination.

And not being on the route from anywhere to anywhere else, it’s not somewhere you’re likely to find yourself by chance.

Yet the town itself is far from unappealing. Changing ages merge in an architectural mêlée in which Tudor elegance can be seen vying for attention with Victorian excess.

The town also boasts the third-largest number of medieval churches in the country, one of which houses the Tourist Information Centre in all its beamed and stained glass glory.

The increasing secularity of the British in recent decades has left many of these magnificent structures without a purpose. In most towns, they’re snapped up by property developers and converted into fashionable apartments or cheap beer outlets. In Ipswich, they tend to be put to rather better use, the structures themselves being recognised as a valuable part of the town’s identity.

Just a brief stroll from the main shopping centre is Christchurch Park, a haven of peace and greenery and the site of a glorious Tudor home that has been open, free of charge, to visitors since the late nineteenth century.

Far from being simply another country home, Christchurch Park is packed with important art treasures, including sizeable numbers of Gainsboroughs and Constables, alongside significant provincial painters like Alfred Munnings and twentieth century artists including Philip Wilson Steer, all on open display.

It is, too, a beautifully-presented museum of life through the ages, with rooms preserved in period detail to give a feel for life in the house from the mid sixteenth century to the late Victorian age.

Christchurch Park is the kind of place that could comfortably occupy a long afternoon, should the weather turn grim.

Thankfully, given the lack of rain, this shouldn’t be a problem; nonetheless, even on a summer’s day, a visit is highly recommended.

A brief stroll in the other direction takes you to another unexpected delight, Ipswich’s impressive (and rapidly improving) waterfront development.

It is easy to forget the significance of Ipswich as a port town, with Felixstowe and Harwich just down the road. Yet for the Romans and the Vikings, the end of the estuary was just the place for a settlement.

As a consequence, Ipswich stands as one of the oldest continually inhabited towns in Britain.

Further evidence of the significance of the port can be seen at the museum at Sutton Hoo, a remarkably well preserved 6th-century Anglo Saxon burial ground, where an impressively undisturbed group of graves was discovered during the late 1930s.

The site is most notable for its well documented ship burial – a curious delight that is reconstructed in the excellent museum.

A few miles down the road, the pretty coastal village of Orford is home to another slice of fascinating – if a little spooky – history.

Orford Castle, a 12th century residence erected by Henry II for his trips to the seaside, is a unique piece of architecture, which offers not only a snapshot of the period, but also some spectacular views across the East Anglian countryside.

Orford Ness, on the other hand, brings history slap bang into the 20th century, being the site of one of the most eerily enchanting pieces of World War II heritage anywhere in Britain.

Pivotal in the 1930s in the development of radar, the shingle spit spent most of the rest of the century in the hands of the MOD which conducted destruction testing there. It is also home to testing facilities for Britain’s first nuclear weapon, Blue Danube.

Perhaps the most striking structures on the Ness are the pagodas – iconic images from the recent past and open to the public.

With this in mind, Orford is perhaps not the best place to go paddling. For this, you need to head a short way up the coast to Aldeburgh, a delightful seaside resort largely unspoilt by tourism, with a long stretch of pebbly beach.

Aldeburgh really is a gem of a village, where you can take a proper old-fashioned coastal holiday without being bombarded with commercialism. A long stroll along the beach here is a perfect way to spend a late afternoon, as we discovered, and the delightful odours from the very popular chip shop are enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

Dining in the area is a pleasure. For the first night, we stayed close to home, taking advantage of the A La Carte dinner menu at the hotel restaurant.

As might be expected, the food was of a high, indulgent quality. Prices, of course, reflect this, but are far from exorbitant.

For those looking for a more informal option, there is a restaurant attached to the swimming pool, and bar meals and 24-hour room service are also available. Plenty of options, then, for the longer break.

While in Orford, we were fortunate enough to sample the Crown and Castle. Owned by Ruth Watson (food writer and Channel 5’s Hotel Inspector), the small, mildly exclusive hotel and restaurant is unpretentious but of an unsurprisingly high quality.

The service is also suitably slick, attentive without being intrusive.

Food-wise, the place sits comfortably between high quality pub food and haute-cuisine. My own vegetarian Eggs Benedict was one of the highlights of the trip, cooked to perfection and an ideally-sized lunch to set me up for a hectic day.

For those wanting a cheese sarnie and a packet of crisps, this may not be the best option, but for a sumptuous treat, it is highly recommended.

For our final evening in the area, we were treated to dinner at Kesgrave Hall, another country-pile-turned-hotel, but this time with the emphasis on contemporary chic, and quite self-consciously trendy.

The dining experience itself is unusual from the outset. Booking isn’t possible, so it’s a bit of a lottery as to the time you eat, although for those with the means, private dining facilities are available.

Once seated, we were presented with a menu, a pad and a pencil.

Rather than being visited by the waiting staff, you write out your own table order and hand it in, and the kitchen (nicknamed the Engine Room) prepares it for you. It’s hardly a huge innovation, but it does mean that you can pace your dining experience to suit, which can be a real benefit if you want to slow things down a little.

The food is of a high quality, but also pretty accessible.

If you happen to be staying over, you’ll find yourself in some striking accommodation you’re likely to see, with open-plan art deco roomscapes being the order of the day. The bathtub next to the bed may not be to everyone’s liking, but if you are of an extroverted temperament, it may be just the thing.

The local tourist board is pushing this area at the moment which, given the number of British tourists expected to stay in Britain this year, is no bad thing. If you’re looking to be creative and wanting to avoid the masses on the M5 headed to Devon this summer, you could really do very much worse than to spend a week in and around Ipswich.