Luxury self-catering accommodation in Beccles

The gateway to Britain's largest protected wetland, where rare bitterns and rustling otters make their watery home, Beccles is one historic thread in the wild and wonderful tapestry that is Suffolk. The town itself is known for its flurry of sickle-shaped streets and 18th-century Dutch gables, where there’s delicatessens piled high with goat’s cheese and rhubarb puree, and even a pancake-flipping American diner for good measure. Here, ancient streets and artisan markets are the name of the game; and all within an hour of Ipswich and Norfolk, and just two hours from collegial Cambridge.

In the words of famed mystery writer Patricia Moyes, “There is a hint of wildness in Suffolk’s tamed beauty, and the tang of the North Sea is never far away." Accordingly, spend days out on The Broads searching for toadstools and water voles, or travel to its coastal boundaries where elusive harbour porpoises and surface-skimming damselflies have been known to make sporadic appearances. Nominate a family skipper on the River Waveney, or travel to Thorington Theatre — a unique woodland amphitheatre — to watch world-class dramas, stand-up comedies, and musical performances.