Worth getting out of bed for
Get your motor running at nearby WildTracks (www.wildtracksltd.co.uk), where you can thrash all manner of vehicles, from quad bikes and karts to tanks, around challenging courses. Bury St Edmunds is not far, and is packed with browsable shops as well as hosting regular markets: there are street markets every Wednesday and Saturday, on Cornhill in the town centre; at the Corn Exchange, there’s a craft market on Wednesdays; and the first Sunday of every month sees the town’s Athenaeum fill up with bric-a-brac, antiques and collectibles.
Local restaurants
With Tuddenham Mill’s delicious food confronting you at every turn (home‑made biscuits in your room; jars of pickle at reception), you’ll hardly go hungry, but for a change of scene, take your pick from Newmarket’s restaurants and cafés, or head into Bury St Edmunds: Maison Bleue’s fine French fare focuses on seafood (+44 (0)1284 760623); later, cosy up in
Thumbelina‑scale pub The Nutshell for an intimate nightcap (+44 (0)1284 764867). Just outside Bury, at stately‑home hotel Ickworth, Fredericks offers family‑friendly fine dining, overlooking lovely Italian gardens (+44 (0)1284 735350).
Diary
October Whether or not you enjoy Champions Day at Newmarket racecourse depends on which nags you back (www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk). December The Christmas services at St Edmundsbury Cathedral allow you to belt out carols in a mediaeval ecclesiastical setting (www.stedscathedral.co.uk); combine a visit to Bury’s Christmas Fayre with one of the Advent services for a double-whammy hit of yuletide comfort and joy (+44 (0)1284 764667).
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Smith extra at Tuddenham Mill
A Mill Bag (a small gift from the kitchen to take home); members staying three nights or more will also get a bottle of champagne
