Bright Meadow Caravan Park

Suffolk certainly holds its own when it comes to the seaside, with a coastline encompassing the shingle beaches and salt-marsh walks of the Suffolk, Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape (40 minutes’ drive), as well as the pebble beach and 19th-century pier at Aldeburgh (an hour). For a coastal village with a literary connection, visit pretty-as-a-picture Thorpeness (also an hour), where ‘Peter Pan’ author JM Barrie was a regular visitor. There’s plenty more Suffolk heritage to uncover too: visit the great estate at National Trust-owned Ickworth House (15 minutes) to see spectacular collections of silver in The Rotunda and wander formal Italianate gardens. Stately Kentwell Hall (half an hour) is open (check dates before going) for the rare chance to explore a privately owned, moated Tudor mansion. Bury St Edmunds (10 minutes) has centuries of history to discover at the impressive abbey ruins and neighbouring gardens – but if you’ve had enough of culture by now, slope off to the town’s Greene King Brewery for a guided tour of the brewing process and a crafty pint.