Ilketshall St Margaret lies 3 miles from Bungay, on the Norfolk Suffolk border, approximately 12 miles inland from the coast.
It
is a very small village with just a cluster of houses surrounding the round towered Church.
There are many beautiful walks from the village following the 'Beck' into the
nearby villages of the South Elmhams.
Just down the road at St Peter South Elmham is St Peter's Hall, which
has a restaurant, bar and it's own brewery! (You may have seen their beer in your local supermarket)
Beer tastings and tours take place most weekends and the shop is open every day.
Restaurant and bar open every day too.
There are beautiful and historic Churches to explore in each of the nearby Ilketshall
and South Elmham villages, along with their village greens and open common land.
Bungay, a fine Georgian Town, has many traditional timber framed houses, inns and restaurants, a castle
and a Buttercross, but it is most famous for it's antique shops and occasional street fairs. There is a golf course and
riverboat/cycle hire on the common and also an indoor swimming pool with waterslide, situated just down the road from the
cottage on route to Bungay.
The coastline is approximately 20 minutes by car away.
Southwold (the nearest beach) is an unspoilt Victorian coastal resort with a new stylish pier that has recently
been rebuilt. Nearby Walberswick offers good crabbing for children in the creeks and there is an RSPB reserve at Minsmere.
Aldeburgh and Thorpeness are also quiet relaxed seaside retreats, whilst Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth offer more commercialised entertainment.
Lowestoft
has a large theme park 'Pleasurewood Hills' 30 mins drive.
Gt
Yarmouth has a large funfair, plus Circus (which is well worth seeing), seaside shows, crazy golf and masses of slot
machines! It also has several museums, including the new award winning 'Time and Tide museum' which charts Yarmouths
history through several 'hands on' exhibits. Well worth a visit on a rainy day.
North Norfolk - an hour away - with it's
open skys, beautiful beaches and quays, has the delights of Cromer, Sheringham, Wells-on-Sea and Blakeney point.
Burnham Market, Holkham, Royal Sandringham and Hunstanton are just a little further afield, but well worth visiting whilst
up there!
