Essex & Suffolk Delights

Essex & Suffolk Delights

Including Tranquil villages, beautiful gardens & a Suffolk cruise…..

5 Days 28^th July 2026

Based in a superb 4* hotel in Colchester, join this tour for a variety of attractions to enjoy the beautiful town of Lavenham, Beth Chatto gardens, a boat trip on the River Orwell, Tiptree jam museum and the seaside town of Aldeburgh. A perfect combination of interesting excursions along with relaxation.

Tour Itinerary

Tuesday – We leave Wiltshire and head to Colchester and our base for the next 4 nights via St Albans for a lunch time stop. This cathedral city is bursting with historical buildings, quaint streets, fabulous shops and parklands and of course its beautiful cathedral. Free time here for lunch before we arrive at our hotel late afternoon with time to settle in before dinner. Tea and coffee on arrival.

Wednesday – We begin our day with a visit to the world-renowned gardens and extensive plant nursery created by Beth Chatto OBE. Explore 7.5 acres of ecological gardens from ‘The Gravel Garden, The Scree Garden, The Water Garden, The Woodland Garden, and The Reservoir Garden’. Beth transformed an overgrown wasteland deemed unfit for fruit farming into a series of these informal gardens. Five distinct areas have been lovingly created, providing useful examples of working with nature to find the right plant for the right place. This afternoon we continue our day up to Ipswich in Suffolk to enjoy an hour’s river trip on the River Orwell through Prince Philip lock, under the iconic Orwell Bridge, where you may see the peregrine falcons, on to view Freston Folly before returning to Orwell Quay on Ipswich waterfront. A lovely finish to the day!

Thursday – This morning we are taking you to what claims to be ‘The Oldest recorded town’ in England, ‘Colchester’. First mentioned in AD77 it was the first Roman colonia and provincial capital of England. With its long history and first named settlement in Britain, it claims to be Britain’s first city. The 2000 years old Roman walls make them the earliest, best preserved and longest town walls in Britain even though only two thirds are still standing. Full of high street shops, and independent vintage stores, there is also a daily market to explore and fantastic places for food and drink. The whole morning here and an opportunity for lunch before we head back to the hotel for free time to use the leisure facilities and comfortable lounges and gardens to relax in for the afternoon.

Friday – A full day today starting with the Tiptree jam museum, an insight on the art of jam making and an opportunity to see the collection of artefacts collected by Mr J S Wilkins and his wife Daphne over their lifetimes, opening a museum to explain and help visitors understand the history of the jam-making business and indeed how his factory affected the village itself. See how the art of preserve making has advanced over the years and enjoy a video display that illustrates how traditional jam making evolves from the fruit tree to the jar! An opportunity to purchase some of these traditional curds and preserves before we continue to the beautiful village of Lavenham in the heart of the Suffolk countryside and considered to be Britain’s best preserved medieval village. A blend of bustling cafes, restaurants and independent shops, along with its famous Guildhall, ‘chocolate box’ cottages and 15^th century church. After lunch we are heading for the seaside town of Aldeburgh, once the home of iconic composer Benjamin Britten. The delightful pebble beach, just a short walk from the High Street is backed by a promenade and pretty pastel-coloured villas. Enjoy an ice-cream or a paddle if you wish!

Saturday – Time to leave our hotel after a relaxed breakfast and begin our journey back to Wiltshire via Chelmsford for a coffee stop. Continuing to our waiting taxis late afternoon ready to take you safely home after a lovely summer break.

Your Hotel

4* Delta by Marriott - Colchester

This beautiful recently re-furbished hotel offers spacious en-suite bedrooms with air-conditioned, hospitality trays, TV, hairdryers and free Wi-Fi. The hotel boasts an indoor heated swimming pool, a bar, restaurant and gardens. Although the hotel does NOT have a lift there is only one upper level and there are ground floor rooms available on request.

Price Includes