Wakelyns Tourist Information – What’s on around here!  

We try to keep this up to date but please ring ahead to check times/make bookings etc.

Pubs & restaurants

• A favourite: The Rumburgh Buck in Rumburgh. Good real ale and other drinks. Very decent home-made meals with good vegetarian options. Good garden area. Pleasant drive/cycle through quiet roads: http://rumburghbuck.co.uk/
• Most unusual: The Kings Head (aka The Low House) in Laxfield. One of only two pubs in Suffolk to be completely unmodernised inside (no bar etc). Very good for beer. Big garden. Does food, including in the garden, but not all week. https://lowhouselaxfield.com/  
• Lots of space including outside and decent pub food/beer: Royal Oak Laxfield https://www.theroyaloaklaxfield.com/ this is not our first choice but has lots of space in and out.
• Nearest: Fox & Goose, Fressingfield – high end restaurant more than pub; booking well in advance needed. Very good food and beer. Outdoor courtyard space in the summer.  http://www.foxandgoose.net/
• Nearest: Swan, Fressingfield – Good atmosphere, very friendly family run, proper old boozer. Reasonable food and caters for vegetarian and vegan. Bench seating out the front. Entertainment on Saturdays. Takes about 25 mins to walk. https://fressingfieldswan.co.uk/
• Gastropub: Kings Head, Brockdish – styles itself as a gastropub in an old Suffolk pub building though. Menu is pasta/pizza (good quality) with good wine/beer – seating outside. Just off the main road route from Wakelyns to Diss so particularly handy if you want to want to stop off on the way to/from Diss railway station. Also open on Sunday evening: https://www.kingsheadbrockdish.co.uk/
• 10 mins away in Mendham, towards Harleston: Sir Alfred Munnings – friendly village pub with medium quality pub food and reliable beer: https://www.siralfredmunningshotel.co.uk/
• 10 mins away other side of Fressingfield in Weybread: De La Pole Arms (pronounced Dell A Pole) https://www.thedelapole.co.uk/ congenial interior with good beer and very respectable pub food +
• 15 minutes away in Harleston:
• JD Young – modern restaurant with reasonable food and beer https://www.jdyoung.co.uk/ – we go there occasionally
• Taste of Raj – curry house for eat-in or takeaway: https://www.tasteofraj-harleston.co.uk/ – we get takeaways from them occasionally
• Friendly: Huntingfield Arms, Huntingfield –Friendly pub with wholesome home-made food and seating indoors and, outdoors on village green. Do not always do food outside. They do hot food takeaways and chilled/frozen homemade meals to take away and a small shop with essential provisions. We know the proprietors – Steve and Sarah – well. If ringing, mention that David Wolfe at Wakelyns has recommended. 01986 798320
• White Horse Sibton – also good. Lovely Sunday lunches.. https://www.sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk/

Shops

• Metfield Stores – Community shop in local village; Ann Wolfe helped set it up. Amanda volunteers there. Some local produce. Great convenience store. Open til 5pm each day. www.metfieldstores.co.uk
• Fressingfield Stores – Mace – longer opening hours that Metfield Stores (8pm in summer).
• Medium sized and handy to combine with trip to the Royal Oak or Low House: Laxfield Co-Op.
• Nearest big Co-Op Harleston. Lovely market town with nice range of shops.
• Even bigger Co-op Halesworth and browsing in the Thoroughfare, including Focus Organic.

Towns

• Framlingham – Quaint local town with market on Saturday, pubs, and a fun old castle to go round
• Harleston – Good local shops including the Green Cupboard.
• Halesworth – Market town with good pedestrianised old main street including Focus Organics (general food and other stuff).

Seaside

• Southwold  – Sandy beach, quaint pier, lots of places to eat and drink and shop. Adnams brewery/museum/cook shop.
• Dunwich – Good sandy/pebbly beach and walks at Dunwich Coast Guards Cottage by Minsmere bird reserve (although this is now close since the tragic heath fire in July 2026).
• Walberswick – best sandy beaches and a couple of pubs/cafes, but can be v busy on sunny days.
• Aldeburgh – bit further away and gentile; stony beach. Good pubs. Good fish and chips at the South end of the high street (the original, buy a pint next door whilst you wait in the queue) and in the middle of the high street (run by the same people).
• Beccles – if you want to see a bit of Norfolk Broads – day boats available to hire!
• Cove Hithe – quiet beach away from built up stuff, but a bit of a walk!

River Swimming

• A lovely tree lined stretch of the River Waveney near to Mendham church. Reasonable access into the river. Find a space near the bridge to park and find your way down to the river. 
• See River Waveney entry here of Guardian top 10 wild swims here: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/may/10/wild-swimming-uk-10-top-rivers-pools

Local nature reserves

• Winks Meadow, just the other side of Metfield, is absolutely lovely for wildflowers in the summer.
• Also see Suffolk Wildlife Trust book covering all their Suffolk reserves (copy in the house)

Local/village markets

• Framlingham Market every Saturday
• Fressingfield Produce Market is every third Saturday of month.
• Laxfield village market every first Sat of month.
• Huntingfield Arms market 14 August (every second Saturday?)
• Metfield Community Café, first Saturday of the month
• Metfield café: at the end of The Street (limited opening times, but nice seat out the back with lovely views of the fields).

Stately homes with gardens etc

• Somerleyton Hall https://www.somerleyton.co.uk/

Walks

1. Our favourite outside Wakelyns is a look starting at the Dunwich Coastguards cottages (National Trust parking and teas), going inland round Minsmere via the Eeel’s Foot pub (good food and beer) and back via the coast.
2. Variant on the above starting at the car park by Sizewell power station and walking more along the beach.
3. Snape to Aldeburgh and back again. A good day, with optional swim. Varied terrain. Free parking at Snape. Additional interest of Snape Maltings etc. 30min drive from Wakelyns.