Notes from the host
The Stables
The Stables is a 1600’s, Grade II listed farm building and has recently been very sympathetically restored with many original features and exposed Oak beams to offer a couple a chance to get away from it all and enjoy beautiful countryside in the comfort and luxury of a beautiful little cottage.
Sara provides her guests with a lovely Welcome Breakfast Hamper.
Cottage Walk Through
This bright and airy cottage cottage has an open plan living area with a high vaulted ceiling. A big, comfy sofa and armchair encircle a cosy wood burning stove.
Up a couple of steps is the split level kitchen and dining area, the kitchen is very well equipped and laid out. There are views out onto one of the finest remaining examples of a Grade II listed, brick and flint barn in Essex – it’s impressive and really quite beautiful.
Along the corridor is the shower room and a very charming bedroom with a king-size bed, French wardrobe and plenty of storage space.
The lane outside is tiny and very quiet and the property is surrounded by fields and open farmland.
This is a really cosy and comfortable place to relax, unwind and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. It’s close by some great visitor attractions, some interesting towns and villages and offers a perfect mix of countryside and culture.
The Gardens
This self-catering cottage has its own enclosed garden with fruit trees where you can sit and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside, there are tables, chairs, and loungers supplied and a BBQ if you are in the mood.
Outside
The Stables is situated near the little village of Great Maplestead in some delightful countryside on the Suffolk/Essex border.
Bikes are provided for you to enjoy exploring the tiny lanes that meander round the countryside and inevitably bring you to a pub. (maps are supplied if you need any extra help with that)
Step out of the cottage and you are in lovely rolling countryside with miles of footpaths, ancient woodlands and pretty hamlets to explore.
On your walks through the bluebell woods, you might come across herds of fallow deer and other wildlife and there is even a protected badger set nearby.
Close to Great Maplestead if the famous Round Crusader Church, the round design was based on the fourth century rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the roof is pyramidal in shape – very beautiful and unusual.
Castle Hedingham is just a few miles away with its Norman keep, which was built in 1140. It’s now a visitor attraction and weddings venue and they have a great programme of events throughout the year, from jousting events to music festivals; from theatre and falconry displays to film screenings and classic car shows.
It’s quite funny to be visiting the ancient village pub at these times and have a lot of serf’s, men-at-arms and knights jostling around you for a pint.
The village itself has some lovely medieval architecture, a tearoom, post office, a couple of good village pubs and a village shop, selling artisan breads and other local produce.
Sudbury, a nearby Market Town, has all the shops you could want including the lovely Gainsborough’s House Museum dedicated to Thomas Gainsborough the famous portrait and landscape artist of the 1700’s, The Quay Theatre and walks along the old railway line or along the river and the water meadows.
You can walk or cycle to the pleasant village of Castle Hedingham and there is also a farm shop nearby with a tea room and lots of delicious local produce.
Green Credentials
The Coach House was renovated to comply with strong historical restoration building regulation and local and reclaimed materials were used were possible.
The logs for the wood burner come for locally sourced responsibly harvested suppliers.
Al waste water is managed on the property.
We have bicycles available and maps of all the local footpaths in the cottage to encourage guests to explore car free.
We have a badger set at the bottom of our land and the entrances can be seen from the footpath. There is also a herd of fallow deer that lives in the hedgerows around us and we had a baby Muntjac sleeping under the apple tree in the cottage garden last spring.
We have vast array of birds in the gardens such as pheasants, partridge, moorhens, woodpeckers, and hawks can be seen regularly hovering to catch mice on walks.
We have spotted a large variety of butterflies on our lavender hedges over the last year.
Local Area
This is particularly beautiful countryside area, very rural with rolling fields dipping down into the nearby river tributaries of The Stour, along which you will find tiny historic villages with names like Foxearth, Cavendish, Clare, the three Belchamps ‘Otten’, ‘St Paul’ and your own ‘Belchamp Walter’.
Long Melford, which was the most inland Navigable part of the River Stour – made famous by John Constables English Landscape masterpieces, lies just 20 minutes away by car and is a bustle of pubs, restaurants, antique shops and beautiful buildings – it is the longest Medieval High Street in England and one of the famous unspoilt Medieval Villages of Suffolk, like Lavenham, Kersey and Clare.
There are very many wonderful churches to visit like the unique round Crusader church at Maplestead and the majestic Wool Churches that dot the area.
There are wonderful stately homes to visit like, Kentwell Hall with their World famous Tudor re-enactments and Halloween Screamsville events – the impressive Melford Hall with its ornate onion towers. The Italianate Palace of Ickworth, the marvellous Helmingham Hall with it fabulous gardens and many more.
There are very interesting museums like the amazing Museum of East Anglian Life at Stowmarket, the museum is set in 75 acres of Suffolk countryside, with 17 historic buildings and almost 40,000 objects to view.
Moyses Hall, one of the oldest Medieval buildings in Bury St Edmunds, which houses a variety of collections on art, local and social history, the Suffolk Regiment, the Red Barn Murder, crime and punishment, death and witchcraft, and of course medieval life.
West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, which is what it says, plus a museum and restaurant.
Gainsborough House in Sudbury, which explores the life and art of Thomas Gainsborough. One of the greatest artists of his age.
Flatford Mill where John Constable was born and where he painted many of his masterpieces like ‘The Haywain’. There is an interesting exhibition to his work there, and you can stand by marker posts where he stood to paint his masterpieces. There are also lovely riverside walks from here and you can hire rowing boats in Summer to take a picnic on the shores of the Stour.
The area has much to offer with its rural charm and unspoilt villages and just pottering around by bike or car to discover another little gem or pub is just a delight.
Further afield you will find castles and the best of the unspoilt Suffolk Coast – about 70 minutes by car.
Standard Inclusive Features
Kitchen: All cottages are complete little homes and facilities include modern central heating, refrigerator, hobs, oven and / or microwave, toaster, crockery and serving dishes, cutlery, many utensils, fire-extinguisher, lots of pots and pans, glasses and mugs, kettle, coffee maker, teapot, kitchen towels, oven gloves, olive oil, salt and pepper, sugar, herbs, tea, fresh and instant coffee, washing up liquid, cloths, general cleaning materials, etc.
Bathroom: Soap, fluffy cotton towels, bath mats, shaver point, toilet brush, toilet roll.
Bedroom: Cotton bed linen, wardrobe with coat hangers / chest of drawers, iron, ironing board, hairdryer.
Living room: If your cottage has an open fire or stove then a basket with firewood and a bucket with coal will be provided free and more will be available at cost and there will be firelighters provided, TV, please note there is no DVD player in this cottage, books, games, magazines, local brochures, OS and other maps, folder with our special ‘What To Do’ insiders’ guide to the local area.
Bikes: Please check with the owner that these are available before you arrive to avoid disappointment if they are in for maintenance.
Please note that we can only accept a babe-in-arms and we do not provide cots or high-chairs sorry.
2 well behaved doggies are welcome,
Up to 2 small dogs welcome – sorry no cats – charges apply of £20 per pet for up to 7 nights.
Please note that if you are considering bringing a dog breed which may be thought of as a danger or a concern, and definitely any Banned Dogs like a Pitbull Terrier to an XL Bully, then Please check with us first before booking to discuss this.
The garden next to the cottage is enclosed and there are walks to footpaths along the quiet single track lane that the cottage is situated on.
Hosted byThe Grove Cottages
