Llamas at Halesworth!
Saxmundham & Minsmere
Saxmundham, or Sax as it is known to the locals is an historic market town. Once sitting on the busy A12 it is now bypassed and lays on the righthand side of the main road about 20 miles North-East of Ipswich.

The Bell Hotel on the High Street was a staging post for the London to Great Yarmouth road, the inn was rebuilt in 1842-3 making it the last coaching inn to be built in England.

In addition to being well-situated for the A12 the town also is on the rail link to Ipswich and thus London. These links have prompted increased house building in the area in recent years which help to maintain Saxmundham as a busy market town.

Not much is know of the town's origins, although it's name does give rise to an Anglo-Saxon connection and the Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names gives the name as "Seismund's-ham", a settlement of an otherwise unknown Saxon King or warlord perhaps. The town is recorded in the Little domesday Book of 1086 and throughout the years the spelling of the town has ranged from Samundeham, Sasmundeham, Sasmundesham, Saxmondeham thru to current spelling of Saxmundham.

The parish church, St. John the Baptist contains a unique tombstone featuring sunken, and very accurate, sundial. Many of the buildings on the High Street and Market Place are the same as they were in the early 1900s.

Saxmundham has a weekly market day on Wednesday's. Once a thriving farming community, livestock markets took place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month until 1977.

To the south-east of the town stands a neo-Elizabethan mansion of 1893, Hurts Hall, rebuilt after the original was destroyed by fire in 1890. It was home to the Long family who were plantation and slave owners in Jamaica.
Minsmere
View from Bittern Hide at Minsmere by Geoff and Hilary Welch.
Bittern by Chris Gomersall
(www.rspb-images.com)
Avocets - by Ian Barthorpe
For a great day out in beautiful scenery, why not visit RSPB Minsmere nature reserve? The visitor centre includes a shop and tearoom, and there is an extensive guided walks programme throughout the year, to help you to learn more about the reserve's wildlife.

Minsmere is the best place in Britain to look for bitterns, while marsh harriers should be seen on any visit. During spring and summer, you can see avocets and common terns nesting on the Scrape.

Nightingales sing during the spring, and in autumn, the rutting red deer make an impressive sight. Winter is an excellent time to visit the Suffolk coast, with thousands of ducks on the reserve, and large starling flocks at dusk.

RSPB Minsmere Nature Reserve, Westleton, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 3BY
For more information, ring 01728 648281 or visit the RSPB website.

Aerial photo of Minsmere by Chris Gomersall (www.rspb-images.com)

Where to Stay

Mill Hill Barn, Saxmundham

Lounge at Mile Hill

A Suffolk Oak Barn, now converted to the highest standards for your every need and comfort, all to the Tourist Board's highest grade of 5-Diamonds and coveted Gold Award.

3 luxurious en-suite rooms, and magnificent public areas just waiting to be shared with you whilst visiting Suffolk's Heritage Coast.

Mill Hill Barn is central for the RSPB reserves at Minsmere, Snape Maltings concert halls and the National Trust's Sutton Hoo as well as the Suffolk coast.

Mile Hill Barn, Main Road, North Green, Kelsale, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 2RG. Tel: 01728 668519
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Where to Eat
Bell Hotel, 31 High Street, Saxmundham. Tel: 01728 602331.
Bistro at the Deli, 26a High Street, Saxmundham. Tel: 01728 605607
Poacher's Pocket, Rosemary Lane, Kelsale. Tel: 01728 602174.