Cosy character cottage, Suffolk Coast nr Southwold

A charming period cottage situated in the quiet village of Darsham, in the Suffolk Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Under 5 miles from the coast, the outstanding seaside towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh are nearby. There's plenty of beautiful beaches, heathland and unspoilt countryside to explore and Minsmere nature reserve (RSPB) is only ten minutes' drive away. Ideal for a bucket-and-spade holiday, for nature lovers, walkers, cyclists, birdwatchers, food-lovers, or a quiet retreat. The cottage is comfortably furnished for your stay and retains its original character features, such as beams and fireplaces. There is a log burner and central heating to keep you cosy and a new bathroom (bath and shower) and kitchen, with electric hob/oven, fridge, washing machine and microwave. Private parking and a lawned garden for al fresco meals or games. A double room, twin room and single room accommodate 5 adults or children. Travel cot and high chair available but no stairgate, due to the character stairs, so would suit non-mobile infant. Stairs are steep and some doorways are low, so taller guests may need to duck! There is an unusual step between the kitchen and lounge where it used to be two cottages - you’re effectively stepping over the timber frame. Sorry no smoking or pets allowed. Guests have exclusive access to the whole cottage and private front and back gardens. The back garden has a spacious lawn and a small patio area with a picnic bench. There is a shed where you may store your bikes, and a couple of serviceable old bikes of ours which you can borrow at your own risk! The cottage has been our family home-from-home for many years, so we are only a phone call away for any questions or advice on what to do for different age groups, please feel free to ask. Otherwise we will leave you alone to enjoy your space and browse through the local information on the bookshelves. If there are any practical snags we can't sort out easily we have a team of reliable local contacts who know the cottage well and can get to you quickly. Close to the quaint and nostalgic seaside town of Southwold (15 mins) with award winning beach, famous Southwold Pier, harbour for freshly caught fish, the Adnams beer factory and the Latitude festival. Take the passenger ferry from Southwold to Walberswick, home of the British Open Crabbing Championships, with its tea shops, pubs and sandy beach. Aldeburgh (20 mins) offers a delightful seaside retreat, with art galleries and tasteful shopping. Minsmere wildlife reserve (RSPB) and Dunwich Heath (NT) are really close, set in unspoilt coastal heathland perfect for wildlife and walking. A little further afield are the delights of Orford (castle, smoked seafood, award-winning Pump Street bakery and boat trips to Orford Ness), Woodbridge with its history and river estuary, and Sutton Hoo (NT). The village boasts a quiet local pub, a quaint old church, and a fantastic farm shop, selling frozen croissants to bake yourself in the morning and lots of tasty local produce. We recommend the wild boar sausages. Just a mile away on the A12 is the new Two Magpies Bakery shop, cafe and baking school serving delicious lunches, breakfasts and take-away sourdough pizzas at the weekend. For everyday provisions there's a petrol station with good supermarket and bakery on the main road just three minutes away, and a Tesco and Waitrose supermarket in Saxmundham (10 mins). Just along the lane you can often see Alpacas in the fields surrounding Darsham Old Hall. The A12 is nearby for quick access to the whole local area, or there are quiet country lanes if you prefer the scenic route, and loads of cycle tracks to take you to the beach or through the countryside. Darsham railway station is a short walk away with links to London, Ipswich and other local towns, and a bus stop just outside the cottage connects you to towns such as Halesworth and Southwold. There is a shed to store your bikes. We enjoy cycling to Dunwich Heath for some unspoilt beach time and a stop-off in the coastguard Cottages cafe, or at the Ship Inn in Dunwich village. The purple heather is stunning on the heath in the summer. The TV player currently has no aerial, so guests will need to bring a laptop, fire stick, tablet or other device in order to watch their choice of programmes on iPlayer, Netflix, Prime, etc. There is therefore no Freeview/live TV. There is a DVD player and the cottage has a TV licence and an HDMI cable is provided to attach your device.