A Week at 28 Stone Cottage in Thorington, Suffolk

Hooves and I spent a week at 28 Stone Cottage in Thorington, Suffolk last March.  (map)  We were looking for a (not-too-expensive) character cottage to hibernate in for a week, that was located close to Southwold, so there would be lots to see on the occasions when we wanted to come out of hibernation!

The cottage is extremely pretty, with lots of character features and little touches that make you feel at home, yet it had all the modern conveniences that we needed to keep in touch with e-mails and the like (wi-fi etc).   It sleeps five, with a double bed in one room and a double bunk bed in the second bedroom (double bed below and single bunk above).  The layout upstairs is a little quirky as is so often the case with old buildings that have been tweaked for modern living.  In this case the bathroom is off of the double bunk room…probably not a problem if your kiddies are in here…and certainly not a problem for me and Hoover.

A Week at 28 Stone Cottage in Thorington, Suffolk: The kitchen

One slight negative are the steep, wooden stairs that twist as they climb.  They were fine for me (as long as I hadn’t quaffed too much Prosecco) but I think they would have been a problem for my parents if they were with me.  Obviously the owner can’t do much about these are they are part of the fabric of the cottage, but the elderly or infirm may struggle with them

There is lots of outside space for dogs and children to run around, and the garden, complete with summer house, BBQ etc is nice and secure with lots of parking.  The cottage overlooks fields at the back, and is semi-detached so you have one neighbour..although we never heard a peep from them.

The cottage is located on an A road (streetview), which may bother you if you live somewhere quiet, but as we are used to hearing

A Week at 28 Stone Cottage in Thorington, Suffolk: The master bedroom

some traffic at home this didn’t bother us at all.  It certainly isn’t a busy road compared to what we are used to in Berkshire.  Just a very short walk up the road is Darsham Hamper, which is a fab grocery store and coffee shop.  It stocks lots of scrummy things as well as the essentials.

The owner left a welcome pack for both me and Hoover.  I got wine, biscuits and chocolates, and he got treats and doggy biccies…among other things.  The owner was very welcoming when we spoke and actually called me to let me know that the cottage was vacant the night before so I could check in on the Saturday as early as I liked.  Consequently we set off at silly o’clock and we were there for breakfast, giving us pretty much a whole extra day’s holiday.

A Week at 28 Stone Cottage in Thorington, Suffolk: The cosy sitting room

The location is spot on for exploring the local area with Dunwich, Southwold, Aldeburgh, Walberswick and Thorpeness all within a short drive, and of course there are plenty of places to go walking – both in the countryside and on the beaches.  One of my lasting memories of this area is how welcoming it is to tourists:  almost every pub seemed to have a board outside welcoming families, walkers, dogs, muddy boots etc….We’ll definitely be going back one day.

Oh one last thing: Waitrose deliver to Thorington so get your order in for your supplies before you go…