Dedham
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Photo by Lucy Taylor.
Dedham has long been known as a place to enjoy a spot of rowing, and a visit to Suffolk is not complete without trying this for yourself.
There is nothing more wonderful than packing a picnic and rowing up the River Stour, overlooking Constable Country for a peaceful feast.
There is a real buzz around the river in late spring and summer, and families and couples are often seen picnicking, playing rounders on the field and generally enjoying the beauty of the surroundings.
The Boatyard (attached to The Boathouse restaurant in Dedham) has 26 Clinker built rowing boats to hire from April to September.
Pay a £10 refundable deposit and either £6 for half and hour or £11 for an hour and you can glide along the water at leisure – or speed up if you want to get to Flatford which is a mile and a half away.
For some reason this feels very quintessentially English – so take strawberries and cream with you.
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There are lots of reasons to visit Dedham. A delightful high street with good eating places, small shops (what other village can boast a Co-op in a listed building!). If you are so inclined you can also stroll across the pastures, keeping a wary eye on the cows, to visit the John Constable tearoom and gallery. I like to come to Dedham whenever I visit my brother, who lives in Ipswich.
I couldn’t agree more!