Visiting Ickworth House

My final Suffolk-related post is here! In keeping with the National Trust theme that seems to have emerged, we will be finishing off this little trilogy series with Ickworth House, an impressive stately home just south of Bury St Edmunds, so again, it was another great place to break up the car journey.
Ickworth is a huge property, surrounded by countryside and even boasts its own hotel and spa, yet strangely we had not heard of it. That being said, we don’t really go in the Suffolk direction much. Nevertheless, the unusual Italianate style and Rotunda is worth a visit.

Ickworth is one of the best NT properties I have been to in terms of walking. On arrival, you are given a map of the estate and there are trails of various lengths to choose from. We did the blue trail, which was about 4 miles and took us through the different backdrops you can find on the estate, from the lake in front of the walled garden to the boardwalk through the forest.

After finishing the walk, we headed to the cafe for some lunch and then explored the house and gardens. The Rotunda looked beautiful in the sunshine and there was a chance to play archery on the lawn in front of the house. I did not use this opportunity though. If I can cut myself in three places whilst shaving and then make myself dizzy, goodness knows what could happen when I’m let loose with a bow and arrow!

The most interesting feature in the gardens was the stumpery. The tree stumps come from trees removed in World War Two and there is something mysterious and fairytale-like when you see all the twisting shapes of the tree roots.

We have come to the end of my Suffolk posts now. I hope I have given you some inspiration about where to go this Easter weekend with your family and friends.
Megan x

---

Twitter: @meganelifestyle
Instagram: @meganelifestyle
Facebook: @meganelifestyle
Pinterest: @meganelifestyle
Bloglovin’:  @meganelifestyle