{"id":16767,"date":"2017-09-12T09:24:20","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T09:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=16767"},"modified":"2018-07-02T11:00:13","modified_gmt":"2018-07-02T11:00:13","slug":"a-birthday-in-bury-st-edmunds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/a-birthday-in-bury-st-edmunds\/","title":{"rendered":"A Birthday in Bury St Edmunds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Continuing with my mission to treat this area as I would a new expat location<\/a>, and to see as many new places as we can in my own country…<\/p>\n

When my darling Mum offered to look after the children for a night so we could go away for my birthday weekend recently, we headed to Bury St Edmunds – for no other reason than it’s not all that far away in case of an emergency, and because neither of us had ever visited before…<\/p>\n

Waved off by our small brood and their bonkers granny, we enjoyed the quick drive there. \u00a0There’s something really nice about only having a half an hour journey before reaching your destination, and all without having to go anywhere near an airport…<\/p>\n

The Angel Hotel <\/a>was our home for the night, and our light and airy top floor suite was just lovely, with views out across the Abbey Gate, and to the immaculate walled gardens beyond. \u00a0 \u00a0A coaching inn has stood on this central site since the 15th century, but nowadays it has a definite boutique hotel feel, and there’s a lot I liked about it…<\/p>\n

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Despite being a listed building, so incredibly old and quite wonky in parts, and with a wedding in full flow in The Athenaeum next door (where Charles Dickens would give readings, and afterwards stay at the Angel himself!) our room was surprisingly quiet which is very important when you are in desperate need of a little peace, even if that only serves to illustrate how loud your tinnitus actually is…<\/p>\n

Staff are very friendly and helpful (they even park your car for you), the room had lots of little touches to make our stay as comfortable as possible, and it also had the most incredible copper bath I think I have ever had the pleasure of wallowing in (as parents of young children will appreciate, soaking until your skin gets wrinkly without the constant intrusion of any small people made the whole thing even more luxurious!)…<\/p>\n

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We didn’t have dinner at The Angel on this occasion, but enjoyed a rather decent G&T down in the Wingspan bar in the depths of the cellar (look out for lots of quirky furniture down here – chairs made from bits of plane and the like!) later that evening, not to mention an excellent breakfast the following morning in the sun flooded dining room…<\/p>\n

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The Angel’s Breakfast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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After dumping our bags, \u00a0our first port of call was a pot of proper English tea and a shared welsh rarebit in Harriet’s Tea Room whilst we slowly adjusted to being sans enfants, and decided on our plan of action for the rest of the afternoon (we also liked the Really Rather Good Coffee shop which lives up to its name!)…<\/p>\n

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We explored the Abbey Gardens and had a quick wander around the magnificent Cathedral and grounds (look out for the 11th century ruins of the Benedictine Abbey, and the row of houses in West Front formed from the remains of the ruined Cathedral walls that once stood here!). \u00a0Then we explored the colourful Saturday afternoon market before thinking about stopping for a quick drink somewhere. \u00a0We couldn’t fit in The Nutshell<\/a> (officially the Smallest Pub in Britain at 15ft x 7ft!) as it was packed, but it looks like a real character packed full of weird and wonderful things both in memorabilia and customer form (there was actually live music the day we visited, but the band played outside as they couldn’t fit in the pub either!)! \u00a0 \u00a0Although I don’t make a habit of inhabiting Wetherspoons pubs, the one in the old Victorian Corn Exchange building is worth a visit to get some idea of the history of the building, and to appreciate the gorgeous glass roof… \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0We also managed a swift half in the Dog and Partridge very close to the Greene King Brewery (which you can tour by the way, and it also has a shop), before a spot of shopping.<\/p>\n

Later we walked to Pea Porridge <\/a>for dinner. \u00a0 \u00a0Named after the street it resides on, you definitely need to book a table at this restaurant well in advance given the size of the place, and the fact that its opening hours are quite particular (which I think it can be completely forgiven for given that it’s rather good).<\/p>\n

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A lot of the food here is cooked in a charcoal Bertha oven, and there’s a definite slow food feel to the menu with. \u00a0Combined with excellent wines, and impeccable service, it all makes for a great experience. \u00a0 As it was my birthday after all, I went for the half lobster on a bed of samphire which came with the most amazing crispy chips. \u00a0The dessert was also memorable – banana beignets with cinnamon ice cream…<\/p>\n

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Abbey Gate by Night –\u00a0Look out for the “Pillar of Salt” here – Britain’s first illuminated Street Sign from 1935…<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Waddling back through Bury’s quiet ancient streets much later on, we both came to the conclusion that it really is one of those towns that England does rather well, \u00a0steeped in history, full of lamp lit cobbled streets littered with half timbered buildings, lots of great places to eat and many other things that we have missed whilst we have been away. \u00a0 It’s obvious that its residents and caretakers care about the place massively, and that’s evident from the masses of well manicured gardens, and a distinct lack of rubbish anywhere…<\/p>\n

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We returned to Cambridge the next afternoon after a leisurely morning wandering Bury St Edmund’s farmer’s market, relaxed and happy. \u00a0 Thankfully everyone had survived at home – despite the baby having a sudden fever, granny falling halfway down the stairs, and at one point all of them almost ending up back in London after a wrong turn on the motorway after a trip to the supermarket. \u00a0 \u00a0 Granny didn’t want to bother us though as she thought we could do with a break, and whilst it had me making a mental note to do exactly the same for my offspring when I have grandchildren of my own one day (and I really wouldn’t have minded if she had given us a shout!), I am grateful she didn’t, a weekend away with just the two of us was the perfect present in itself…<\/p>\n

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