In a lovely rural setting, Belle Grove is very conveniently located for coast, country and town. The charming market town of Halesworth is only 2 miles away and has all you need including lots of coffee shops, galleries and antiques! Only 7.5 miles away through pretty back roads, Southwold is a very popular destination – as are plenty of characterful coastal spots such as Walberswick, Dunwich, Aldeburgh and Orford. See Out & About
Belle Grove is a 2 – 2.5 hour drive out of London, traffic permitting. There is no motorway into this part of East Anglia (something which has helped preserve its character). We’re easy to find using a Sat Nav or Google, but even so, take note of the final directions – link below. If you prefer to follow a traditional map but could do with more guidance, we are happy to send detailed directions.
A village shop is within 20 minutes walking by road or 30 minutes stroll over the fields. While there is also a village pub, it has temporarily closed while looking for a new owner. But Belle Grove is just two miles from the charming market town of Halesworth with its useful supermarket and array of independent shops. How many small towns nowadays have two excellent butchers?!
Nearby Halesworth also has a railway station, with regular trains from London Liverpool Street via Ipswich. The trundly two-carriage train service running on the branch line between Lowestoft and Ipswich passes on a wooded embankment nearby, which guests tell us they don’t find in the least bit intrusive. In fact, why not use the train to explore Lowestoft or pretty Woodbridge near Ipswich? Local buses go here and there from Halesworth. Further information available on request & timetables in the properties + local taxi firms contacts (also provided on booking as part of the Information Pack).
But it’s fair to say that wheels will definitely facilitate your stay, especially to reach all the wonderful pubs and eateries in the vicinity. There is plenty of private parking on site.
Belle Grove now offers a free-to-use charging point for electric cars. It is a tethered 7KW unit on a 3m cable & compatible with all plug-in vehicle brands. As a fast unit, it can take a car like a Nissan Leaf from flat to full in about 4 hours.
In this general area, there is a public charging point at RSPB Minsmere Bird Sanctuary, 12 miles away on a book-a-slot basis. On the coast, the Bell Inn at Walberswick and The Crown in Southwold have car chargers. The Darsham Hamper on the A12 is a usefully located as is the Plough Inn at Beccles and several in Norwich. To locate fast or rapid charging stations, consult a website such as https://openchargemap.org/siteor https://www.zap-map.com/live
Recently we hosted a Sunday Express journalist testing a Nissan electric car and who needed to stay somewhere with an on-site EV Charger. He had considerable problems in charging the car at the very outset in London so it seems that the Belle Grove stay was the most positive part of his experience! “Thankfully the Belle Grove accommodation was the jewel at the centre of the mess of a trip. Its quirky decor, eerily peaceful silence and stunning backdrop make it the perfect countryside getaway. The properties on the site are all five-star converted barns which range in size are well-equipped and there is even an electric charger on the grounds. This Tesla 7.kWh charger is perfect if you have an electric car because you can use your car all day, plug it in overnight and have a full charge by the next morning. You are left to your own devices at the self-catering barns and they are set into a peaceful corner of the countryside, far enough away to not be disturbed by traffic but close enough to the town that you don’t feel too far out of it. ”
On a clear night, the Constellations & Milky Way can be seen from the fields in full glory. (See Heavens Above). However, you may be able to indulge in a little star-gazing of another kind hereabouts: just a few miles away, Southwold, Walberswick & Aldeburgh attract artists, actors, authors, journalists and media types. For example, P D James, Libby Purves, Michael Palin, various scions of the Freud family notable Emma Freud and Richard Curtis, Louis de Bernières, Ralph Fiennes, Diana Quick, Bill Nighy, Julia Blackburn, Jonathan Aitken, Angela Lansbury, Martin Bell and and, no doubt many others, have strong links with this popular area.
