Trimley Lodge review: Spend a long weekend at this beautifully restored farmhouse on the Suffolk coast
Unless you’re a particular fan of maritime trade logistics, the town of Felixstowe is unlikely to be high up on your list of places to visit before you die. It is, to the unending pride of locals, the UK’s largest shipping container port, and boasts waters deep enough to accommodate the latest generation of deep-draughted ultra post-Panamax vessels. Or so Wikipedia tells me.
But step just outside the beating industrial perimeter of this tiny Suffolk town and you’ll find a beautiful stretch of bucolic coastal countryside, a highlight of which is the holiday cottage of Trimley Lodge. This converted farmhouse is perfect for weekend escapes to the countryside with friends, and only two hours drive from London.
The vibe: The house was originally two cottages, later extended into one megacottage with seven bedrooms sleeping up to 14 guests. Two staircases leading to a split upstairs floor is the only clue that the merger ever took place, and throughout, the exposed oak beams and original brick fireplaces add a splash of rustic charm to the otherwise modern and luxurious decor. Hidden away in one corner of a landing, behind a sheet of protective glass, you can spot some of the building’s original wattle and daub construction.
Kick a ball around in the sprawling garden behind the house while the more capable members of your group set about the important business of barbecuing the hell out of some corn. We found a dead barn owl in the stables next to the house, but that’s nobody’s fault. It’s just nature. The raw, heartless, profound beauty of the countryside. The whole ordeal was quite spiritual, actually.
The open plan kitchen and breakfast bar, around which so many hungover guests have surely congregated
The food: On our second evening at the lodge our group found itself too busy with an impromptu Rocket League session on the Nintendo Switch, and so enlisted the services of Dineindulge, a private dining experience that dispatches a chef to your home. Byron turned up an hour before we were due to eat with everything he needed to craft and serve an elaborate and tasty five course meal. Crucially, Byron refused our offers to help him do any of the washing up, and per head it cost roughly what we’d have paid had we wandered out to one of Felixstowe’s many award-winning fine dining establishments.
Things to do: The Suffolk coast is positively riddled with estuaries and the like, so take advantage by visiting an aquatic centre for a spot of water sports before the weather gets much colder. We spent a morning paddleboarding at Alton Water Sports Centre. A short drive from Trimley, it’s the county’s largest man-made reservoir, with a perimeter of just over eight miles. This place is just racking up the accolades.
Anything else? A twilight walk from the lodge towards the coast is eerily pretty, with the port’s gargantuan cranes looming on the horizon like metal dinosaurs, and the stacked containers forming a colourful alien skyline. A humbling coalition of ocean and industry, of Turner and Brunel.
Are you still talking about shipping containers? Umm, yes.
Trimley Lodge is managed by boutique holiday lettings agency Mulberry Cottages. A three night stay starts from £1,000. A seven night stay starts from £1,850. To book visit mulberrycottages.com. To book a Dineindulge private chef experience, visit dineindulge.co.uk