• Homepage
  • Destinations
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Blogs I enjoy
facebook twitter pinterest instagram

Mum's Gone To …

Travel tales of an empty nester
  • Homepage
  • Destinations
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Blogs I enjoy
Home  >  Blog  >  Mum’s Gone To Sutton Hoo

Mum’s Gone To Sutton Hoo

Trish Burgess Posted on12/12/201216/09/2016 Suffolk 23 Comments
Some months ago the National Trust launched a campaign to get children outdoors: ’50 Things to do before you’re 11 3/4.’ It included suggestions such as ‘No.7 Fly a kite’, ‘No.13 Make a mud slide’ and ‘No.44 Light a fire without matches’. My son is some years past 11 3/4 now but it was interesting to look at the list and see which ones he had actually completed. Abseiling? Check. Canoe down a river? Check? Get behind a waterfall? Check.
Number 12 on the list is ‘hunt for treasure on the beach’ and this came to mind when we visited Sutton Hoo, the National Trust property in Suffolk, home to an ancient Anglo-Saxon burial site. It might not be on a beach but it’s very close to the coast, on the estuary of the river Debden, and has certainly provided Britain with one of its most significant finds of buried treasure.
On the eve of the Second World War, archaeologist Basil Brown began excavating the large grassy mounds on the estate of landowner Mrs Edith Pretty. Although grave robbers had previously looted many artefacts from some of the mounds, Basil investigated some untouched graves and was successful in uncovering a ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king accompanied by his treasured possessions. Mrs Pretty subsequently gave the treasure to the British Museum but replicas of the masks and artefacts remain at the original site, together with some genuine objects from later discoveries.
Sutton Hoo resting stopSutton Hoo is a great choice for family days out as it provides something for people of all ages. With over 90 hectares of woodland to explore, striding out for a brisk walk to see the burial mounds, whilst kicking leaves and opening spiky chestnut husks, gets even indolent teenagers moving. There are two walks to choose from, the short one (one hour) and the long one (up to 2 hours 30 minutes). Guess which one we chose? Well, it was starting to rain and this was the beginning of November.
Cheeks suitably ruddy after our woodland walk, we quickened our step and headed for the warmth of the small Exhibition Hall which was informative without being stuffy. Children can try on typical Anglo Saxon clothes, peep inside a full size replica of a burial chamber and listen to taster talks by the cheerful, enthusiastic Sutton Hoo Society guides. Most people come here to see the famous mask and although it is only a replica, there is something quite arresting about it.
When the rain stopped, we headed back out again to have a look round Tranmer House which has been frozen in time in the 1930s to recreate Mrs Pretty’s home at the time of the excavations. What an unexpected pleasure! A truly ‘hands-on’ approach to visitors exists in the house: children and adults are free to sit on the furniture, listen to the gramophone, flick through magazines and play the piano. “Touching is positively encouraged,” so the warm and smiling guide informed me. She told me they would soon be decorating the house for Christmas and I thought that fact alone would be enough to tempt me back for another visit.
Back in the visitor reception we popped into the bright, airy cafe for a cuppa and a scone but took note of the imaginative children’s menu: a longboat baked potato in a sea of baked beans, anyone? I could have happily sat there for an hour or more, just looking out of the huge windows onto the river valley, but it was beginning to get dark and they would soon be closing for the day.
The National Trust has made sure that Sutton Hoo is accessible and interesting for families. You can pick up a family trail or a tracker pack, go wild in the adventure playground and zip-wire or become an archaeologist by having a dig around in the specially designed pit. There’s also a small second-hand bookshop, run by an enthusiastic member of staff, just one of several during the day who made us feel so very welcome.
“Do you think we can tick off ‘No. 12 Hunt for treasure on the beach’ after our visit to Sutton Hoo?” I asked my teenage son.
“I think it’s pushing it, Mum, but we did do ‘No.6 Run around in the rain.’ and we possibly did ‘No.28 Climb a huge hill’ if you omit the word ‘huge’.”
“Here’s one for you. How about you do ‘No. 27. Watch the sun wake up’ tomorrow morning?”
“After all this exercise and fresh air today? Not a chance!”
Sutton Hoo is in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Tickets are priced at £6.70 for adults and £3.40 for children. A family ticket is £17.10. However it is worth looking for MoneySupermarket Days Out discounts. They provided us with the family ticket to review this attraction, in association with Tots 100.
Sutton Hoo

Previous Article The Gallery: Colour: On the street
Next Article Who remembers ‘Acorn Antiques’?

Related Posts

  • Ceramics on shelf of Five Acre Barn

    Five Acre Barn packs a Suffolk punch

    06/11/2018
  • Southwold Pier, Suffolk

    Southwold in Suffolk is a wonderful winter warmer

    09/03/2018
  • Cragg Sisters tearoom

    A day trip to Aldeburgh, Suffolk

    28/02/2018

23 Comments

  1. BavarianSojourn Reply
    12/12/2012 at 6:43 pm

    I am ashamed to say I have never heard of it, but it sounds absolutely fascinating! Love the children's menu too! Emma 🙂

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      13/12/2012 at 8:15 am

      It had a bit of everything – history, fresh air and a cream scone!

  2. Funky Wellies Reply
    13/12/2012 at 8:22 am

    It sounds like a very interesting place, my girls would love it. And as always, you made the post a great read with the right balance of humour, information and quirky details. The photos are fab too. xx

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      13/12/2012 at 9:02 am

      What a lovely thing to say, FW. I've been sitting on this post for a few weeks, wasn't sure how to pitch it, so your comments are much appreciated x

  3. Kelloggs Ville Reply
    13/12/2012 at 6:00 pm

    I'd forgotten that place existed but you brought back a big memories of going there with COG when she was just a toddler. I mainly recall getting almost to te top of a hill and having to come back down again to do a toilet trip and ten having to go back up again lol remember those toddler days!

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      13/12/2012 at 9:44 pm

      Well it looks like COG definitely completed the 'climb a big hill' task!

      I still find we need to have frequent toilet stops on our travels but that's usually for me now.

  4. Curry Queen Reply
    13/12/2012 at 8:56 pm

    I've never been to Sutton Hoo (actually got confused with Luton Hoo, duh!) but it looks lovely and I would certainly visit it if I were in the area (teenagers notwithstanding – mine are not as compliant as yours, obviously!)

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      13/12/2012 at 9:47 pm

      Often getting our lad to come out with us in the first place is the tricky part – he's quite compliant once we've wrestled him into the car 😉

  5. MsCaroline Reply
    14/12/2012 at 6:36 am

    It really sounds wonderful – Vikings get a definite thumbs-up from me. The period home is just a nice bonus. I'm sending a link to this post to Son#1 – not sure if he knows there's a Viking Burial site named after (or before) him, but maybe it'll pique his interest! Do tell, though…what is it that Rory and Dougie are sitting on/in/next to?

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      14/12/2012 at 7:23 am

      The period home was a bonus, you're right, that's just how it felt – unexpected treat.
      I think the name Sutton Hoo means a spur of land (hoo) in the south (Sutton) if that is useful bit of info for your son.
      The boys are sitting in a wooden carved seating area, shaped like half a boat around them. It was very cosy.

    • MsCaroline Reply
      15/12/2012 at 2:59 am

      Ah. We knew that Sutton was 'south' or 'southern town,' but I had no idea what a 'Hoo' was. Thanks!

  6. Steve Reply
    14/12/2012 at 9:05 am

    Oh our kid's holiday bucket list for sure… and reasonably priced too, I'm pleased to note.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      14/12/2012 at 8:38 pm

      Your boys are the ideal age for it. It's all so manageable, not overwhelming and yes, very good value.

  7. About Last Weekend Reply
    14/12/2012 at 7:55 pm

    Wish they had starting doing this when we lived in England ten years ago. Fabulous. Mostly we were meandering through fields aimlessly with whining kids. My kids have always loved enumerated stuff.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      14/12/2012 at 8:41 pm

      Don't kids love ticking off lists. Great way to get them to exercise without them realising – go on, lad, dam that stream up ahead and you'll only have 32 things to go!

  8. northernmum Reply
    16/12/2012 at 11:14 pm

    It sounds fab, must make a note to stop by and prices look reasonable…

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      17/12/2012 at 8:19 am

      It was a great little place – just the right amount of things to do.

  9. Pinkoddy Reply
    04/01/2014 at 8:35 pm

    Thank you this definitely a place that sounds worth considering when making our holiday plans.

  10. Pingback: 72 hours in Oslo - Part Three - Mum's Gone To ...
  11. Pingback: A day on the Suffolk coast - Mum's Gone To ...
  12. Pingback: 100 Amazing National Trust Days Out With Children - Mini Travellers
  13. Pingback: 4 National Trust days out with Children in the East of England - Mini Travellers - Family Travel & Family Holiday Tips
  14. Pingback: Recommended National Trust Places with Playgrounds - Mini Travellers - Family Travel & Family Holiday Tips

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me

Random Visits

  • Up Jacob’s Creek without a paddle 05/01/2012
  • Mum’s gone to Sweden: Alien Adventures in Ängelholm 08/09/2012
  • Latest travel round-up on BritMums 02/04/2012

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
facebook twitter instagram pinterest youtube

Recent Posts

  • Riverside Walk, Leamington to Warwick
    Riverside Walk from Leamington Spa to Warwick 16/05/2022
  • Craiglockhart Hill
    Heading for the hills in Edinburgh 18/01/2022
  • Kelvingrove Art Museum and Gallery
    Come on, Eileen! Finding the weird and wonderful in museums 08/01/2022
  • Paired up with Barney and Trevor at Nidderdale Llamas
    Trekking with Nidderdale Llamas 14/09/2021

Recent Comments

  • William Sell on A Holbeach man, born and bred.
  • Trish Burgess on Trekking with Nidderdale Llamas
  • Bryce on Trekking with Nidderdale Llamas
  • Mark T Coupe on Miniatures in bronze: The sculptures of Joseph Hillier in Spalding
  • Trish Burgess on Dipping my toe back into blogging
  • Bryce on Dipping my toe back into blogging
  • Trish Burgess on A visitor’s guide to toilets in Japan
  • Tilly Jaye Horseman on Miniatures in bronze: The sculptures of Joseph Hillier in Spalding

Contact Us

To contact me, please visit my Contact page.

I'm on Twitter. Find me as @mumsgoneto
I'm on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mumsgoneto
Instagram - mumsgoneto
Pinterest - Trish Burgess
Google plus - +TrishBurgess


Designed by 79DESIGN

UK WordPress Support

Website by 79DESIGN, Lincolnshire Web Designer