Saxmundham

The Thursday afternoon lull settles over Saxmundham's High Street like a comfortable blanket. This unpretentious Suffolk market town has that proper English quality of getting on with things without making a fuss about it. You won't find coach loads of tourists here, which is precisely the point.

Saxmundham sits in that sweet spot between coast and countryside, fifteen minutes from Aldeburgh's shingle beaches yet surrounded by proper Suffolk farmland. The town's railway station connects directly to London Liverpool Street - handy when you need to escape back to civilization. But honestly, why would you rush?

Saxmundham Museum tells the town's story without any theatrical nonsense, while The Quay Gallery showcases local artists in a converted Victorian building that actually has some character. The Britten Studio keeps the classical music scene alive, though you'll need to check what's on before making the trip.

Forget the manicured villages that grace chocolate boxes. This is working Suffolk - fields stretch in every direction, punctuated by the odd copse like Ash Ground. Village signs dot the surrounding hamlets of Kelsale cum Carlton, Benhall, and Farnham, each marking communities that have been here since the Domesday Book.

Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks makes perfect sense. You're twenty minutes from Aldeburgh's famous fish and chips, half an hour from Southwold's brewery tours, yet based somewhere that doesn't charge London prices for a pint. Carlton Meres Holiday Park and several campsites offer decent bases without the tourist tax.

The countryside here is gentle rather than dramatic. Rolling fields, ancient hedgerows, and that big Suffolk sky that seems to go on forever. It's the England that exists between the picture postcard destinations - and all the better for it.