Colston Cottage, Badingham

Colston Hall Cottage is a charming Suffolk Pink farmhouse cottage near Badingham, sleeping up to 7 across four bedrooms, with fishing lakes, gardens, and countryside views. Close to Framlingham Castle and the Suffolk coast, it's perfect for walking, cycling, birdwatching, and relaxing.

Colston Hall Cottage sits within the grounds of Colston Hall, a working farmhouse with a history stretching back over 500 years. The cottage itself is finished in the traditional Suffolk Pink render seen throughout the county, with a red clay tile roof and an old brick gatepost adding to its character. The sweeping gravel drive leads through mature grounds dotted with established alternate red and white Horse Chestnut, including a weeping willow overhanging an ornamental pond, with the fishing lakes a little further on, all set against open Suffolk countryside.

On the ground floor there is a cosy lounge with TV, a dining room with doors opening onto the patio, a fitted kitchen with plenty of storage, a utility room and a double bedroom with its own ensuite shower room. Upstairs you will find a master bedroom with exposed beams and original joists in the eaves, a south facing single bedroom looking out over the fishing lakes, and a twin bedroom converted from the old hay loft. A family bathroom serves the upper floor.

The patio area enjoys far-reaching views of the surrounding countryside. On-site fishing is available for those who want to make the most of the grounds, and the wider area lends itself well to walking, cycling and birdwatching.

Location:

Badingham is a quiet, scattered village set in the upper Alde valley in east Suffolk, four miles north of Framlingham and around 13 miles from the coast. It has a traditional feel, with the White Horse Inn, a village hall and the Grade I listed church of St John the Baptist, which contains a remarkable Seven Sacraments font. The surrounding countryside is ideal for walking, with signposted footpaths and quiet lanes leading past protected roadside nature reserves, veteran trees and verges thick with cowslips in spring, with bluebell woods nearby. Wildlife is abundant, with deer, hares, owls, kingfishers, squirrels and butterflies all regularly seen. For provisions, the award winning Farm Shop on Friday Street (IP17 1JX) is well worth a visit for locally sourced produce.

Near-by Framlingham, with street markets every Tuesday and Saturday, has an impressive medieval castle, independent shops and a good range of places to eat. The Suffolk coast is within easy reach, with Aldeburgh, Southwold and Thorpeness all accessible within half an hour. Snape Maltings, one of the country's leading concert venues, is also nearby and hosts events throughout the year.