Flossie, Maddie and the Bradshaw Family's Week in Suffolk!

A few weeks ago Suffolk Secrets were graced with the presence of the Instafamous pooches Flossie and Maddie and their owners, The Bradshaw family. The eight which includes Mum her two dogs had booked a week with us in the wonderful Butterfield House in Beccles. After their week enjoying all things Suffolk, Mum Corinne wrote a fantastic blog on their time in our glorious county and with Suffolk Secrets...

That perfect week in Suffolk 

Searching for holidays on a chilly spring evening, snuggled under a blanket with a warm mug of tea, I stumbled across Suffolk Secrets. As a growing family of 8 and with 2 Spaniels who holiday with us, finding places to stay isn't always easy.

Trying to accommodate everyone's preferences is a job all of its own, so stumbling across Suffolk Secrets was such a relief. I entered all of our requirements on a really easy, user-friendly search page and out came a list of properties. They allowed dogs, were available on our dates and with clear descriptions it was so easy to take a look through them.

Butterfield House, Beccles, was instantly our top choice. A 16th Century house full of character set on the River Waveney. With views along the river and across the marshes, it ticked all our boxes. It slept 8, had a cinema room, games room and a summer house on the river. We could spend our evenings laughing, eating and enjoying each other's company after a day out exploring. 

We just had to stay here!

So, after a fairly long drive ...WOW! 

What a stunning home Butterfield House is! The dogs loved following us around exploring every nook and cranny. They then settled in the evening sun watching boats sail past.

On our first day, we visited Southwold to join in the Southwold Arts Festival celebrations. The dogs took part in the Punch and Judy show, we ate fish and chips from The Little Fish and Chip Shop and delicious Gelato ice cream from Harris and James. The sun shone, our tummies were full and we were loving our holiday already. 

We even popped to say hello to everyone at So Southwold / Suffolk Secrets. Dressed in fairy wings for the festival they fussed our Spaniels, Maddie and Flossie and we filled them in on our holiday so far. 

Day two was spent on the beach, paddling in the sea, enjoying a picnic and playing games of boules. The dogs loved running on the sand and splashing in the waves. We ended the day by walking through Southwold, popping into shops for postcards and presents then home for a well-earned supper and chill by the river. 

On Monday we hired boats from CC Marine in Beccles and sailed peacefully along the River Waveney to the Waveney River Centre where we stopped off for lunch in the dog-friendly Waveney Inn. We all loved soaking up the sun and waving to everyone who passed. The dogs loved every minute and we didn't want the day to end.

The following day we enjoyed the house, watched films, cooked a BBQ and wandered along the seafront with ice creams.

Wednesday was typical British weather, rain, so we spent the morning shopping in Beccles then off for a dip in the heated outdoor swimming pool. With a slide and a diving board, it was great fun and the rain didn't matter.

We did a little research on dog-friendly beaches and Wells Next the Sea and Brancaster came top of most lists. So car loaded with humans, spaniels and a picnic we set off to Wells. They have a dog-friendly cafe with dog treats and ice creams. The beach is stunning so we ate our picnic, flew our kite and built sand castles. Maddie and Flossie loved running and digging on the beach. The sun shone and we laughed non-stop. There is even a dog-friendly ship that serves pancakes in the harbour. That really is a must.

Friday eventually came and it was time to say goodbye ... Butterfield House, we will be back. 

Our holiday has been spent in a beautiful part of the country, enjoying good food, beautiful scenery and most of all each other. 

The Bradshaw family 

Butterfield House along with all our other properties can be found on our website www.suffolk-secrets.co.uk and are available to book throughout the year. Suffolk Secrets has an excellent range of holiday cottages, many are pet-friendly and all are thoughtfully hand-picked for people looking for a self-catering holiday in Suffolk.

If you would like to see more of Maddie and Flossie, follow their Instagram pages for more doggy adventures... maddie_and_family, flossie_and_family, madeleinethespaniel and felicitythespaniel.

Don't miss our fantastic offer, pets go free. Book with us before the 30th of September for a 2017 holiday and your pooch will join at no added cost. Just enter the code ROVER17 into the promotional code box when booking a holiday with us, or quote ROVER17 if booking over the phone. Discover our pet-friendly properties here...