WALKIES THIS WAY…
DENIS MANN AND HIS DOG NELLY FIND THE DREAM STAY IN SUFFOLK
LIFE can be tough for the doggyfriendly family in search of hospitality. After years of rebuffs, I now form an advance party of one with a list of questions.
Dad: “Hello. Can we bring the children in here?”
Bar person/cafe server/maitre d: “Yes, no problem.”
“Oh good, what about the dog?” “Oh yes, we welcome wellbehaved dogs.”
“And wives?”
I usually get a smile with that last one, though one barmaid did reply: “Wives are fine, it’s the husbands we have a problem with.”
It’s a double delight when a special place positively welcomes your little ones, even those of the waggytailed variety.
We road-tested a trip to Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, which promotes itself as super dog-friendly, with Nelly – our exuberant Beauceron/ Doberman cross – as chief reviewer.
We found the handsome town full of hotels, cafés, restaurants and tourist attractions which loved our best friend, and went out of their way with treats to keep her happy.
Nelly, easily impressed by food of any kind, was in heaven.
Her ‘kennel’ for two nights was in the outrageously medieval town of Lavenham, a few minutes’ drive from Bury St Edmunds.
The 15th-century Swan does old and deluxe at the same time, and both very well. Nell was ensconced in our luxurious family room and the only places she wasn’t allowed, – understandably – were the swanky Gallery restaurant and the spa.
No matter, we relaxed in the Airmen’s Bar and the lounges, with the wood fires ablaze, before a quality meal in Brasserie 487. It was a lovely evening and we spotted other dogs being fussed over as they enjoyed the warmth and conviviality.
An autumnal evening walk to stretch our legs was a pleasure, too.
Sleepy, peaceful, half-timbered Lavenham, smelling of woodsmoke and times past, is made for sauntering and pausing, as dog walkers do.
But Bury St Edmunds scoffed at the old saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”
The rain was a test for the finest technical waterproofs in Christendom as we toured the Abbey Gardens in search of King Edmund, who ruled these parts in the 800s.
Thankfully, our guide Adrian was made of stern stuff and kept our seven-year-olds interested during the deluge. He had a good story to tell.
As ever, the gory stuff went down best: how devout Christian Edmund had his head chopped off and lobbed into the woods by raiding Vikings, only to be found between the paws of a wolf, with Ed shouting: “Here! Here! Here!” despite being separated from his body. No wonder they made him a saint.
Edmund became a cult figure, a monastery grew around his shrine and the town of St Edmunds flourished as the great and good travelled there as pilgrims. It all came crashing down, literally, when
Henry VIII had his problems with women and the Pope, and the monasteries were taken apart.
Bury locals, a tad miffed by the riches of the Abbey on the doorstep, were happy to help, by some accounts. Which explains the fine stone in some of the grander buildings in the centre
– liberated from the rubble.
Edmund and the wolf was not the only miracle of that day in the Abbey ruins. Being so late in the year, the formal beds were stripped of flowers, but there was one survivor: a single St Edmund rose in the Appleby Garden. It had to be a sign, we thought, before agreeing it was a portent that it was time for lunch.
At the Bay Tree Café there was more fuss for Nelly as she, er, wolfed down a ‘puppuccino’ and settled under the table while we tackled the menu.
It’s a strength of Bury St Edmunds that it has so many independent shops and cafés, and the Bay Tree, where food is made from scratch, ventures further than the standard sandwiches and toasties, and you don’t hear the ding of a microwave.
The coffee was in a different class, too, and they love dogs. Result.
The pooch-friendly ethos extends beyond the town, with superb walks in the lush Suffolk countryside and even the posh places doing their bit.
The Ickworth Estate, a gorgeous Italianate pile run by the National Trust, has dog-friendly walks, facilities and a café. They even run free dog-training sessions for beginners, kids and advanced owners, and parkour courses for more athletic hounds.
We returned to Bury for an evening stroll and to test the welcome at Gastrono-me, another independent restaurant that serves a younger, trendier clientele in Abbeygate Street. It even has a basement karaoke bar.
It passed the doggy test with flying colours, making it 10 out of 10 for every establishment we visited.
The menu takes its inspirations from around the world, with everything from burgers and pasta to Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese specialities. We pondered the offering from far-flung spots... before plumping for burgers and pasta. That’s how we roll.
I’d ask Nelly what she thought of dog-friendly Bury St Edmunds but she’s been sleeping for two days after all the excitement.
I suppose that’s all the recommendation you need. Grrrrreat!
The poochfriendly ethos extends beyond the town