visited

YOU have probably heard of Sutton Hoo, the Suffolk site where a huge Anglo-Saxon ship was discovered under ancient grassy mounds.

Excitement around the medieval treasure trove grew in 2021 when Carey Mulligan starred in a Netflix movie about the discovery, The Dig.

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But it’s not just ancient artefacts, old textiles and traditional silverware that make this area so special.

The site sits close to Woodbridge, an off-grid market town on the banks of the River Deben that was recently crowned the UK’s happiest place to live by Rightmove.

Having spent a weekend soaking up its moreish cocktail of history, gorgeous views and cracking food — including one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had — I’m inclined to agree.

It was a short trip for me and my partner across the Essex/Suffolk ­border, where we checked into one of Woodbridge’s best-known hotels, The Crown.

The charming inn features ten comfortable boutique rooms, with enormous beds and grand panelled bathtubs.

The property’s position, smack bang on the thoroughfare of the town, is perfect for soaking up the best Woodbridge has to offer, within walking distance of a high street scattered with independent shops.

Swing by The W Gallery if you get a chance.

We were captivated by a huge canvas of an avenue of neon orange trees by artist Samuel Thomas.

A few doors down, at Bois Jolie, the owner explained how he went from market researcher to owning his own woodcraft business.

Now, rather than staring at spreadsheets and pie charts, he spends his time creating interesting coffee tables and beautifully grained yew lamp stands, topped by his wife’s colourful handmade shades.

If we weren’t convinced before, we certainly were after that: Woodbridge really is a town of happy people — and they love to chat.

We had made sure we were well fuelled for our first day of adventure with a huge brekkie of juicy local sausages and perfectly poached eggs at the hotel.

Make sure you book in here for dinner one night, too.

The Crown’s restaurant and bar are buzzing with locals on a Saturday night.

If you ever tire of the hotel’s jam-packed burgers, fish and chips and flavoursome salads, you won’t need to venture far for a decent meal in Woodbridge.

I recommend The Woodyard Ltd, where the air was thick with the lip-smacking scent of smoke and garlic.

Its wood-fired pizzas are something special and we were grateful for our cold beers after devouring a Vesuvio — all charred dough, spicy nduja sausage and fiery salami.

The queue for tables stretched out of the door and, after eating, it was easy to see why.

The Anchor proved the perfect spot for a relaxed Sunday roast.

My plate came piled high with pork, doused in a stock-rich gravy that was so good I would have happily drunk it from a mug.

Once we were finished feasting, we walked it off along Woodbridge’s River Deben and the marina, where hundreds of colourful boats are moored.

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Take a peek at the tide mill on your wander.

The Grade I listed mill is one of the few remaining in the country and has a history stretching back 800 years.

We then made our way towards Kyson Hill, where the sun-drenched river is framed by salt marshes and ancient woodland.

This National Trust area is full of wildlife and we spotted a heron motionless at the water’s edge while, in the distance, deer darted between the trees.

While we didn’t get the chance to visit the mounds of Sutton Hoo itself on the other side of the river, its connection to the town is deepening.

It’s thought the ship and its treasure were hauled three miles up to the burial site from Woodbridge in the 7th Century, and now a community-led project is rebuilding the ancient craft in all its 90ft glory.

The locals are brilliantly enthusiastic about the mission, and you can take a look at the impressive work in progress in The Longshed.

After a weekend of eating, walking and soaking up the charm of this riverside town and all its history, I reckon Woodbridge is quite possibly the happiest place to live in the UK.

And it’s just as great to visit.

It may even feature frequently on my property searches . . . 

When Laura Hill told people she was going on a vineyard tour in Washington State, they were surprised — that’s because Washingtonians are keeping their exquisite wines a secret.

When most people think of a wine road trip in the US, they think of California. So when I told people I was going on a vineyard tour in Washington State, they were surprised, with many telling me they “didn’t know they made wine that far north”.

Neither did I, so I packed waterproofs and jumpers for my flight to Seattle expecting typical Pacific Northwest Coast rainy weather. I was pleasantly surprised a few days later to find myself sitting on a sunny terrace overlooking acres of vineyards, with temperatures in the high 20s in mid-October.

Far from being “too far north”, much of Washington State’s wine country is on a latitude of 46 degrees north – similar to regions including Burgundy and Bordeaux, boasted my tour guide. And with an extra two hours of sunlight per day than California on average, the region has perfect conditions. So why is Washington wine not better known worldwide? The answer is partly because Washingtonians are keeping it to themselves.

“Around 75% of wine made here is consumed within the state itself,” Adam Acampora of Woodinville Wines explained. That and the fact many wineries are small, with most making 5,000 cases per year or less.

So for the time being, it seems the best way to sample the wines of this well-kept secret region is to travel there and take a road trip.

It would be criminal to head to Washington and skip over Seattle so my first stop was the famous Space Needle. The 1961 monument is still the city’s tallest building. On a clear day it’s possible to see the surrounding lakes and mountain ranges from the viewing platform. After a pit stop at the Pike Place Market – renowned for fish being thrown to customers – it was time to hit the road in search of Washington’s wine.

The first “wine town” I visited was Woodinville itself, just half an hour from downtown Seattle. It is far from the vineyards, but it’s home to 130 wineries in four “wine districts” with various tasting rooms, restaurants and bars.

The map of the area reminded me of a theme-park guide with a “Downtown” and a “Hollywood District” to explore.

Before I hit the tasting rooms, a huge roaring fire and a complimentary glass of red wine was awaiting me as I checked into Willows Lodge, a boutique hotel, which leans into the cosy woodland lodge style with reclaimed wood furniture and fireplaces.

Rooms overlook tree-lined grounds giving the illusion of a countryside escape, but just on the other side of the car park were warehouse-like buildings housing wineries.

Inside one of the nondescript industrial buildings was Sparkman Cellars, a family-run winery where I tried a variety of reds in the modern tasting room. I quickly realised red is the tipple of choice here in Washington and most of the tastings included three reds with just one rose, white or sparkling.

My usual wine order is a dry white, so I was apprehensive. But I’m pleased to report there were plenty of “white-wine drinker’s reds” – aka light and fruity wines on offer –alongside the punchy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignons the area is best known for. Many of Woodinville’s wineries are within walking distance from each other, so across the road is the oldest winery in Washington, Chateau Ste. Michelle which dates back to 1912. If Woodinville is a wine theme park, this is Cinderella’s Castle with a huge chateau-style building surrounded by gardens.

After a day of tasting the end product, it was time to hit the road (with a designated driver) and head east to the vineyards.

In just a two-hour journey from Seattle, the landscape changed from moody, Twilight-style forests to almost desert-like on the other side of the Cascade mountains. The area had a slight Wild West vibe with fruit stands and quaint clapboard farm shops to stop off at along the route for a true all-American road-trip experience. Despite the Wild West appearances, the vineyards I visited on the first stop, Yakima, were 100% Pacific Northwest in laid-back style. I joined a Harvest tour visiting three – Dineen Vineyards, Two Mountain Winery and VanArnam Vineyards – to see how the wine was made and was soon stomping grapes with my feet and tasting wine straight from the barrel.

“There’s no right or wrong, it’s about people having a good time,” said Branden Seymour, the new owner of VanArmen Vineyards as he clambered to the top of a stack of barrels to allow us to sample last year’s vintage unblended.

A short hike through the scenic Cowiche Canyon freshened me up before a two-hour drive east to Walla Walla, a college town near the Oregon border. The cute Main Street was home to half a dozen wine-tasting rooms, boutique bakeries and upmarket restaurants including the Salted Mill where American classics like mac and cheese and burgers are paired with local wines. I stayed at the historic Marcus Whitman hotel, proclaimed to be ‘‘the grandest hotel for at least 150 miles”. Sticking with the theme park idea, I’ll admit the 1928 13-storey property reminded me slightly of Disney’s Tower of Terror.

But newly-renovated chic interiors put a stop to that. This elegant style continued at the nearby vineyards, which I explored on an e-bike with Kickstand Tours (from £132). I enjoyed the driest white wine of the whole trip in the Ibizan-inspired tasting room at Grosgrain Vineyards, before heading to neighbouring Valdemar Estates. The ultra-modern winery was opened in 2019 by a Spanish family who have had vineyards in Rioja for more than 130 years, giving the region a European stamp of approval. Overall I found this wine tasting road trip more relaxed than any previous tours.

Combining a tipple or two with a city stop and a road trip filled with all-American icons means even people who don’t love wine would have a great time exploring the US’s lesser-known vineyard region.

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