While walking up Seckford Street, passing a market stall selling freshly baked bread outside the handsome Flemish-looking Shire Hall, I reflect that this must have been the fifth occasion today I had asked myself: “What the hell is Roy Keane’s problem?”
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about Woodbridge. That is, unless you bump into the former Manchester United captain, who, when he was Ipswich Town manager, claimed it was a nice town – but only for “a holiday weekend in summer, maybe”.
Naturally, I’d never say this to the fiery Irishman’s face: Roy, I disagree profoundly. Woodbridge is one of the best towns in Britain, year-round.
I love its wild colour and wonky beams, its old cosy pubs, winding lanes, and the distinct Suffolk-ness of the place – it has a marvellous three-storey tide mill, still in working order, and probably in better nick now than when it was built in 1793. But it’s the small things that make a big difference here: taking a stroll along the River Deben, you’ll invariably spot houseboats, bobbing under Turner-esque skies, stacked with jolly flower pots as smoke dances up from their chimneys. You’ll hear the gentle lap of the tide and find seagulls scavenging on someone’s discarded fish and chips.
I am not alone in holding a soft spot for Woodbridge. Even before the market town topped Rightmove’s list of “the happiest places to live in the UK” for the first time – knocking Richmond upon Thames off the top spot – locals knew they lived somewhere special.
During my visits I’ve learnt that there’s more to Woodbridge than its lazy riverfront. The Thoroughfare, the town’s main pedestrianised shopping street, is highly wanderable, with book shops, tea rooms and cafés, antiques, fishmongers, while an enjoyable day would involve fuelling up on Belgian waffles and a strong coffee at breakfast spot Honey + Harvey.
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