Staycations – where people decide to holiday in Britain, and even close to home to keep costs down – are all the rage at present, so we took ourselves off to Suffolk.

The county has enormous appeal. There are pretty villages, gentle rolling scenery, quaint towns, lazy rivers and plenty of good country pubs.

Chuck in some reasonable weather when the days are at their longest, and you have the recipe for a rattling good holiday.

Our first stop was Newmarket, close to the racecourse which made this town world famous. We stayed at Bedford Lodge, an imposing hotel that is a short walk from the centre of town.

From the hotel we could see racehorses being led along the road to the practice gallop areas. In the town, there are numerous pubs and restaurants, as well as a national horseracing museum.

The museum traces the story of British racing from its early Royal origins at Newmarket to the modern day, and visitors have the chance to ride a racehorse simulator.

We drove to the nearby West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Country Park, where a village from the period 420AD to 650AD has been excavated and carefully reconstructed.

Joining small groups of chattering schoolchildren, we wandered through the park and went into the reconstructed thatched-roof homes, where wood fires burned and where you could get some idea what it was like to live in Britain 1,500 years ago.

Our next stop was the historic market town of Bury St Edmunds. In The Angel Hotel, our suite looked across the town’s main square to the splendid St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

Almost 50 years of work on the cathedral was completed in 2005, and has resulted in an imposing Millennium Tower, a complete rebuilding of the east end of the cathedral, and a new porch and cloisters.

The sun blazed down as we emerged for our walk around the cathedral gardens, where we gazed at the remains of the old stone walls of the abbey.

One of the many lovely rose gardens in the grounds is dedicated to the American forces who served in the area in the Second World War.

Bury St Edmunds also boasts a the Regency playhouse, the Theatre Royal. Built in 1809, it reopened in 2007 after a major restoration programme.

It was only a short drive along the A143 from Bury to the sleepy village of Horringer for our next, and final, stop, and we thought we would try a spot of self-catering.

That’s how we ended up at The Old Piggery – a delightful converted cottage on the edge of the village.

Newly-renovated, this is a romantic base for couples, with a beamed living area, luxury bathroom and splendid kitchen for any visitors who insist on cooking.

By now, the weather, which had been a bit patchy, had made its mind up and opted for hot sun and cloudless skies.

Outside the cottage, bees invaded the lavender in a high-summer frenzy. We strolled through the village where we enjoyed a sumptuous meal at The Beehive pub.

Horringer is home to Ickworth House, home of the historic and eccentric Hervey (pronounced Harvey) family. Set in 1,500 acres of grounds, which seem to go on forever, the house is a giant rotunda, stack full of famous paintings, and has been under the care of the National Trust since 1956.

There are plenty of restaurants close to the sea in a resort that has not changed much since the last great days of the UK bucket-and-spade holiday, before the European package tours began.

And that’s the real charm of Suffolk.

Factfile Peter Woodman stayed at Bedford Lodge, Newmarket, where double rooms (B&B) start at £99 per night. Reservations: (01638) 663175 and bedfordlodgehotel.co.uk.

In Bury St Edmunds, double rooms (B&B) at The Angel start at £90. Reservations: (01284) 714000 and theangel.co.uk.

Peter’s stay at The Old Piggery was through Best of Suffolk, which offers two-night breaks from £225, three nights from £285, a week from £495. Reservations: (01728) 638962 and bestofsuffolk.co.uk.