Suffolk is surprisingly well provided for in terms of trains. With the exception of Haverhill, the towns are connected to Ipswich by hourly train services which, given car ownership and population levels, is about as good as you could reasonably ask for.
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| The Corn Exchange, now used as the town's library |
The quirky exception is Sudbury, which sits at the end of the single track Gainsborough Line, and is served by two-carriage Diesel Multiple Units from Marks Tey on the main East Anglian Main Line. There are no through trains to London, as the branch joins the main line on a curve, pointing towards Colchester and Ipswich, and the fast London trains don't stop at Marks Tey anyway.
There are two intermediate stations, Bures and Chappel & Wakes Colne, the latter being the home of the East Anglian Railway Museum and an exceptionally popular beer festival. There's also the viaduct, which is said to be the largest brick structure in the country.
What this does mean is that Sudbury isn't an obvious place to commute to London from, with a consequential impact on house prices. And it's a rather nice little town, known for its silk production and for being the birthplace of the eighteenth century artist, Thomas Gainsborough, amongst other things.
It has a small department store, Winch & Blatch, enough shopping, some nice churches, sufficient architecture to keep you engaged, and the water meadows on the River Stour are a nice place to stretch your legs and get some fresh air.
But, for any Londoners reading this, it might as well be on Mars. Ah well, your loss...
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