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Suffolk, United Kingdom
Photo: Chris Downer, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beccles and Bungay are market towns on the River Waveney in Suffolk 5 miles (8 km) apart on the southern edge of the Norfolk Broads. They are rural towns catering primarily to the local populations rather than tourists.
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It was at this church in 1749 that the mother of Horatio Nelson, Catherine Suckling, married the Reverend Edmund Nelson (a former curate of Beccles). The Suffolk poet George Crabbe married Sarah Elmy at Beccles Church in the 18th century.
Beccles Museum is housed in Leman House, a Grade I listed building and has a collection of agricultural, industrial and domestic items, including collections of tools, boat building, printing, costumes and natural history.
The townscape is dominated by the detached 16th century bell tower (known as the Beccles bell tower) of St Michael's Church. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Perpendicular Gothic in style and is 97 ft tall. The interior of the church was badly damaged by fire in 1586. It has a 13th-century font. The tower is not attached to the church and at the wrong end of the church as the correct end would be too close to a large cliff.
Bungay Castle was built by the Normans but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle. Bungay's village sign shows the castle. The castle contains a unique surviving example of mining galleries, dating to the siege of the castle in 1174. They were intended to undermine and thus collapse the castle's tower and keep.
Openair Swimming Pool
Go-Karting Track
Performance Arts Venue & Cinema
Canoe Hire
Boat hire: 3 hr £50, 6 hr £80; canoe hire: 3 hr £23, 6 hr £35; two-and three-person canoes available.
Dayboat Hire
Indian Restaurant
Cafe, Bar & Grill
Pizza Restaurant
Pub & Food
Bar & Restaurant
Pub
Rooms, restaurant & bar
B&B
B&B
B&B
Supermarket
Convenience Store
ATM
Convenience Store
ATMs. Petrol station (different hours).
By train
By bicycle
Regional Cycle Route 30 runs through both towns through Diss and Thetford to the W and to Lowestoft to the E.
On foot
The Angles Way long-distance footpath (93 miles) Great Yarmouth to Thetford runs through both Bungay and Beccles.
Both towns are small enough to see on foot, though they are 5 miles apart.
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Norwich, Norfolk · Regional · NWI
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