Suffolk commuter towns: where to buy for seaside living, pretty villages and fast link to London

Suffolk’s big skies and magical landscapes have inspired writers and artists for generations.

And now that working from home is a thing, this slightly cut-off but spectacularly beautiful county has become a practical option for commuters keen to live close to glorious countryside and sandy beaches.

Suffolk is a real something-for-everyone county. It has pretty seaside resorts, thriving market towns, and some stupidly pretty villages.

Demand for Suffolk’s good looking, well priced property escalated during the pandemic, according to research by estate agent Hamptons, pushing average prices up beyond the £300,000 mark for the first time in 2020.

But as interest rates and cost of living concerns have taken hold, price growth stopped in its tracks in 2022 resulting in a calmer, less competitive market for house hunters to contend with.

To help buyers keen to explore Suffolk’s best locations, these are our picks of its finest towns and villages:

Value for money: Bungay

If you want easy access both to the seaside (Lowestoft’s sandy beaches are 15 miles to the east)