It’s great living in a manic, modern city like Dubai, but sometimes our brains need a break from fast cars, busy days and
buildings that stretch higher than the eye can see.

That’s why the English countryside has such enormous appeal.

With pretty villages, gentle rolling scenery, quaint towns, lazy rivers and plenty of good country pubs, there’s few better places to relax the mind and unwind than Suffolk. Chuck in some reasonable weather when the days are at their longest, and you have the recipe for a great break.

Our first stop was Newmarket, close to the racecourse which made this town world famous.

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

Joining small groups of chattering schoolchildren, we wandered through the park and went in to the reconstructed thatched-roof homes, where wood fires burned and 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 and the splendid St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

Poor old King Edmund was captured and killed by the Danes in 869 AD, and promptly became a saint.

Legend has it that after his head was chopped off, it miraculously became reconnected with this body, setting off the whole St Edmund martyr-miracle-pilgrimage merry-go-round.

Keen to keep St Edmund’s memory alive, the locals built a great abbey to house the remains of the king.

Thwarted in his attempt to make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, one abbot - Anselm - instead built a church to St James next door to the abbey in the 12th century.

This church became St Edmundsbury Cathedral in 1914, and we walked down the nave which was built by Tudor architect John Wastell, whose works include King’s College in Cambridge.

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 round 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 rather super Regency playhouse, the Theatre Royal. Built in 1809, it reopened in 2007 after a major restoration programme.

It was only a short drive from Bury to the sleepy village of Horringer for our next stop.

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

Bees invaded the lavender as we strolled through the village where we were treated to a sumptuous meal at The Beehive pub to contemplate the impending journey back to work and stress.

Whether you soak up the history, the fresh air of the countryside or revel in the beauty of the quaint villages - Suffolk will clear that city head.

A house of hidden treasures  
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.

The family are also associated with the Harvey’s Bristol Cream sherry, and it was the fourth Earl of Bristol who created Ickworth in 1795. 

Latter-day celebrities in the family include model and socialite Lady Victoria Hervey.

As well as works of art by the likes of Gainsborough (a local man), Titian and Velasquez, the house boasts Georgian silver and Regency furniture.

If you want to walk the grounds as well, Ickworth becomes a day-long trip.

Suffolk - the facts
Best for: Old world-charm in a rural setting, particularly medieval ‘Wool Towns’ such as Lavenham, Clare and Long Melford.
Time to go: Now. Spring is the best, when the grass is the greenest and days are long.
Don’t miss: Ickworth House and grounds - an amazing building in lovely gardens.
Need to know: When the pubs open. Plenty are excellent value for food and drink.
Don’t forget: Walking shoes - the flat countryside offers some terrific walks.

How to get there
Emirates and Etihad both fly direct to London, check www.emirates.com and www.etihadairways.com for details.

The town of Newmarket is just over 100km north of London and public transport is easy to navigate.