🏰 A Castle, A Cone, and Countless Bees: Our Return to Framlingham

We scored a free English Heritage voucher and faced a massive dilemma: explore somewhere new, or go back to Framlingham Castle for the umpteenth time? Naturally, we chose the castle. Why try something new when you can look at old stones you already know? The weather couldn’t quite make up its mind—alternating between glorious sunshine and overcast sky—but the town was absolutely buzzing. Honestly, there were so many people around I thought Ed was giving out free guitar lessons on the street corner.

📜 A Quick History Lesson (Don’t Sleep Yet!)
Framlingham has more history than your grandmother’s attic. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxons and translates roughly to “the home of Framela’s people,” which sounds like a medieval reality TV show. It quickly grew into a bustling market town, mostly because people needed a place to trade their sheep and gossip about the king. The skyline is completely dominated by St Michael’s Church, which houses massive Tudor tombs. It is the only place where people actively queue up to see where 16th-century royals are spending their retirement.

👑 The Castle: Where Mary Tudor Went to Plot
Framlingham Castle is famous because Mary Tudor hung out here in 1553 while waiting to become Queen. Talk about a dramatic waiting room! We marched up to the famous 12th-century curtain wall for a walk. The stone walls are still perfectly intact, which is impressive considering most modern flat-pack furniture barely survives a house move. Walking along the top gives you spectacular views of the Mere and the surrounding countryside. It also gives you a great vantage point to judge other people’s picnic setups below.

🍦 Ice Cream and Market Mayhem
After conquering the walls, we headed into town because history really works up an appetite. We timed it perfectly to catch the local food market, which was packed with delicious smells and traders shouting about cheese. But the real MVP of the afternoon was a truly magnificent ice cream from the shop on the corner. It was so good that I briefly considered proposing to the cone, but it was melting too fast for a long-term commitment.

🌸 The Floral Finale
We wrapped up the day with a lovely, lazy walk around the town and nearby lanes. Nature was working overtime today. We were practically tripping over scampering squirrels, and the air was thick with the scent of blooming lavender. The local bees were out in full force, looking highly stressed by their weekend workload. To top it all off, the surrounding fields were a vibrant explosion of red poppies and wild summer flowers. It looked exactly like a desktop screensaver, just with more pollen.

Here are more photos of today’s stroll: