I went to ‘the happiest place in the UK’ to discover what’s so jolly about this small town in Suffolk

While walking up Seckford Street, passing a market stall selling freshly baked bread outside the handsome Flemish-looking Shire Hall, I reflect that this must have been the fifth occasion today I had asked myself: “What the hell is Roy Keane’s problem?”

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about Woodbridge. That is, unless you bump into the former Manchester United captain, who, when he was Ipswich Town manager, claimed it was a nice town – but only for “a holiday weekend in summer, maybe”.

Naturally, I’d never say this to the fiery Irishman’s face: Roy, I disagree profoundly. Woodbridge is one of the best towns in Britain, year-round.

I love its wild colour and wonky beams, its old cosy pubs, winding lanes, and the distinct Suffolk-ness of the place – it has a marvellous three-storey tide mill, still in working order, and probably in better nick now than when it was built in 1793. But it’s the small things that make a big difference here: taking a stroll along the River Deben, you’ll invariably spot houseboats, bobbing under Turner-esque skies, stacked with jolly flower pots as smoke dances up from their chimneys. You’ll hear the gentle lap of the tide and find seagulls scavenging on someone’s discarded fish and chips.

I am not alone in holding a soft spot for Woodbridge. Even before the market town topped Rightmove’s list of “the happiest places to live in the UK” for the first time – knocking Richmond upon Thames off the top spot – locals knew they lived somewhere special.

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During my visits I’ve learnt that there’s more to Woodbridge than its lazy riverfront. The Thoroughfare, the town’s main pedestrianised shopping street, is highly wanderable, with book shops, tea rooms and cafés, antiques, fishmongers, while an enjoyable day would involve fuelling up on Belgian waffles and a strong coffee at breakfast spot Honey + Harvey.

Impeccably tasteful homeware stores have opened up: Scandi-inspired Vanil – founded by former creative director Amanda Leeson – and Pascale, which offers a curated selection of ceramics and glassware. In New Street, you’ll find Denny Hodson’s boutique, Homespun, which sells international fashion brands alongside clothes designed in Suffolk.

At the top of Market Hill, Woodbridge has a few high-end boutiques dotted around its lovely old square; you can pick up Vivienne Westwood at Fanny & Frank, while the town’s twentysomethings and thirtysomethings – many, who’ve left London in search of cosmopolitan living near the coast – shop at Uniform Research.

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If you’re more into feasting than fashion, head downhill to The Anchor pub for an English staple, like Gressingham duck breast or slow roast Dingley Dell pork – it’s always packed, so book ahead.

There are other excellent drinking holes in town, including The Red Lion in prime position on The Thoroughfare, the Old Mariner with its grassy pub garden, Ye Olde Bell and Steelyard, apparently the 12th oldest pub in England, and the Angel – which serves no food, but you do have over 270 choices of gin.

Another part of Woodbridge’s charm? It’s not on the mainline to London. As a result, it manages to be both peaceful, and do-able for a part-time commute. Many travel to the capital from Manningtree (about a 30-minute drive), as the station tends to be quieter than Ipswich.

After exploring the town, there’s beautiful countryside waiting: only 10 minutes away, on the opposite side of the River Deben, lies Sutton Hoo – an Anglo-Saxon royal burial site, better known since featuring in the 2021 film The Dig. A reconstruction of the longship, unearthed in 1939, is currently being crafted by volunteers on Woodbridge’s quayside.

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Rendlesham Forest makes for a pleasant afternoon escape (a 20-minute drive). Home to a stretch of coniferous woodland – and the UK’s most infamous UFO sightings in 1980 – there’s dizzying beauty and immense old silence everywhere you turn, lovely for walks or cycling.

Just outside Woodbridge, in Bromeswell, The Unruly Pig can’t stop winning awards. With excellent food (British with an Italian tinge), it’s a lovely laid-back gastropub and pretty good value, too. Very handy before or after a visit to Sutton Hoo or Rendlesham Forest.

Back in Woodbridge, the town feels like the last outpost of normality before you hit the A-list Suffolk coastal towns with second-home buyers and six-figure beach huts. Woodbridge has all the charm of Aldeburgh or Southwold, but is a proper 365-day place.

I love to walk the hidden alleys and poke about the shops, but I always seem to end up down at the quayside. I pick up cooked-to-order cod and chips at the Cumberland Fish Bar, and find a spot by the river.

Listening to wading birds calling from the mudflats, I tuck in, and can’t help but ask myself for the sixth occasion today: “Seriously, what the hell is Roy Keane’s problem?”

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