Constable Country is something of a gourmet's delight with some excellent pubs offering really good food.

It being a reasonable sunny Sunday, we decided to have a walk along the Stour Valley from Flatford Mill and then find a good pub for lunch.

We don't go in for booking and simply drove through Nayland until we reached the river. The Anchor Inn stands in an attractive position right beside the bridge.

Cavendish is a picture postcard village in the Stour Valley,18 km from Bury St Edmunds and 23 km from Newmarket and 35 km from Cambridge

Suffolk has few more spectacular sights than the church of St Peter and St Paul in its manicured churchyard at the top of the hill in Lavenham. It is excessively large for the size of the village and with a tower standing 141 ft (43 m) high lays claim to being the highest village church tower in Britain.

Located side by side on the south side of the Stour - at the point where the river starts to widen into a broad estuary - Manningtree and Mistley are small places with big histories, and so pleasingly easy to reach by train at that…

The train ride from London’s Liverpool Street Station to Manningtree takes a mere 60 minutes - enough time for a refreshing snooze, quick cup of coffee and a bit of time spent thinking about the next few days’ sojourn.

A mecca for antiques enthusiasts owing to its excellent range of shops (and appearances in the Lovejoy television series), Long Melford also boasts the longest village high street in the country, a church of cathedral-like proportions, two historic mansions and an atmosphere that will have you planning your next visit before you’ve even departed…

It’s amazing to think that the peaceful village of Long Melford is only about 53 miles away from the hustle and bustle of London.

You know the scenario - it’s about to tip it down and you’re wondering what to do next. Here are a few suggestions to brighten up a rainy day:

Where? Castle House, Dedham

Known the world over for its atmospheric skies and captivating natural beauty - of course made famous by the artist John Constable - this is an inspirational place to spend a holiday, says Laura Scamponi

Constable Country is situated along the border of Essex and Suffolk, in an area you will also hear referred to as the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley, which is dissected by the meandering River Stour.

Many will know of Hadleigh’s prominence as a wool town in medieval times, but few may realise that this bustling little place was once home to an avant-garde art school attended by Lucian Freud. There’s so much more to Hadleigh than meets the eye…

The small but very beautiful and bustling market town of Hadleigh is a convenient base for exploring the aesthetic delights of Constable Country and an increasingly popular holiday destination in its own right owing to a rich history and profusion of mostly privately owned shops and eateries.