The three square turrets and 18-sided drum design of this slender 12th-century structure not only make it highly unusual, but also very beautiful. It's pretty much intact which means you can explore the halls and maze-like passages in the basement, and head to the roof for glorious views of the nature reserve of Orford Ness.
Orford Castle
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.07 MILES
Somehow missed by plundering robbers and left undisturbed for 1300 years, the hull of an enormous Anglo-Saxon ship was discovered here in 1939, buried…
23.69 MILES
Set right beside Flatford Mill – a feature of several Constable paintings – thatched Bridge Cottage has an exhibition that provides a fine introduction to…
0.43 MILES
Wind-whipped, remote Orford Ness is the largest vegetated shingle spit in Europe and was once used as a secret military testing ground; now it's a nature…
11.23 MILES
The coast near Dunwich draws ranks of birdwatchers, thanks to RSPB Minsmere. The reserve is home to one of England's rarest birds, the bittern, with…
17.24 MILES
Spend an hour touring the high-tech kit inside this Victorian brewery, indulge in a 30-minute tutored tasting, then select a free bottle of beer to take…
17.62 MILES
Southwold's shore-front is its main attraction. Amble along the promenade, admire the squat 19th-century lighthouse, then drop by the 190m-long pier,…
5.68 MILES
Maggi Hambling's sculpture commemorates Aldeburgh’s links with the 20th-century composer Benjamin Britten, who spent much of his life in the town. It…
23.65 MILES
Constable fans will recognise red-brick Flatford Mill immediately, as it appears in many of his canvases and still looks idyllic today. It was once owned…
Nearby attractions
0.43 MILES
Wind-whipped, remote Orford Ness is the largest vegetated shingle spit in Europe and was once used as a secret military testing ground; now it's a nature…
5.2 MILES
Displays on fishing, shipbuilding, coastal defences and Regency-era tourism in an intricately carved, timber-framed, 16th-century house.
5.68 MILES
Maggi Hambling's sculpture commemorates Aldeburgh’s links with the 20th-century composer Benjamin Britten, who spent much of his life in the town. It…
8.07 MILES
Somehow missed by plundering robbers and left undisturbed for 1300 years, the hull of an enormous Anglo-Saxon ship was discovered here in 1939, buried…
11.23 MILES
The coast near Dunwich draws ranks of birdwatchers, thanks to RSPB Minsmere. The reserve is home to one of England's rarest birds, the bittern, with…
17.24 MILES
Spend an hour touring the high-tech kit inside this Victorian brewery, indulge in a 30-minute tutored tasting, then select a free bottle of beer to take…
17.35 MILES
Worth a peek for its fabulous medieval screen and 15th-century, bloodshot-eyed 'Southwold Jack' effigy (believed to be part of a clock), grumpily…
17.62 MILES
Southwold's shore-front is its main attraction. Amble along the promenade, admire the squat 19th-century lighthouse, then drop by the 190m-long pier,…