Constable Country is a mainline train journey from London, through beautiful green countryside. The artist John Constable captured its beauty on canvas and today you can still see Willy Lott's cottage in all its glory.

There are taxis at Manningtree station that will take you on the short journey into the heart of the county of Suffolk countryside bordering with Essex.

If you do not want to go further than Manningtree then take a short walk or taxi ride (approx 10 minutes by foot for able bodied) into the town, it is the smallest town in Britain, it is also famous for being the hunting ground of The Witch Finder General, Matthew Hopkins. The narrow streets and old buildings that border the river Stour makes for a refreshing break from the hub bub of the city. There are rooms available in the local eateries and pubs. There is an award winning curry house and a Chinese take away should you wish for the spicier things in life. Should you wish to self-cater there is a large supermarket next to the river walk, a great place to sit and eat a sandwich.

The author Catherine Cookson chose Manningtree as a refuge when in troubled times, walking along the linking river road towards Mistley, known as the walls, you will also find time to unwind and clear your head. There is a small animal sanctuary along the road that welcomes visitors daily and is a great treat for children. The day out should give you a little piece of the Essex and Suffolk countryside to add to your collection of memories of when you visited Great Britain, it is tour guide free leaving you independent and a little richer in the pocket, there is a public library housed in a grand building in the centre of the high street where you will find more places to visit another day.

Cransford has a lovely "old church" and what appears to be a more recent one, but I didn't see a pub or a general store (except there looked like, at least one person, had a little display of goods for sale in their garden). The part of the "farmhouse" I stayed in may have originally been the "barn", but these days the "farmhouse" and "possible barn" are all as one. I didn't see any ghosts, but whether there are any there or not, I don't know.

Finding somewhere to eat was a bit awkward, so I needed to travel. I traveled into Saxmundham, and purchased a nice sweet and sour chicken from a take-away. Unfortunately, trying to eat the rice out of one container, and the sweet and sour chicken out of the other, and eating in a car, wasn't great. However, the breakfasts at the "farmhouse" were good and included a full English breakfast containing egg, bacon, sausage, mushroom and potato.

This certainly was a lovely holiday to remember.