Clare sits not far from its more ‘famous’ cousins of Long Melford and Lavenham in the heart of Suffolk but is equally as beautiful and holds special memories for me as somewhere near to where I grew up.
As an old Wool town, Clare has kept alive some its traditional features and is somewhere you could easily lose yourself for a day exploring the many antique shops, cafes and pubs.
Clare also boast the purpose of todays visit, the remains of Clare Castle which date back to William the Conqueror and which boasts 36 acres of beautiful Suffolk riverside countryside to explore.
The park has a lively cafe housed in the booking hall building from 1865 and provides easy access to wheelchairs and has a full bike rack for those who have cycled in. – https://clarecastlecountrypark.co.uk/platform-one-cafe/
For Railway fans, Clare Castle sits alongside the the castle ruins and still in place are the Stationmaster’s House with its ticket office and waiting room; a smaller waiting room across the tracks, and the last known 1865 goods shed.
The three buildings together as a group are very rarely found today, and because of that in 2013 the complex was listed Grade II. A crane of the type used to lift heavy goods has recently been installed near the goods shed.
The Railway Walk towards Cavendish begins by passing under a picturesque viaduct that carries the roadway to the former site of Clare Mill, destroyed by fire in the 1970s.
The Geocaching in the area is pretty relaxed, whilst there are plenty of visitors to the park, nothing is rushed or hurried and people do not tend to pay much attention to what others are up to.
There was one cache close to the Goods Shed and another on the old platform whilst the others that are close by form part of a circular walk nearby. I did venture up to the fabulous church in the village to try and nab a Church Micro but alas, posted a DNF here. https://coord.info/GC8KEN5
A final word, for those with a guilty pleasure of enjoying the 80s series ‘Lovejoy’ – a lot of filming was completed in Clare, including at this Antique Shop, right by the car park.
