Leave it to us to find a vineyard within the first two months of living here. Although it is no Cave B, the winery where we had our wedding, Wyken Vineyards is a beautiful estate property in the county of Suffolk, just past Bury St Edmunds. And it has much more to offer than just a vineyard - it is a working farm with a restaurant/cafe, gift shop, gardens, and several woodland paths to walk along. All of the food from the restaurant is sourced on site or from the local area.
There was a quaint and intimate farmer's market going on when we arrived, with local farmers, butchers, and cheese mongers from Suffolk. Unfortunately, some of the more unique goods had already been spoken for and things were wrapping up for the morning, so we ended up just browsing the produce.
And snagging a couple of "pasties."
Fira and Dexter waited patiently while I perused and chatted with the vendors.
Right past the farmer's market area, there was a wooden booth with eggs for sale! It was an honor system setup.
After finishing up at the market, the dogs (and Jason) were getting antsy to go for a walk. We noticed a sign for a 'Woodland Walk' through the pasture. At first I couldn't quite believe that they would let visitors walk freely through the pasture with the animals, so I went into the gift shop to confirm that this was actually the case! Yes, it was, and the dogs were welcome too as long as they were on a tight lead.
We weren't completely sure how Dexter would handle being up close and personal with the animals, but we thought we'd give it a try.
Overall he did pretty good, mostly due to the fact that Jason ended up holding him the entire time and providing constant "deep pressure"to his little body which helps calm him (therapy friends will understand).
I must say it was a beautiful site to see the animals roaming freely in their natural environment. The inner child in me, a product of growing up in busy suburbia, was in awe.
You see that sheep staring at me? Well, funny story about that guy. As I was engulfed in the beauty and busy taking pictures with Fira by my side, Dexter (being held by Jason) had apparently reached his bravery threshold and started to bark and howl at the sheep. Jason then says to me "Lane, slowly look behind you!" Well, this particular sheep with rather big horns, who must be the dominant one of the flock, was quietly approaching Fira and I from behind, looking as if he was going to ram into us. Needless to say, we were both very startled and scurried away as a fast as we could. Poor Fira, she was definitely spooked.
I guess that's what we get for encroaching upon their territory with our dogs.
Once we safely made it across the pasture, there was an actual woodland path that led to the vineyards. Unfortunately, we didn't make this trek through the woods because weren't properly outfitted in our English wellies and it was way too muddy.
Despite the scary, slightly humorous experience with the sheep, we really enjoyed our afternoon at Wyken Vineyards and can't wait to return here regularly in the spring and summer! Hopefully next time we'll get todrink taste some wine.
There was a quaint and intimate farmer's market going on when we arrived, with local farmers, butchers, and cheese mongers from Suffolk. Unfortunately, some of the more unique goods had already been spoken for and things were wrapping up for the morning, so we ended up just browsing the produce.
And snagging a couple of "pasties."
Fira and Dexter waited patiently while I perused and chatted with the vendors.
Right past the farmer's market area, there was a wooden booth with eggs for sale! It was an honor system setup.
After finishing up at the market, the dogs (and Jason) were getting antsy to go for a walk. We noticed a sign for a 'Woodland Walk' through the pasture. At first I couldn't quite believe that they would let visitors walk freely through the pasture with the animals, so I went into the gift shop to confirm that this was actually the case! Yes, it was, and the dogs were welcome too as long as they were on a tight lead.
Overall he did pretty good, mostly due to the fact that Jason ended up holding him the entire time and providing constant "deep pressure"to his little body which helps calm him (therapy friends will understand).
I must say it was a beautiful site to see the animals roaming freely in their natural environment. The inner child in me, a product of growing up in busy suburbia, was in awe.
You see that sheep staring at me? Well, funny story about that guy. As I was engulfed in the beauty and busy taking pictures with Fira by my side, Dexter (being held by Jason) had apparently reached his bravery threshold and started to bark and howl at the sheep. Jason then says to me "Lane, slowly look behind you!" Well, this particular sheep with rather big horns, who must be the dominant one of the flock, was quietly approaching Fira and I from behind, looking as if he was going to ram into us. Needless to say, we were both very startled and scurried away as a fast as we could. Poor Fira, she was definitely spooked.
I guess that's what we get for encroaching upon their territory with our dogs.
Once we safely made it across the pasture, there was an actual woodland path that led to the vineyards. Unfortunately, we didn't make this trek through the woods because weren't properly outfitted in our English wellies and it was way too muddy.
Despite the scary, slightly humorous experience with the sheep, we really enjoyed our afternoon at Wyken Vineyards and can't wait to return here regularly in the spring and summer! Hopefully next time we'll get to
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