Why this often forgotten village with a great pub is worth a visit

Suffolk is home to a number of great villages and towns - with some of them often overlooked - but here are some reasons this location is well worth a visit.

Troston, a small village about five miles north of Bury St Edmunds, is full of characteristic buildings and home to an award-winning pub.

A number of the village's buildings date back to the 1800s and St Mary's Church is a Grade I listed building, containing medieval wall paintings that were conserved in 2009.

Visitors will often see military aircraft travel overhead arriving and departing from RAF Honington.

The Bull Freehouse is a real pull for the village. In January a new kitchen team was announced with Sam Sturman, who Suffolk foodies may know from his time at The Brewers in Rattlesden, heading up the team.

The bar area at The Bull Freehouse in Troston (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Other kitchen staff come from restaurants around the country, including The Swan at Lavenham and MJP at the Shepherds in Fen Ditton.

The country pub also boasts a double AA Rosette for culinary excellence.

In the summer of 2023, The Bull Freehouse announced the opening of The Pear Tree Inn, a bespoke guest house a few doors down from The Bull.

Troston church dates back to the 1800s (Image: Newsquest)

It very quickly rose in popularity and had scored a perfect five AA gold stars - only one of two in Suffolk with such a high score.

Since the guest house opened visitors have travelled from as far as Yorkshire to stay in the luxury rooms.

There are also a number of great walks you can try around the village ranging from one and a half hours to two and a half hours.

One of the walks takes you around the old ways of Troston and is four and a half miles. There is even a café pit stop if you want to take a break.

A short drive away is a half an hour walk at Great Livermere Lake, which is a great place to walk around and is the perfect place to see wildlife.

The village is full of character and picturesque settings and is well worth a visit by anyone who is in the area or passing by.