Group and school visits to Sutton Hoo

Visitors looking out from the viewing platform at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk — Visitors looking out from the viewing platform at Sutton Hoo | © National Trust Images/Phil Morley

Sutton Hoo welcomes groups of all sizes. Whether you want to visit as part of a club or society, with friends or family, or as a school or college, we can accommodate you. Find out everything you need to know, from how to book your visit to the benefits you might receive.

Planning your visit

This helpful guide is packed full of information about visiting Sutton Hoo as a group, from where to go and what to see, to opening dates and times. Download it here.

Benefits for groups

If you visit Sutton Hoo as a group, you’ll be entitled to some or all of the following benefits:

Complimentary admission for a group leader who wants to undertake a familiarisation visit (read more below).
Complimentary admission for one group leader on the day of your group visit.
Discounted admission for groups of 15 people or more.
Allocated arrival time.
Free coach parking.

Free familiarisation visits for group leaders

If you're planning a group visit you can request our free Travel Trade Pass and you and a friend or colleague will gain free entry to over 300 of our places throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 12 months. There’s nothing quite like seeing or experiencing somewhere for yourself to help you plan a successful visit. To receive your pass, call 0344 249 1895 or email us at traveltrade@nationaltrust.org.uk

Who is eligible for free entry?

Registered tourist board guides (on production of a valid badge), coach drivers and tour leaders escorting groups of 15 or more. National Trust members also receive free entry, so it is at your discretion whether to refund the entrance fee to members if you have included it in your package – this is not refunded by the National Trust.

Members must bring their current membership cards with them to avoid paying the full group rate. If any of your group would like to join the National Trust please direct them to our Membership page or call 0344 800 1895.

Get in touch about bringing a group to Sutton Hoo

If you’re thinking about bringing a group to Sutton Hoo, please get in touch so that we can help to organise your visit. Be sure to let us know if your group has any accessibility requirements – we'll be happy to discuss these with you.

You can contact us by calling 01394 389700 or by emailing suttonhoogroups@nationaltrust.org.uk

Visitors trying on Anglo-Saxon clothing in the High Hall at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk — Trying out Anglo-Saxon clothing at Sutton Hoo | © National Trust Images / Phil Morley

Sutton Hoo for schools

Make Anglo-Saxon history come alive and book a class visit to Sutton Hoo. Your students will gain an exclusive insight into life and death in Anglo-Saxon England, with a range of activities available.

We cater for all age groups, from Early Years and Key Stage 1, right through to Key Stage 4. We also welcome home education groups, international education groups, universities, further education colleges and adult learning groups.

We can take a maximum of 60 students per day. Visits to Sutton Hoo are free for EGAP (Education Group Access Pass) members. For non-EGAP members please enquire for prices. Some guided activities incur a charge of £2 per student.

For more information on EGAP, please click here.

Remote learning programme

For schools that may be too far away to visit, you can arrange a video conference call to your classroom.

Before the call, we will send you a short video to watch in the classroom that introduces Sutton Hoo and the Anglo-Saxons. During the call our education volunteers will show replica artefacts and answer questions.

These run on the first Monday and Friday of the month. Please contact us for availability. Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we can currently offer this service for free. From April 2025, each call will cost £25.

Collection loans box

We have four collection loan boxes available to hire, which are full of Anglo-Saxon replicas, including the helmet and belt buckle. The boxes also include resources for teachers, and you can borrow them for a half term period. One box is specially designed for sensory and additional learning needs and contains items to smell, touch and listen to.

You can arrange for the box to be collected from Sutton Hoo or sent via courier to a more remote school. The cost of hiring a loan box is £60 (free if collected/returned to Sutton Hoo).

Special educational needs visits

The High Hall exhibition, Tranmer House and several of the footpaths across the Sutton Hoo site are wheelchair accessible. In addition, the Children and Young People Team will be delighted to organise specific activities, such as costume or handling sessions, to suit the needs of your pupils.

Hire Hoo Wudu

We have a purpose-built outdoor learning area that can be hired by schools and groups to run their own activities and sessions. The space has bag storage, seating for lunch and toilet facilities.

Half day hire £35. Full day hire £60.

Outdoor learning

We are pleased to be able to offer an outdoor learning programme, incorporating campfire cooking, bug hunting and den building based in our purpose built ‘Hoo Wudu’ outdoor learning space.

For more information on our education programmes please call 01394 389726 or email suttonhooCYP@nationaltrust.org.uk

Sunset over the burial mounds, shrouded by mist, at Sutton Hoo

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