A Day of Beach Exploring on The Suffolk Coast

We'll head off from Lowestoft first – a bustling and popular seaside resort with an expanse of award winning Blue Flag Beach. In the height of the summer the sands are thronging with excited children who are keen to start excavating with their buckets and spades. You’ll be doing well if you don’t succumb to the familiar waft of freshly cooked fish and chips which taste so much nicer when eaten in the fresh air! There’s no shortage of kiosks offering similarly tempting refreshments, and you really can’t leave without sampling one of the many flavours of fluffy ice-creams!

Head slightly south to the quieter sands of  Kessingland – here you’ll escape the hustle and bustle and maybe catch up with some reading whilst the kids go armed with their buckets on a hunt for hidden treasure…

Next stop is the quintessentially English town of  Southwold. So popular is this little gem of a seaside resort that many stars of stage and screen have set up home here – if you come face to face with someone who seems very familiar, the chances are you are brushing shoulders with the rich and famous!

Southwold is well known for so many things – the quirky shops and trendy boutiques, home of Adnams Brewery and its line-up of chalky coloured beach huts, but most of all, visitors to the town flock to the illustrious pier. Get ready to experience the eccentric British seaside at its best!

Southwold Pier sits beside the award winning sands and is the hub of the beach scene here – choose to sample fish and chips at its best, wander around the fascinating shops or have fun in in the amusement arcade but don’t leave before you’ve seen the cheeky water clock in action!

We have arrived at Walberswick, where a lovely little sand dune backed beach sits just across the River Blythe from Southwold. A walk in the other direction will take you past the Walberswick Nature Reserve with its mix of marsh and heathland then onward to.…

Dunwich is another little seaside haven packed with a collection fisherman’s huts and boats and a small café to grab a refreshing cuppa. Here you’ll find a long stretch of shingle beach which is great for discovering unusual stones and enjoying a game of Ducks and Drakes by the shore!

We’re slowly working our way south to the delightful and quirky village of  Thorpeness, famous for the Peter Pan inspired Meare, mock Tudor buildings and ‘House in the Clouds’. The beach here consists of steeply shelving shingle, with some sand at low tide. Dunes and low cliffs start to the north of Thorpeness, whilst the southern end forms the Haven Nature Reserve.

Our whistle stop tour brings us to the final beach of the day- the rather exclusive town of Aldeburgh…

Aldeburgh’s sand and shingle beach is one of the best known of all Suffolk's beaches. Backing on to this pretty seaside town, there are no shortage of facilities either.

There is plenty to explore on and around the beach. Along the beach front are any number of quirky historic buildings. These include the 400 year old Moot Hall, a Martello tower, a converted windmill and a Norman church.

There is cultural heritage here too; composer Benjamin Britten is strongly linked with the town and there is a monument to him on the beach - the Scallop. However, it has been said that one of the best cultural experiences to be had in Aldeburgh is the fish and chips which have been rated as the best on the Suffolk Coast! (Notice the reoccurring theme happening here?!)

The beautiful seaside resort of  Felixstowe is about a 40 minute drive from Aldeburgh, making it a little too far away to tag on to our day of beach exploration on the Suffolk Coast. However, make sure you set another day aside to check out the town’s fantastic beach which slopes gently to the sea in a sheltered bay. It’s backed by a promenade which is level with the beach and behind the prom you’ll find the exquisite gardens which are always a popular destination with families.