World-renowned, thanks to its connection with Benjamin Britten, founder of the Aldeburgh Festival which takes place in June each year, Aldeburgh is as perfect a traditional seaside escape as you could hope to find.

Pastel-coloured 19th Century holiday villas line the promenade. To their east, the pebble beach with fisherman’s huts selling the daily catch.

Inland, the High Street offers delightful opportunities for browsing. Clothes boutiques, antiques and arts, an independent book shop and cinema plus a huge variety of culinary temptation, from the rightly-renowned fish and chips, to fine bistro dining, pizzas and of course, seaside ice cream!

Between the High Street and the sea you’ll also find the Lifeboat Station, with museum and shop, along with The 16th Century Moot Hall, which houses a museum charting the Town’s history from its Roman beginnings to the present day.

Just four miles upstream the Alde is Snape Maltings home to the concert hall built by Britten and friends and now also home to a delightful complex of shops and eateries, along with stunning walks laid-out across the reed beds.

Stroll north a mile or so along Aldeburgh sea front, past the controversial Maggi Hambling sculpture, the Scallop, and you’ll arrive in equally lovely Thorpeness.

Thorpeness began life as a private fantasy holiday village, built by Glencairn Stuart Ogilvy in 1910.

This fascinating village, with its mock Tudor and Jacobean architecture is home to the Meare, an artificial boating lake covering over 60 acres inspired by J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Tiny islands like The Pirates’ Lair and Wendy’s House are perfect for wannabe pirates and adventurers to explore.

Floating above the Meare is the House in the Clouds, a converted former water tower.