Suffolk is the perfect weekend retreat for keen walkers and people who want to get away from it all. It has no motorways and only recently has Ipswich become a University town. Suffolk Coastline has been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty and forms one of the UK’s finest landscapes. It is a great location for a walking weekend holiday, so it is surprising how few people know about it. The wonders along the coastline are varied including wildlife-rich wetlands, windswept shingle beaches, sandy seaside resorts, old heaths and forgotten villages.
The coastline along East Anglia is retreating and there’s no better place to see the sea’s impact than at Covehithe, a few miles away from the stylish seaside town of Southwold. Covehithe is a tiny village on cliffs overlooking the North Sea and it seems the world has forgotten about it. Even the church is in ruins. Walk along the road and you will see the impact – it runs to the edge of the high cliffs! There are many warning signs along the edge of the cliff tops, which discourages many walkers but there is a permissible path from Covehithe along the clifftops towards Southwold.
The views are spectacular. The sea stretches for miles matched only by empty sandy beaches and (hopefully) blue skies. Even the landscape on top of the cliffs is interesting – travel through farmland, through small heaths and down onto the beach. After a mile you’ll reach Benacre, a natural nature reserve marked by the unusual presence of dead tree roots in the water – further evidence of the rapid retreat of the coastline. Benacre is a haven for wild birds. There’s even a hide should you be extra keen on bird spotting. It’s a beautiful spot. On one side of the sandy beach is the sea, on the other a huge lagoon filled with rushes and reed beds and surrounded by trees and woodland.
Continue along the beach and you’ll soon come to Southwold, a charming North Suffolk seaside town with an excellent award-winning pier to stroll along and plenty of quality pubs and restaurants to revive your energy. Southwold is not your typical seaside resort. It oozes Georgian charm and sophistication – you’ll be hard pressed to find a stick of rock or candy floss here! Southwold also has a big art scene along with neighbouring Aldeburgh, another popular seaside town. Places to visit in Southwold include the Adnams Brewery (followed by a trip to the Lord Nelson pub near to the sea), Southwold museum, the working lighthouse, the gorgeous reading room along the coastline walk and the church of St Edmund.
If you are looking for an off the beaten track walking weekend, you can't really go wrong with a trip to the Suffolk coast.
Interested in submitting your own review? Click Here.
Home
go back