Highlights
This whole stretch of coast, characterised by sand and shingle beaches, marshland, dunes and crumbling cliffs, is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The battle with coastal erosion has been going on for centuries and most of Dunwich has been washed away. Walking and birdwatching, especially at Minsmere, are popular pursuits and Southwold makes a great base for exploring the coast.
Punch & Judy show by Southwold Pier.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Southwold
A thriving fishing port in the 16th century, Southwold 1 [map] today is a remarkably unspoilt and charmingly old-fashioned, genteel sort of resort. Set on a clifftop and swept by stiff sea breezes, it is distinctive for its open greens, created after a fire destroyed most of the town in 1659. The town retains a variety of architectural styles: Georgian and Regency houses, Victorian seafront terraces, fishermen’s cottages and buildings with a marked Dutch influence, reflecting trade with northern Europe. To the east, the sand and shingle beach is backed by the iconic Southwold beach huts; to the south, sailing and fishing boats are moored by the River Blyth. The combination of seaside, enticing shops, restaurants, arts venues and wonderful walks and wildlife, have lured many a Londoner, and now around half of the town’s houses are second homes.
Southwold’s famous beach huts.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Pier
At the north end of the beach, the retro pier 2 [map] , with its cafés, shops and quirky amusements, is a focal point for both visitors and locals. It dates back to 1900 and has had a major revamp in recent years. Gimmicks range from traditional two-penny pushers to the eccentric Under the Pier Show, a wooden hut with slot machine inventions by local artist/engineer/humourist Tim Hunkin – his ‘Whack a Banker’ game is the favourite. He also devised the ingenious water clock further along, which puts on a witty little show every hour or so.
Beach and harbour
Southwold’s delightful beach huts, which fetch notoriously high prices (up to £120,000) overlook the sand and shingle beach. With fancy names like ‘Chocolate Box’ or ‘Happy Days’ they are really no more than colourful seaside sheds, where you can make a cuppa or simple meal and store your buckets, spades and sunloungers. Just inland, the landlocked lighthouse (very occasional openings) dates from 1887 and still provides a waymark for vessels at night, visible for 15 miles (24km).
Right on the seafront is the Southwold Sailors’ Reading Room (www.southwoldsailorsreadingroom.co.uk), a social club for retired sailors and fishermen, built in 1864 to deter them from taking to the bottle, fishing on Sundays or other unholy pursuits. This rather charming old-fashioned room, packed with maritime exhibits and open to the public (daily 9am–dusk), still provides a quiet retreat by the sea. To the far south lies Southwold’s little harbour 3 [map] , with sailing and fishing boats and shacks selling the catch of the day and seafood platters. A little rowing boat takes passengers, dogs and bikes across to Walberswick.
For a blast of adrenaline in sleepy Southwold take a half-hour trip around the bay on a speedy rigid inflatable boat with 12 wrap-around seats (tel: 07887-525 082; www.coastalvoyager.co.uk), departing from the harbour.
The Sole Bay Inn, Southwold, known for its Adnams beers.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Sole Bay Brewery
In the town centre follow your nose to the Sole Bay Brewery (tel: 01502-727 225; www.adnams.co.uk; daily tours, booking advised), where the malty wafts of brewing Adnams ale will greet you. Beer has been sold here since 1345, though the current Brewery dates from 1872. Adnams became an integral part of Southwold, and brewery drays pulling carts packed with beer barrels were a familiar sight until 2006. Today’s brewery boasts state-of-the-art machinery and is one of the greenest in the country. Friendly informative tours include a tutored tasting of beers as well as wine and gin – and a bottle of beer to take home. If you don’t take the tour be sure to try the ale, available at any of the Southwold watering holes. You can also take a distillery tour or try the ‘make your own gin’ experience. Adnams goes from strength to strength, with a number of its own pubs and hotels, as well as a dozen Adnams Cellar & Kitchen stores. There is one round the corner on 4 Drayman Square, with the full range of Adnams beers, wines and spirits, attractive kitchenware and a good café.
Southwold Museum
Over the road from the shop, within a quaint gabled cottage, is the delightful Southwold Museum (tel: 01502-726 097; www.southwoldmuseum.org; Apr–Oct daily 2–4pm; free, but donations welcome) with special exhibits on the town’s former fishing industry, its emergence as a prosperous seaside resort and the rise and decline of its railway. There’s also a section on the bloody but indecisive Battle of Sole Bay, fought off the coast in 1672 between the combined British and French fleets against the Dutch.
Carved angels in the roof of the Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Church of St Edmund
Just to the north, across Victoria Street, is the flint-faced, copper-roofed Church of St Edmund, one of Suffolk’s finest late medieval churches and one of the few buildings to escape the devastating town fire of 1659. The interior is light and spacious, with carved, decorated angels on the roof, a rare painted rood-screen, finely carved choirs stalls and, on a plinth just beyond the font, the little armour-clad figure known as Southwold Jack, who used to strike the bell with his battle-axe to announce the start of services.
Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh
From Southwold take the A1095 inland, turning left on to the A12 for Blythburgh. Bear left when you see the sign ‘village only’, then turn right for the Holy Trinity Church 4 [map] . The wool trade of this previously prosperous port left its mark in ‘the Cathedral of the Marshes’ as it is known. The vast church soars majestically above the Blyth estuary and can be seen for miles around. In a great storm in 1577 the church steeple crashed through the roof, killing two of the congregation. Some claim the visitor was the Devil, who left his scorch marks on the inside of the great north door. Another unwelcome visitor who left his mark was Puritan iconoclast, William Dowsing, who as Parliamentary Visitor to the Churches of Suffolk, smashed the windows and statues and left bullets in the timber roof. The church has beautifully carved angels decorating its tie-beam roof. Other distinctive features are the characterful poppyheads – carvings of little figures on the bench ends in the nave and the Blythburgh Jack-o’-the-Clock who once struck his bell on the hour and nowadays announces the entry of the clergy.
Picnic on the beach
The High Street in Southwold is a good place to pick up a picnic. The Black Olive Delicatessen at No. 80 has fabulous home-made pies, seafood products and local cheeses, as well as its namesake olives. Just along the road The Two Magpies Bakery produces artisan bread from scratch (watch the loaves being taken from the hearth ovens), filled foccaccia and irresistible pâtisserie. The drink has to be the local Adnams ales, from Adnams Cellar & Kitchen, round the corner from the brewery.
Beer for sale at Adnams Cellar & Kitchen.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Walberswick
From Blythburgh take the B1125 south, shortly turning left on to the B1387 for the lovely village of Walberswick 5 [map] . On the way into the village you’ll pass St Andrew’s Church, and the dramatic ruins beside it, which are evidence of the far grander building which once stood here. Walberswick today is a sleepy little village, and a favourite among artists for its beautiful coastal dunes, wild scenery and big skies (for more information, click here). It is also renowned for crabbing, especially on the little bridge at ‘The Flats’ where children dangle pieces of bacon on string to lure up the crustaceans. In 1981 Walberswick became the home of the grandly named British Open Crabbing Championship, drawing youngsters in their hundreds. The escalation of numbers put so much pressure on the organisers – and the stability of the local environment – that sadly the British Crabbing Federation had to terminate the event.
The Walberswick ferry
Southwold to Walberswick by car is a trip of some 7 miles (11km), via Blythburgh and the A12. But pedestrians can get there in no time via the little bridge or Walberswick Ferry across the River Blyth. This is one of the few surviving rowed ferries in the UK, operated by the fifth generation of the same family. The boat runs in season only, carries up to 12 passengers, plus dogs and bikes, and takes just a couple of minutes.
Passengers board the Walberswick Ferry.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications
Dunwich
From Walberswick return along the B1387, turning left on to the B1125 towards Leiston. After just over a mile (2km) turn left and drive through Dunwich Forest for the coastal village of Dunwich 6 [map] . Seeing the tiny village today it is hard to believe that this was the medieval capital of East Anglia and one of the largest ports in England, with six churches, two monasteries, two hospitals, major shipyards and a population which was one sixth that of London. Coastal erosion was checked for 200 years by the planting of faggots, but in January 1286 a terrible storm deposited a million tonnes of sand and shingle into the harbour, destroying its status as a port. Further damage was caused by the storm of 1326 and the population plummeted to 600. Constant erosion over the centuries has reduced the village to a handful of houses, a pub, church and a beach with a café. The population of permanent residents is down to around 120. All that remains of medieval Dunwich are the ruins of the Leper Chapel in the churchyard and those of the 13th-century Dunwich Greyfriars Monastery 7 [map] (tel: 01728-648 107; open year-round) on the clifftop just south of the village. This haunting monument is now managed by a charitable trust formed by local residents. A major restoration programme was completed in 2013 under the supervision of English Heritage. A solitary tombstone is the only testimony to the former presence of the medieval All Saints Church, which fell into the sea in 1921. Legend has it that the sound of the church bells tolling from the sea bed can be heard when a storm is threatening.
Relaxing on Walberswick beach.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
Dunwich Greyfriars Monastery.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
The Dunwich Museum
The Dunwich Museum (tel: 01728-648 796; www.dunwichmuseum.org.uk; Mar Sat–Sun 2–4pm, Apr–Oct daily 11.30am–4.30pm; free, but donations welcome) charts the history of the town from Roman times to the present day. The most intriguing exhibit is the scale model of Dunwich in its heyday, showing all the medieval buildings that are under the waves. The rate of loss of land is roughly a yard/metre a year.
Latitude Festival
Offering endless entertainment for all the family, the Latitude Festival (www.latitudefestival.com) started in 2006 and is now one of the most popular festivals in East Anglia. It takes place over four days in July at Henham Park, an estate about 5 miles (8km) west of Southwold and offers a lively programme featuring music, comedy, theatre, dance, poetry and literature. Be prepared for traffic-clogged roads coming and going to the festival and book accommodation a year ahead.
Young revellers in the woods at Latitude Festival.
Carys Lavin/Latitude
Dunwich Heath, south of the village, is a wide expanse of heather and scrubland, commanding splendid views of the coastline (marred only by the golfball-like Sizewell B nuclear power station to the south). The heath is owned by the National Trust and is known for birdlife, but for the best sightings go straight to the neighbouring Minsmere RSPB Nature Reserve (see below). For those who would like to walk but not necessarily in the fee-paying reserve, there is a well-marked, easy-going 5-mile (8km) footpath encircling Minsmere, taking in heath, beach, marshland and woodland, and involving just 500yds/metres on a public road. You can leave the car at the National Trust’s Coastguard Cottages (car park charge for non-members), which have excellent tearooms, at Dunwich Heath; alternatively, you could start the walk at The Eel’s Foot Inn at Eastbridge.
Beautiful Dunwich Heath.
Simon Talbot-Hurn/REX/Shutterstock
To reach Minsmere from Dunwich village by car, drive to Westleton, and follow the brown sign off the green for Minsmere. It’s about 2.5 miles (4km) along a narrow road, through some beautiful woodland. You don’t have to be a birdwatcher to enjoy the coastal and woodland trails at the Minsmere RSPB Nature Reserve 8 [map] (tel: 01728-648 281; www.rspb.org.uk; reserve: daily dawn–dusk; Visitor Centre: Feb–Oct 9am–5pm, Nov–Jan 9am–4pm) but it helps to enjoy nature as this is one of the best spots in the UK for wildlife. It opened in 1947 and has become increasingly popular, particularly since hosting the BBC2 wildlife series Springwatch.
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair’s family home was in Southwold and the author came back to live here in 1929–35. It was in here that he wrote his experimental novel A Clergyman’s Daughter, the inspiration of which may have been the clergyman’s daughter, Brenda Salkeld, the gym teacher at the local St Felix School, whom he fell for. In 1933 he published his more famous novel, Down and Out in Paris and London under the name of George Orwell – taking his surname from Suffolk’s River Orwell that he so loved.
The diverse habitats are home to an astonishing variety of birds and other wildlife. In spring and summer you might spot an avocet skimming the water, a marsh harrier ‘dancing’ above the reed beds, hear the deep booming call of the bittern or glimpse the shy otter or red deer. Look out too for terns, oystercatchers and lapwings or, among the most endangered species, nightjars and bearded tits. This is a well-organised reserve with a helpful visitor centre, waymarked circular trails, hides overlooking lagoons and reed beds, guides on hand to tell you what to look out for and binoculars to hire. Youngsters can have fun in the Wild Zone, building a den or joining in summer activities such as pond dipping and owl pellet dissection. There’s a good shop too and a café with great bacon butties and home-made bread pudding and scones.
Eating Out
Southwold
Lord Nelson
East Street; tel: 01502-722 079; www.thelordnelsonsouthwold.co.uk; food: daily noon–2pm and 6.30–9pm.
A Southwold institution. It’s cosy, close to the sea and, unsurprisingly, serves the full selection of the local Adnams beers. Expect tasty home-cooked dishes (fish and chips, Thai green curry, Norfolk mussels). The enclosed flower-decked garden is perfect for alfresco meals. ££
Southwold Boating Lake and Tearoom
North Road; tel: 07771-781 739; www.southwoldboatinglakeandtearoom.co.uk; Easter–mid-Oct Mon–Fri 11am–3.30pm, Sat–Sun 10am–4pm.
Friendly, 1940s-style lakeside café. You can enjoy light lunches or scrumptious cream teas sitting on Lloyd loom chairs on the lakeside verandah (warm fleecy blankets are provided if it’s cool) or in the quirky little tea room. £
Sole Bay Fish Co.
Shed 22e Blackshore; tel: 01502-724 401; www.solebayfishco.co.uk; daily noon–3pm.
You can’t get fresher than this, with produce straight off the owners’ boats or smoked in their own smokehouse. Now a fully licensed restaurant, this is a great place to come for a unique lunch experience. Fresh fish sold daily (8am–4.30pm). ££
Sutherland House
56 High Street; tel: 01502-724 544; www.sutherlandhouse.co.uk; Tue–Sun noon–2pm and 7–9pm.
Smart hotel restaurant where food miles are given on the menu and only seasonal ingredients are used. Try the freshly caught fish, 28-day aged steak or carrot and coriander fritters. There’s also a set lunch menu (£). £££
Walberswick
The Bell
Ferry Road; tel: 01502-723 109; www.bellinnwalberswick.co.uk; food daily noon–2.30pm and 6–9pm.
Ancient village pub with views over the dunes and harbour from its large garden. Decent home-made pub grub includes starters such as Suffolk smokies and mains like steak, ale and mushroom pie. ££
Dunwich
Dingle Hill Tearooms
Dingle Hill; tel: 01728-648 872; www.dinglehilltearooms.co.uk; Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat–Sun 9am–4pm.
This charming tearoom, which prides itself on cakes, scones, sandwiches and quiches freshly made on site, is hidden away alongside a small garden nursery. Take the road opposite the church and it’s on your right. £
The Ship
St James Street; tel: 01728-648 219; www.shipatdunwich.co.uk; food: Mon–Fri 8–10am, noon–3pm and 6–9pm, Sat–Sun and school holidays 8–10am, noon–9pm.
This former smugglers’ haunt, which is also a hotel, has a cosy atmosphere and good locally sourced food. Expect home-smoked fish, ham hock and pork belly from Blythburgh and Suffolk cheeseboard. ££