The astonishing beauty of Southwold

[editor]

We've just had a short break in the coastal town of Southwold and it's probably the prettiest place I've ever stayed in England.

It's like stepping back about 70 years: the place is full of small local businesses, there's a brewery in the middle of the town (Adnams), there's bakers and shops selling local produce, it's got a pier, a working lighthouse in the middle of the town, rows and rows of brightly coloured beach huts, well tended massive churches everywhere, and the architecture is beautiful with ne'er a 60s brutalist beast to be found.

The people were incredibly friendly (and unlike some English towns pretty tolerant too) and there were miles and miles of near deserted country lanes to explore on bike. And we really could leave our bikes unattended and unlocked! (although this took a bit of getting used to).

Anyone else been?

[Sigmund Fraud]

Not been to Southwold but I was shocked (in a good way) on a recent visit to nearby Orford - friendly locals that struck up conversation in the street and a village shop with nobody at the till and a sign saying back in 15 mins, please leave money in the box:eek:. I love the look of that part of Suffolk, kind of wild and a bit windblasted, makes me think thats what Kent and Sussex looked like 100 years ago.

[Miss-Shelf]

southwold is a manicured step back in time...I like the walk through walberswick and the reed beds to dunwich....thought southwold pretty although possibly a bit stepford-town like - it's quite hard to get to using public transport though

[Janh]

Did you take any pictures ed?

[editor]

Did you take any pictures ed?Naturellement! Loads of 'em!

I'll see if I can slap some photos up later today. It was indescribably cold when we were there - I had to go into a charity shop for warm clothing and had to suffer the indignity of wearing a golfing jacket all weekend. On the Friday we bought gloves too because it was too cold to hold the handlebars!

As Miss-Shelf said, public transport is thin on the ground - we cycled the nine miles or so from Halesworth and would have been stuck to get around without our trusty folding bikes.

[Citizen66]

Where the chuffin' heck is it, like? Sounds like somewhere I'll put on my must visit list.

and had to suffer the indignity of wearing a golfing jacket all weekend.

:D

[Janh]

suffer the indignity of wearing a golfing jacket all weekend
now that's worth a picture

[ska invita]

The only problems with the East Anglia coastline is that it gets the most sewage pumped into it - true of pretty much all the east coast.

[editor]

The only problems with the East Anglia coastline is that it gets the most sewage pumped into it - true of pretty much all the east coast.The sea looked perilously close to freezing point so there was no danger of me going anywhere near it.

They're trying to reopen the old Southwold narrow gauge railway, btw, which would puff along from Halesworth to close to the pier. That would be grand :)

(*oh and my golfing jacket wasn't a multi-coloured checked beast, just a fairly modest blue 'windcheater' type affair. But the presence of a golf logo was enough to upset me)

[Cid]

My family has a house down there (about 5/6 miles southwest - was my grandparents, we keep it going as a holiday let/place to stay), lovely part of Britain - it's where most of the tourist money in Suffolk goes and there're a lot of conservation areas so it gets a fair amount of funding. Go up to Lowie or down to Felixstowe and you see where the money's drawn away from, but that's a different subject.

Worth going down to Aldeburgh - that's a lovely place, most of the old town has been washed away but the 400 year old moot hall's still there. If you manage to get up early the fishermen sell their excess catch from stalls on the beach, can't get fish any fresher (and lobster, mmm lobster). Some lovely walks along the coast round there - lots of old defences from martello towers right up to WWII installations. I'll post up some pictures:

Martello Tower (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56198345)
The Amy-Jim (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56253525)
Fresh fish for sale (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56253531)
Lobster Pots (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56253532)
Tank traps (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56198342)
Anchors (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56253529)
into the mist (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56255956)
Decay (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56255960)

These are from a few miles south:

Falling down (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56254724)
POW tower (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56255092)
Dark window (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56254726)
Forgotten Defences (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56255090)

Weird to think I only took those just over a year ago. Got some colour photos that show a v different atmosphere, I'll post them up later (not uploaded them) - the above shots were mainly done with 400 speed hp5, some on 3200.

[mauvais]

403 Forbidden errors on most of those for me.

Oh - now they seem to be working. Weird.

[Cid]

Welcome to the bizzare world of linking to pbase images.

e2a: worked out what i was doing wrong, should all work now.

[catrina]

I went there with my parents a few years ago, it was very much like being in a time warp. I loved the beach huts. It reminded me quite a bit of Cape Cod, or at least, I now imagine Cape Cod was fashioned after a place like Southwold.

[vagrant]

I used to lived there when i was a wee kiddy. I'd to swim in the
sea all summer and get bored stupid all winter - there wasn't much to do
for a 14year old!
The town's stuck in a bit of a timewarp which is part of the charm I
suppose - you still get the odd toff turning up with his rightwing veiws
and his classic cars! It's largely deserted in the winter when all the people
with 2nd homes there leave it to the old retired folk and the B&Bs are empty.
Adnams basically owns/runs the whole town - great if you like an ale!
Popular with famous types and celebrity chefs these days i hear...
I met Michael Palin there too once. Woo!

[marty21]

it's a lovely area, i've stayed up there a few times, southwold, aldebrough, walberswick, orford, plenty of places to see, i've got a picture of me near orford castle, a legendary head bigger than a castle pic, i'll hunt it out:D

[Minnie_the_Minx]

into the mist (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56255956)
Decay (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56255960)
[/url]




eerie

[marshall]

Ed, did you check out the Under the Pier Show at Southwold?

An alternative take on traditional seaside arcade games. For example, they have a photo booth with a seat that drops away at the moment of flash, so instead of looking suave and composed, you look shocked and surprised - hair in the air etc.

There's also a 'frisking machine' with a pair of stuffed rubber gloves that pop out and give you a grope.

And a wolf's head that drools on your hand and...err...lots of other attractions.

Love Southwold, shame about the price of property. I don't think you'd get much change from 40k for a beach hut...:eek:

[editor]

Ed, did you check out the Under the Pier Show at Southwold?
Yeah - it was brilliant. I've got a ton of pics to upload and I'm working through them now.

It's a shame it was so ruddy cold with no dramatic postcard-blue skies to boost my snaps, but it's still a fascinating place to photograph.

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Yeah - it was brilliant. I've got a ton of pics to upload and I'm working through them now.

It's a shame it was so ruddy cold with no dramatic postcard-blue skies to boost my snaps, but it's still a fascinating place to photograph.


THREE DAYS to post some pictures :rolleyes:

Can't you stick up some teasers?

[Choc]

i am lucky to get to this area some times. i second that it is wonderful there.

the southwold arty pier has left a particular strong impression with me!! :)

walberswick is super cool, there is a nice cafe there with lovely cakes. and also i really like this posh place with the windy beach, can't think of what it is called again though?


i recently heard there was a wicked exhibition on in southwold around now.. did you get to go there?

[dormouse]

Worth going down to Aldeburgh - that's a lovely place, most of the old town has been washed away but the 400 year old moot hall's still there. If you manage to get up early the fishermen sell their excess catch from stalls on the beach, can't get fish any fresher (and lobster, mmm lobster). Some lovely walks along the coast round there - lots of old defences from martello towers right up to WWII installations. I'll post up some pictures:

Martello Tower (http://www.pbase.com/cid710/image/56198345)
I've stayed in that! It's owned by the Landmark Trust. A bit damp (I think they've improved it since) but nice and warm. We bought an ENORMOUS cod from a stall on the beach; it was lovely.

I love Southwold and Aldeburgh. I want to go back now.

[editor]

THREE DAYS to post some pictures :rolleyes:

Can't you stick up some teasers?I've gone off on another of my multi-page, fully researched spectaculars, but I reckon it will be worth the wait!

(11 pages so far!)

[editor]

Nearly done - over 250 photos and 15 pages done so far, with a couple of panoramas on the way.

It's probably more work than writing a ruddy small book!

[editor]

The photos are finally up!

http://www.urban75.org/photos/suffolk/images/halesworth-southwold-05.jpg

http://www.urban75.org/photos/suffolk/images/southwold-photos-07.jpg

http://www.urban75.org/photos/suffolk/images/southwold-beach-huts-10.jpg

http://www.urban75.org/photos/suffolk/images/blythburgh-church-05.jpg

http://www.urban75.org/photos/suffolk/index.html

(*if you see any typos - and there's sure to be a few - could you please PM me the details instead of posting them here. Thanks!)

[HerneHillBilly]

the history of the place is astonishing too. I'd never heard of the Anglo-Dutch sea battles that took place off the coast.
Other remarkable features: loads of rabbits running around the 'greens' in the evening, not particularly worried about people nearby.
All the shops and take aways are shut by 7 giving the town a very peaceful atmosphere.
Costs a lot to stay in B&B!


Was Palin's 'East of Ipswich' drama set there?

[foamy]

we were going to go there last sunday but it was too cold :(

things i love:
Reading all the plaques on the new pier
the automata water powered clock tower on the pier
the adnams brewery behind the fake fronted row of terraced houses
Walking to Walberswick

glad you enjoyed it too :)

ETA: oh, and i still have the presription that the machine doctor under the pier wrote for me :D

[editor]

Blythburgh church was spectacular.

Those wooden medieval angels really are something.

[dweller]

really great photos ed, thanks

[Cid]

(*if you see any typos - and there's sure to be a few - could you please PM me the details instead of posting them here. Thanks!)

edit because I didn't read the editor's post properly... :o