Southwold

Southwold, on the Suffolk coast, is my favourite seaside town. It is ages since we had been, but we thought the weather might mean it wouldn't be too crowded for a Bank Holiday, so we took a day trip there. It's a little over an hour's drive from Bury St. Edmunds - down the A14 towards Ipswich and then either up the A140 to the A1102 tourist route to Yoxford and the A12, or straight along the A14, up the A12 and then turn right at the A1095. We took the main road route and got to the sea front before 10 am (parking is free from November to the end of March). We were right. It wasn't too busy.

The pier is well worth a visit, with its little shops and cafes. It also has an amazing water clock and a collection of wacky machines designed by Tim Hunkin in the Under-the-Pier Show. Little W loved the bathyscape, but my favourite is the Autofrisk machine...

... enhanced for 2008 to help fight the war on terror by the "US Department for Humourless Security".

It was odd to see snow at the seaside - even the roofs on the pier were covered. We found why the Easter Bunny didn't come to our garden in Bury St Edmunds yesterday - it was stuck frozen on the beach in Southwold...

We walked along the sea-front. Southwold is famous for its colourful beach huts. Some people have started using theirs already, but most were still closed up for the winter. We saw a few that had suffered from the winter storms and high-tides, but most of them seemed fine.

It started snowing as we were walking about. In the High St, we saw these hardy clog-dancers braving the weather.

We had a lovely lunch served by the smiling ladies of Squiers Tea Room, and I had an obligatory glass of someting else Southwold is famous for - Adnams beer (possibly my favourite). You can't not go to the vicinity of the Sole Bay Brewery without trying it!

After lunch, we did of course go onto the beach. We found several starfishes but the tide was in and quite high so there was limited beach to walk on except at the south of the town.

Walking North from the pier we went along the East Bavants Sea Wall. The path at the end is closed because of erosion from the sea - there's a house that looks as if it might not last much longer. You could feel the power of the waves hitting the wall...

Yes. It is definitely not summer yet. But Southwold is great to visit whatever the weather.