Aldeburgh in September, Aldeburgh, England

Regular readers will know that Aldeburgh has become a favourite place for me to head to for a short break. It’s an easy and not too long drive and, most importantly, I’ve come to really love it there. I first went in June 2022. I wanted to explore Suffolk, a county I didn’t know at all, and I wanted to stay by the sea. I’d never heard of Aldeburgh (though I’ve heard lots since!) and did a search of places to stay from Southwold towards the north of Suffolk all the way along the coast to Aldeburgh in the south. I found a pub by the beach with rooms, highly rated on booking.com, and with views of the sea. It sounded perfect. And it was. I’m just back from my fourth stay - always in the lovely The Cross Keys pub.

Suffolk is very different to other places to visit from London for a short break. Suffolk is known for its big skies, which, with the shingle beach which runs for miles allows you to feel very much away from things. All around you is space. Aldeburgh is quite a small town and whenever I’ve been, it’s been fairly quiet; the beach almost empty. The locals told me this time not to ever come in the school holidays - it’s very busy. I did wonder though what would constitute ‘very busy’ to this Londoner! There’s a slightly old-fashioned feel to Aldeburgh, as if time slowed down. There are smart restaurants though, quirky independent shops; Aldeburgh isn’t ‘back in time’ in terms of what it offers the visitor but there’s not the manic rush of Cornwall or the South Coast in the summer. This lends itself to allowing the visitor to slow down, which makes it a great place to relax and switch off. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).