Suffolk coast - ideas please

[MrsKypp]

Hello

We are off for a holiday on the Suffolk coast, DH, 2 young adult DS and me.

Looking for suggestions where to go, what to do, what to visit... places to see, things to do, where to eat...

anything and everything you recommend!

Thank you 😃

Park at Thorpeness and walk along the beach to Aldeburgh for fish and chips. There is also a nice boating lake at Thorpeness if your dc don’t feel too old for it. Alton Water - there is a good cycle path round the lake and you can canoe or paddle board on the lake. Bike/sup hire available. Southwold is a nice upmarket resort and there are good fish and chips between there and walberswick. Felixtowe has nice beaches, a movenpick ice cream kiosk and the container port further along is interesting to watch…. There is a coastal walk along to it. Sailing lesson in Woodbridge which is a pleasant market town. We like the Maybush pub at waldringfield has nice views of the river deben.

Minsmere RSPB reserve, north of Sizewell, if they have any interest in birds and butterflies. Take/hire binoculars.

Whereabouts are u going. Suffolk is fairly large.

Southwold Adnams Tours are expensive but good if they're YA as in over 18 rather than YA as in the book genre age.

The cafe near the container port at Felixstowe is decent if you're down there anyway (i.e. to visit languard fort).

Framlingham Castle is quite good, Sutton Hoon quite good - but obviously that has to be the sort of thing you're interested in. Same for Bawdset Radar Museum and I think there's a cold war museum that was surprisingly interesting.

If you like birds then Minsmere is amazing for bird watching.

Depends which end you are which things I'd recommend really - Felixstowe to Lowestoft is a massive distance.

1. A day out in southwold including the amazing homemade arcade machines in the under the pier show, chips in the harbour and a wander round the shops
2. crabbing at walberswick
3. a walk at dunwich including the Heath and/ or the forest
4. if you’re in the north then travelling up the coast to Yarmouth for hippodrome circus and some crazy golf
5. come in land for sup or canoe hire on the river Waveney
6. if it’s next week then latitude festival still has Friday day tickets. If you’re around and not going to latitude then avoid the area that weekend, the traffic will be awful!
7. a walk at covehithe beach/ the ruined church church there

We enjoyed Aldeburgh and Southwold (no kids) but don't go to Lowestoft, it's a dump.

Sutton Hoo site - watch The Dig on Netflix for the background.

The boating lake at Thorpeness is well worth it - it’s massive and there are islands where you can moor up to get out and explore. We had a picnic on one of the islands last time! The parking in Thorpeness is better than in Aldeburgh, so leave your car there for the day and walk to Aldeburgh for fish and chips. On your way you’ll pass lots of seafood shacks so take a cool bag too if you’re self catering!

Some brilliant cycling as well - Rendlesham (UFO trails) and Tunstall (Viking Trails) are both marked mountain bike routes, and many more forest road and back lane cycles around there. Just get a map out and work out where the icecream places are....

Snape Maltings also pleasant for some shopping and walks. There is a bus from Aldeburgh so you can park there, be dropped at Snape and walk back off-road.

Orford and Orford ness on the wee boat are a lovely walk in good weather.

I fucking love Rendelsham forest

If you are interested in sutton hoo then also go and see the replica boat which is being built in woodbridge - amazing and free

https://saxonship.org/

I live in Suffolk places mentioned I would agree with I used to live in Thorpeness beautiful place

Have a lovely holiday, UFO trail is good, but a lot of walking, no benches when we visited, our children liked it.

As a pp mentioned if you can get to Yarmouth, book the Hippodrome Circus, it’s just amazing, we went for the first time last year, went again at Christmas and booked to go again this summer, it is amazing.

For lunches etc., I've recently discovered that some of the pubs I knew from ages ago have formed Deben Inns. I've been to a couple recently, and they seem to all be in lovely locations, and the menus are pretty good.

If they like a fun fair Pleasurewood Hills near Lowestoft is nice. It’s a bit run down but it has a few rides and shows that they might like.

Wow, thank you so much everyone! You've given us some brilliant ideas, I'm sure now that we'll have a great time with all those tips.

Thank you!

@Bananas1350

Saxmundham, in the eastern side of Suffolk

You’ll be up the road from thorpeness and aldeburgh then don’t forget snape and not too far to drive to southwold

Your very close to Friday Street Farm Shop - great cafe and even better shop

Orford castle is brilliant - much better than it looks from the outside!

Africa Alive and Banham Zoo have a really good summer offer , if you buy a ticket for one online you can visit the other for free . One is about half an hour away the other about an hour , recommended both .

Framlingham Castle is about 15 minutes up the road. My local. It’s lovely. It’s English Heritage if you’re a member. So is Orford Castle but there’s more to see at Fram. It’s a lovely market town. Highly recommend the Crown or the Common Room for food. Or the Italian bistro but I’ve forgotten it’s name.

You’re about 10 minutes from Snape Maltings and probably around 20 minutes from Aldeburgh and Southwold. They’re pretty busy at this time of year but they are lovely. Look out for the Two Magpies cafe chain which does nice coffee and food. There’s a big free car park in Southwold off Godyll Road. Aldeburgh you can park anywhere along the Main Street, can’t remember if there’s a time limit.

If I think of anymore I’ll come back!

A friend went to Lavenham recently and I loved the pics of the wonky buildings.

To clarify- Lavenham isn't coastal, but maybe as a day trip or to visit en-route.