Southwold - The British Seaside Done Right
Southwold is that quintessential British seaside town we all crave. We’re not talking donkeys, candy floss and Kiss Me Quick hats; more brightly coloured beach huts, tea from a pot and Victorian arcade games.
Beach huts on the Southwold sea front
It’s my favourite place, partly because it has huge sentimental value. Having grown up in Suffolk, Southwold was the place we went for a seaside fix. It was where our family dog, Hugo first saw the sea (although ironically for a Labrador, he wouldn’t put a paw in the water). My dad used to take me crabbing in Walberswick; hooking huge hunks of bacon onto the twine and hauling disgruntled crabs into our little red bucket of sea water, before chucking them back in. It’s a happy place.
So when lockdown eased in April, my partner and I decided to head to the beach. At the time, it still wasn’t possible to stay in people’s houses, and as I hadn’t seen my parents in 10 months because of Covid, we decided to book an Air BnB and see them outside during the day. It’s the first time I’ve ever stayed in Southwold because it was always too close to home growing up to warrant it. We booked Puffin Cottage - a little two bed cottage located down one of a series of side streets close to the middle of town, but within a three minute walk of the beach.
It was also dog friendly, meaning Agnes could come along too. Unlike Hugo, she’s obsessed with water and will happily submerge her whole body. Usually all you see is a tail sticking out of the water, wagging backwards and forwards.
Agnes after eating the beach
We arrived early evening and decided to head straight for The Red Lion pub, which was about 30 seconds from our front door. It’s located on the edge of South Green - a Green surrounded by multi-million pound houses, adjacent to the beach. The sun was just going down, and I used the excuse to have my first Pimms of the year, whilst Tom had a pint of Adnam’s IPA (I think it’s compulsory in Southwold, considering it’s the home of the Adnam’s brewery). Because of Covid rules, we couldn’t go in, which meant we didn’t stick it out for a second drink, as the cold started to bite.
We were also hungry and keen to try fish and chips from the renowned Sole Bay Fish Company. There’s two in Southwold, but we went to the small one, close to The Swan Hotel in the centre. There’s always a queue and it was the same that night. Well worth it though. My sole was the freshest, lightest battered fish I’ve ever had and totally delicious with the homemade tartar sauce and chips. They fry them in beef dripping - it makes all the difference.
Gun Hill
The next morning, we made the most of the sunny morning and wandered down to the beach. We walked across South Green to Gun Hill (there’s actually a line of cannons along the top facing out to sea) and down the concrete slope to Gun Hill Beach Kiosk. The cafe is in a shed at the end of the promenade, towards the end of the beach huts.
Agnes was beside herself being so close to the water, and ran like a lunatic along the beach into the water as soon as I took her off the lead. It’s lovely around 8am before the crowds descend and there’s just a handful of dog walkers on the beach. I love wandering along and eying up which beach hut I’d buy if I could afford one. Some have sold for upwards of £100,000! Crazy for something you can’t stay in over night and may be found half way down the beach after a blustery winter storm. That said, they’re undeniably charming - especially when you see people sitting in a deckchair out the front, reading a book and drinking a cup of tea made on a camping stove.
The view up the beach from the Gun Hill Beach Kiosk
After grabbing a bacon butty and a take away coffee from the Gun Hill Beach Kiosk, we later wandered down the beach front towards the pier. The pier is one of the highlights at Southwold. At the entrance are your standard arcade games (with the addition of an eighties retro room), but further up, you’ll find The Under The Pier Show. It’s got mad games like Whack a Banker and Mobility Masterclass - a game where you have to cross a motorway using a zimmer frame. It’s totally mad, and totally brilliant.
I also love walking up and down the walkway looking at all of the engraved plaques people have put on the balustrade. Many are beautiful little eulogies or memories of family times at the seaside. They can bring a tear to the eye.
Next, it was a walk up through the side streets, past the lighthouse and into the hub of the town. In the summer months or on a weekend, it’s always bustling with people clutching ice creams and popping in and out of the numerous small shops and cafes. The Crown is my favourite for a ‘proper’ lunch in the winter, but it lacks outside space so wasn’t open when we visited.
We chose a Scotch egg and a tart from The Black Olive deli which we ate out of bags as we walked around - delicious. It also fuelled our afternoon walk across to Walberswick (see my “Must sees”).
After about six miles of walking (probably twice that for Agnes after all the tearing about), we returned exhausted to Puffin Cottage, put on the gas fire and cosied up under a blanket with a bottle of wine. Perfect.
Country Girl Ratings
MUST SEES
For old fashioned arcade games at The Under The Pier Show.
Pick up some IPA and try some of their wines. We like the Adnam’s English Bacchus; very fresh and easy drinking, and it’s British!
Walk down to Southwold harbour from the main town and take the rowing boat ferry across the estuary to Walberswick; the ideal spot for crabbing and a drink or two on The Green. You can also walk from Southwold, over the golf course to the harbour and then across a footbridge just past the The Harbour Inn. It’s then a nice loop down a track through the marshes to Walberswick. You could even take the ferry back to save walking all the way round.
PAW RATING
Whether it’s bounding over the dunes or in and out of the waves after a ball, Southwold is heaven for dogs. However, be aware that the beach in front of the promenade is closed to dogs from 1 April until 30 September, although they’re allowed on the stretch after the Gun Hill Cafe.
Most shops and cafes are dog friendly, but the higher end pubs and restaurants such as The Crown and The Swan, don’t allow them inside the main restaurants.
