Growing up in Yorkshire, my vision of a seaside town is to go to the coast of Scarborough (or slow) with retro entertainment views, the sounds of double coins dripping with coin pushers, and the clear smell of doughnuts fried in refined mountains of sugar. On my recent trip to Suffolk, I always love seaside destinations that are just over their best years, but my views on what a seaside town is have changed to something similar to the all-around Podger events.
Dressed in a small, quaint corner near the easternmost point of Britain, Southwold lined up in the North Sea on the Suffolk coast, surrounded by almost untouched flat lands in the north and south. There are many industrial cities of Lowestoft and Felixstowe, leaving plenty of breathing space on both sides.
Despite the lack of altitude, the seemingly endless sky has the charm that creates an incredible sunset that can be seen for miles. And with a groundbreaking 17th century lighthouse overlooking the town, it still gives you a gaze.
As soon as I stepped out of my car I arrived in East Anglia without a sight of the hill (or a small mound for that matter) and could quickly say that the trademark had produced an impressively flat landscape and a distant cry from the steep marsh of Peak District, where I grew up.
The evening views are enjoying perhaps a pint in hand, and in Southwold you are lucky if you are lucky in front of a drink. The town is most famous as the Adoms Brewery home. East Anglia's staple is the pale ale “ghostship” at almost every pub you step into.
For beer fanatics, a visit to the town is not entirely possible without a tour of the distilleries that have visited the town's centre for over 100 years.
Marked at the summit on a charming Victorian pier, the other is marked by sand dunes tumbling into the town's harbor. This is a great place to sample fresh seafood that can be found in British soil.
The coast is perfect for a calm walk. Or, for the brave one between us, it's perfect for soaking in the oceans touching the Baltic Sea.
However, unlike many towns and villages nearby, the High Street itself offers plenty to occupy you and fill you with artistic boutiques, artisan bakeries and some solid restaurant options.
However, the town is lined with gorgeous Georgian cottages and a manageable drive from the capital, which once took over the quaint, classic Suffolk town by Londoners.
David Beven, an independent minister in Green and Liberal Democrats' housing, said the second homeowner's intrusion would “kill the community.”
“There is only one in three Southwold homes,” he told the Eastern Daily Press. “Broadly speaking, a third lives there, a third is a holiday home and a third is a second home for part of the year.”
In recent years, measures have been introduced to reduce the influx of second homeowners, including the development of neighborhood plans with “major residents requirements” in 2022.
“Without the full-time community thriving, Southwold will lose many things that make it a place where people want to visit and spend their holidays,” the plan says.
