An adventure in Suffolk 🌊

I hadn't realised the draw of the Suffolk coast until I had to choose a dog friendly retreats for our holiday. Originally I fancied Norfolk, enticed by the magazine photos of colourful beach huts and the taste of Cromer crab.

In the end, we opted for a beach house at Shingle Street, near Woodbridge, that looked quirky and nothing like the cottage I had envisioned. There was absolutely no regrets! The view above from the garden was a good start and it got better.

It was not, I must add, a holiday with lots of sight seeing and eating out. As I said previously, I was prepared for staying put. Lots of coastal walks and fresh air. Quiet evenings reading, snoozing and chatting, whilst listening to music - heaven!

So, the first day, we walked the beach...

Shingle Street sits right on the beach, just a 100m away from the surf! Our first afternoon/evening was chilly,  the beach was deserted because of the weather. But how beautiful...

The following day, the weather had improved. The sun beat down as we ventured further along the coastal path we had started exploring the evening before. I can't believe the skies around here! So beautiful and expansive. The whole area feels isolated and peace surrounds you. It is truly a getaway from life itself.

We headed towards the river that cuts to the east Felixstowe. How far would we get? Well, with the dog, we didn't follow the final stretch along the top of a rocky cliff. We found a beautiful cove here though, a perfect spot for lunch and a spot of paddling...

The coastal path is littered with bunkers and other  signs of military history. If I knew what I was looking for or at, I would be able to explain more but, along with the Martello towers (3 out of 4 have been renovated into homes), they make up a rich history of the wars we faced as far back as Napoleon. If you are a history buff, I am sure this is a place you know or have heard about,  if not, you must visit!

In the evening, we took the car for a 20 min journey to Woodbridge. Closing time is not the best time to rock up, especially as it has some nice shops to potter in if you have the time. We sauntered down to the quay before heading back.

Day three saw us heading in the opposite direction, once again, along the coastal path, veering off to head into Hollesley for a quick coffee at the Shepherd and Dog. Great coffee, dog friendly (Meg even got a plate of biscuits!) and lovely welcome. 

11 miles there and back, we spent the evening quietly. The weather had turned on the way back as you can see from the photo above, but this didn't stop us stopping to watch the herons, gulls and sandpipers that were happily feeding in the rain.

On our last full day, we decided to drive to the start of a new walk. Snape Maltings was recommended in a book I found in the boat house. It gave us a walk to try, so we were prepared!

Clutching the book, we started off well, following the route from the back of the car park. The trouble was we got carried away with the beauty of the marshes, and soon realised we had missed a turning. To make things worse, we headed backwards on the walk, so had to translate it backwards too! 😂

Before long we were lost in Tunstall forest and walked down various paths before realising we had a compass and so did the map! Phew!! Despite paths being shut for logging we made our way out...

I reached 25,141 steps that day!!

Luckily the Maltings has a fab cafe and some nice shops and galleries. Very nice cake too! 😋

So that was our week! If you get chance, then head to Suffolk too. Your break doesn't have to be as isolated as we made ours. There were lots of other things to do and see, but if you want a complete getaway and don't mind long walks, this is right up your street, well up Shingle Street anyway...

Let me know where you've been lately. Would love to hear a out new places.

Make time to adventure!

Deb x